My Aloha Babymoon, the final day

Our final day in Hawaii turned out to be the sunniest. Lucky for us, our flight wasn't until 6 p.m., so we had time to soak up some sun by the pool before check out.
We spent the afternoon doing a little tourist shopping at a place called Hilo Hattie. After that, we drove around a little and spent some time at a beach, watching the paddle boarders.

From there we had to return our rental car and head to the airport. The trip home is never as exciting or fun as the trip to a destination, is it?
Well, that's it for my Aloha Babymoon. I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures and seeing our photographs. Tomorrow, it's back to the reality of living my day-to-day life and preparing to become a first-time mom in my 40s.

My Aloha Babymoon, part 6

We didn't plan much for this particular day. The S.O. was still kind of wiped out from his surfing experience the previous day (cue "Wipe Out" music). We checked the map and drove to see Wailua Falls. We'd thought there would be a bit of a hike to reach the falls, but there was an overlook at the side of the road. The falls were very pretty but didn't take up the time we thought they would.From the falls we drove southwest to the Kauai Coffee visitor's center. We took a walking tour of the area and sampled some coffee (decaf for me, thank you).
The coffee plantation was built on the site of an old sugar cane plantation. All the coffee they roast and sell is grown right there.After lunch and consulting the map again, we went to check out the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. We walked around the gardens a little while but decided to skip the actual tour. It was $20 per person for a self-guided walking tour, and at the risk of appearing really cheap, that seemed a bit pricey. We took some pictures of a little lizard and a huge spider.

We went back to Old Koloa Town because the S.O. decided I was right and he should have a Poipu Beach surf t-shirt. We also bought some lotion and shaving soap from the Island Soap and Candle Works, as well as some dog treats for Ripley. After sharing a shave ice (not "shaved" mind you -- it was "shave ice" everywhere we went) we headed back to the resort to watch the rain from our porch.

We had a nice dinner at a restaurant in a nearby hotel. For dessert, I had star fruit sorbet with coconut ginger biscotti. Yum.

Before bed we found a teeny tiny gecko in our room. Not wanting to wake to a gecko in bed with us, we caught him in a cup and put him out on the porch. (I don't think he was trying to sell us insurance. But he was really cute.)
We went to bed feeling a little sad that this day was our last full day in Hawaii.

My Aloha Babymoon, part 5

A mostly uneventful -- but very relaxing morning -- led to a drive to Poipu Beach, where the S.O. took surfing lessons. I didn't think the Nubbin would appreciate all the falling and sucking in of salt water surfing seems to involve, so I sat in the sun and took pictures.



As you can see, the S.O. had a great time but was exhausted at the end of the lesson. It was a good reason to just lay in the sun for a while longer. It was a very pretty beach.

After leaving the beach, we walked through some of the Old Koloa Town shops and had ice cream (taking photos can really build up an appetite, you know).

As we were leaving to do a little more shopping, the S.O. asked the girl at the counter if she knew of a good noodle place. She directed us to a little restaurant in Lihue. It was a tiny hole-in-the-wall place, and there were just two other people when we entered. By the time we'd finished our meal, a long line of customers was waiting for seats.

Even though not a lot happened on this day -- granted a Colorado boy surfing is a pretty big deal -- it was one of the best days of the vacation.

My Aloha Babymoon, part 4

It was raining when we woke up on this day. By the time we finished our breakfast and headed out for coffee, it had stopped, leaving everything clean and shiny. We went to see Opaeka'a Falls.Despite the early morning rain, the island hasn't seen a whole lot of precipitation lately, so the falls weren't nearly as impressive as we'd heard. It was still an extremely pretty view. We crossed the road to look down on the Wailua River.We spent some time walking through the shops in Old Kapa'a Town, then had a lunch of fish tacos. The sun came out while we were eating lunch, so we hurried back to the resort to change into our swimsuits and hit the beach. We spent the afternoon lounging in the sun. I took a nice long pregnant-lady nap to be ready for the luau that evening.

