Slept rather well beside the car on the tarp watching the stars above, the moon setting into the sea and the lights on Hualaui Volcano. Was up with the sun to begin the pack up. There were at least 3 other cars of people sleeping parked beside us. Soon the girls were up and packing commenced in earnest. The airport was only a 10 minute drive away and soon the rental car was returned and it was electronics charging and phone time as we waited for our flight to Lihue to board. We were in the last row of the plane with no windows and it made for a very disconcerting flight. as we could not see out and had to rely on the motion of the plane to tell if we were in the air, descending landing etc. all the while with the roar of the engines, just outside our windowless walls, in our ears
It was a mercifully short flight and then we were in rainy Lihue and I could eat my breakfast which I carried on in a yogurt container that made it through security. We took a bus into town, to the civic center to get our camping permits for the cheap county beach parks and our plans had to be revised as Salt Pond was sold out for the weekend and Anuhili was deemed NOT safe by the clerk so we settled for 4 nights at Ani’ni Beach Park plus 1 night at Lydgate State Park for when we came off the Na Pali Coast.
We then walked in a drizzle to Lihue Small Storage and rented a space for $50 for a week to store all the things we did not want to backpack with. We sorted out what we did not want to carry and placed it in #268 and then walked up to the Wal-Mart for supplies.
They would not let us in the store with backpacks so the girls shopped while I sat outside and listened to a lady on her phone complain about missing her shuttle to her cruise ship and the ship leaving without her. Meanwhile in the the store another lady shit herself in the cheese aisle and Colleen made me go in and finish up shopping and pay. There were 3 employees in Haz-Mat suits mopping up an aisle as I shopped for needle and floss to sew up my disintegrating shoes and by the time I was done the paramedics had arrived to dela with the pooper.
Shopping completed we had an hour to wait for the #500 bus that would take us towards Hanalei where Ani’ni Beach Park is near. We cruised North up the coast and Jakobi remarked how Kaua’i is like Belize in the sense that the fancy rich people resorts are segregated from the local life and there are a lot of dirt bag white people living here like bums.
We got conflicting directions from 2 guys on the bus and the bus driver on how to get to Ani’ni. On the map it’s a 4 mile walk from the stop at Kiluea that the guys told us to get off at but the bus driver dropped us off in Princeville (fancy rich people resort community) and told us to walk through the resort to a trailhead down to the beach and then south along the beach to Ani’ni. So that is what we did and it was a short super slippy trail to the beach and then South along it, across a stream, up to the road and half a mile to the beach park.
Ani’ni is a big lawn, lots of scattered tents, no pavillion, 2 bathrooms, a tree lined beach with surf breaking 200 yards offshore, RAIN and lots of chickens. We set up on the lawn in the open, cooked tuna noodle and chatted with our German table mates and then went to bed and listened to the rain all night long.
Day 2
It was still raining in the morning. I made my breakfast for later between showers and we decided to all walk up to Princeville for the day. So it was back across the beach and stream, up the slippy slope and through the fancy resort to the shopping plaza. We found the library and spent an hour there charging stuff, reading, catching up on news and email and doing some research because the Na Pali Trail is closed right now due to all the rain causing the streams to flash flood. The forecast is for more rain but possibly less come Tuesday when we hike in.
The girls went shopping while I found a tacky Tiki Bar with 2 TV’s and planted myself there to watch football. The Texans beat the BIlls 22-19 in OT and I enjoyed a salad, a beer and some french fries and a rotating cast of barmates as all the while it poured outside. I made it to halftime with the Patriots losing to the Titans 14-13 before I had enough of being there (5.5 hours) and left to walk the slippery trail back to the campsite. The girls were still in town having gone to the fancy hotel overlooking the bay for happy hour and I was in the tent alone for 1/2 an hout before they returned to cook pasta in the dark.
Day 3
We spent Sunday at the Beach Park all day. Jakobi made a friend, another 10 year old girl camping with her parents and little sister. up under the trees above the beach.
We swam in the protected lagoon, walked the length of the beach (We are on the uncrowded part) enjoyed the itermittent sun, read our books, plyed Phase 10 and Quix, ate our food and wathced the stars until the rain came and we went into our tent to sleep.
Day 4
Another day, another breakfast made before the girls were up. We all walked with Jakobi’s friend Laiasha and her parents, Cristof and Kaala toward the trail where they said there was good turtle viewing and coconuts and as we walked got to talking about where they are from and it turns out they are from the same place as my sister Susanna and not only that but the mom is one of Susanna’s best friends and Oona and Rain (little sister) are buddies! Somehow I was not surprised.
Palm trees were climbed, coconuts were cracked, no turtles were seen and soon Ambiana and Colleen left for their excursion into Hanalei while I hung with Jakobi so she could hang with Laiasha while I finished TC Boyle’s Road to Wellville. Colleen and Ambiana came back with sushi and cookies and we cooked dinner in between rain showers and looked forward to tomorrow when we can break camp and begin the Na Pali Coast trail if it is open.
It has been a chill 4 nights here but not the nicest spot in Hawai’i, at least we met Susanna’s friends and Jakobi had 3 days of hanging and playing with a friend.
Kauai
Slept rather well beside the car on the tarp watching the stars above, the moon setting into the sea and the lights on Hualaui Volcano. Was up with the sun to begin the pack up. There were at least 3 other cars of people sleeping parked beside us. Soon the girls were up and packing commenced in earnest. The airport was only a 10 minute drive away and soon the rental car was returned and it was electronics charging and phone time as we waited for our flight to Lihue to board. We were in the last row of the plane with no windows and it made for a very disconcerting flight. as we could not see out and had to rely on the motion of the plane to tell if we were in the air, descending landing etc. all the while with the roar of the engines, just outside our windowless walls, in our ears
It was a mercifully short flight and then we were in rainy Lihue and I could eat my breakfast which I carried on in a yogurt container that made it through security. We took a bus into town, to the civic center to get our camping permits for the cheap county beach parks and our plans had to be revised as Salt Pond was sold out for the weekend and Anuhili was deemed NOT safe by the clerk so we settled for 4 nights at Ani’ni Beach Park plus 1 night at Lydgate State Park for when we came off the Na Pali Coast.
We then walked in a drizzle to Lihue Small Storage and rented a space for $50 for a week to store all the things we did not want to backpack with. We sorted out what we did not want to carry and placed it in #268 and then walked up to the Wal-Mart for supplies.
They would not let us in the store with backpacks so the girls shopped while I sat outside and listened to a lady on her phone complain about missing her shuttle to her cruise ship and the ship leaving without her. Meanwhile in the the store another lady shit herself in the cheese aisle and Colleen made me go in and finish up shopping and pay. There were 3 employees in Haz-Mat suits mopping up an aisle as I shopped for needle and floss to sew up my disintegrating shoes and by the time I was done the paramedics had arrived to dela with the pooper.
Shopping completed we had an hour to wait for the #500 bus that would take us towards Hanalei where Ani’ni Beach Park is near. We cruised North up the coast and Jakobi remarked how Kaua’i is like Belize in the sense that the fancy rich people resorts are segregated from the local life and there are a lot of dirt bag white people living here like bums.
We got conflicting directions from 2 guys on the bus and the bus driver on how to get to Ani’ni. On the map it’s a 4 mile walk from the stop at Kiluea that the guys told us to get off at but the bus driver dropped us off in Princeville (fancy rich people resort community) and told us to walk through the resort to a trailhead down to the beach and then south along the beach to Ani’ni. So that is what we did and it was a short super slippy trail to the beach and then South along it, across a stream, up to the road and half a mile to the beach park.
Ani’ni is a big lawn, lots of scattered tents, no pavillion, 2 bathrooms, a tree lined beach with surf breaking 200 yards offshore, RAIN and lots of chickens. We set up on the lawn in the open, cooked tuna noodle and chatted with our German table mates and then went to bed and listened to the rain all night long.
Day 2
It was still raining in the morning. I made my breakfast for later between showers and we decided to all walk up to Princeville for the day. So it was back across the beach and stream, up the slippy slope and through the fancy resort to the shopping plaza. We found the library and spent an hour there charging stuff, reading, catching up on news and email and doing some research because the Na Pali Trail is closed right now due to all the rain causing the streams to flash flood. The forecast is for more rain but possibly less come Tuesday when we hike in.
The girls went shopping while I found a tacky Tiki Bar with 2 TV’s and planted myself there to watch football. The Texans beat the BIlls 22-19 in OT and I enjoyed a salad, a beer and some french fries and a rotating cast of barmates as all the while it poured outside. I made it to halftime with the Patriots losing to the Titans 14-13 before I had enough of being there (5.5 hours) and left to walk the slippery trail back to the campsite. The girls were still in town having gone to the fancy hotel overlooking the bay for happy hour and I was in the tent alone for 1/2 an hout before they returned to cook pasta in the dark.
Day 3
We spent Sunday at the Beach Park all day. Jakobi made a friend, another 10 year old girl camping with her parents and little sister. up under the trees above the beach.
We swam in the protected lagoon, walked the length of the beach (We are on the uncrowded part) enjoyed the itermittent sun, read our books, plyed Phase 10 and Quix, ate our food and wathced the stars until the rain came and we went into our tent to sleep.
Day 4
Another day, another breakfast made before the girls were up. We all walked with Jakobi’s friend Laiasha and her parents, Cristof and Kaala toward the trail where they said there was good turtle viewing and coconuts and as we walked got to talking about where they are from and it turns out they are from the same place as my sister Susanna and not only that but the mom is one of Susanna’s best friends and Oona and Rain (little sister) are buddies! Somehow I was not surprised.
Palm trees were climbed, coconuts were cracked, no turtles were seen and soon Ambiana and Colleen left for their excursion into Hanalei while I hung with Jakobi so she could hang with Laiasha while I finished TC Boyle’s Road to Wellville. Colleen and Ambiana came back with sushi and cookies and we cooked dinner in between rain showers and looked forward to tomorrow when we can break camp and begin the Na Pali Coast trail if it is open.
It has been a chill 4 nights here but not the nicest spot in Hawai’i, at least we met Susanna’s friends and Jakobi had 3 days of hanging and playing with a friend.