We went to the Smith Family Garden Luau. Yes, "Smith." But as our host explained, Smith was his great-grandfather. He came over from England, fell in love with a Hawaiian woman and married her. All of the staff and dancers were part of the family, and it really did feel like a family affair.

The evening starts with a tour of the gardens.
Next was the buffet-style dinner of pulled pork (cooked all day in a pit right there in the gardens), Teriyaki beef, fish and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. We even tried poi. Which isn't awful. It just looks like wallpaper paste and tastes like nothing.

After dinner, we move to the open-air theater for the dancing. The dancers performed traditional dances from Hawaii, Polynesia, Samoa, Japan, China, New Zealand and the Philippines. It was a lot of fun.
A review on Trip Advisor called the luau "cheezy" (yes, they spelled it with a z) and said the meal was "cafeteria food." I thought it was all very entertaining and the food was really tasty. I only have two criticisms of the evening.

First, the Mai Tais were watery (according to the S.O. I didn't have any for obvious reasons). However, that's a very small criticism, as there was a bar serving beer and wine (at no extra charge) so if you didn't like the watery Mai Tai, you had another option. Plus, there was punch and soda and plenty of ice water.

The second criticism is that they wanted $20 for a copy of the picture they took when we entered the gardens. Twenty dollars for a picture of my significant other and pregnant me, standing next two pretty, skinny girls in coconut bras? I don't think so.

My Aloha Babymoon, part 3

Hey everybody! I hope you're not sick of hearing about my trip yet because I have more to tell you.

Our third day in Hawaii started out with a trip to a nearby farmer's market. With the clouds and looming rain, it wasn't very busy, so we were able to talk to a lot of farmers and try samples of some unusual things. We tried rambutan, a prickly fruit you break open. It has a subtly sweet flavor and looks pretty interesting.
We also tried (and bought) some Kaua’i Keshir Tea. It's made from coffee bean husks and "is low in caffeine, high in antioxidants, with a natural sweetness which comes from the coffee fruit." I haven't yet brewed any at home but plan to later today.

We even bought a slice of pie made with local mangos to have for dessert later that evening. (It was delicious!)

After returning our spoils to the condo, we headed west to Waimea, then north to Waimea Canyon. We stopped at the Waimea Canyon Lookout and Pu'u Hinahina Lookout.
Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and I have to admit it is awesome, in the true sense of the word. From there we went farther up the road to Koke'e State Park. There we visited the park's museum and had lunch at the lodge. After a short nature hike, we drove on to Kalalau Lookout, where we saw an amazing rainbow over the Na Pali Coast.
With rain rolling in, we drove on to Pu'uokila Lookout and walked a little way on the wet and muddy trail. Parts of "Jurassic Park" were filmed in this area, and it really does look quite prehistoric -- also a little treacherous.From there, we headed back east toward our condo. We made a short stop in Hanapepe to check out the town's suspension bridge. The S.O. zoomed over the bridge while I watched from the safety of the shore. Even though I had no problem looking out over the precipice at the canyon, the swinging bridge gave me a bit of vertigo (I'm pretty sure the Nubbin had something to do with that) and I only stepped out far enough to have my picture taken.

We finished up the day with a walk along the beach near our resort.

My Aloha Babymoon, part 2

We woke to cloudy skies on our first full day in Kauai. But it was still warm and beautiful, so after a breakfast out on our porch, we loaded up the car and headed up the east coast of the island to the north shore.

Our first stop was the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge and the Kilauea Point Lighthouse.We spent some time walking around, watching the birds, enjoying the view and listening to the sound of the surf. A little rain rolled in, but unlike here at home, the temperature didn't drop 20 degrees during the rain, so it was pleasant.

From there we continued up the coast, stopping at Haena Beach Park. We walked along the beach, taking pictures of the breaking waves and people watching. I found a piece of coral that was shaped exactly like a nose and being the grown-up I am, I had to make use of that perfectly shaped coral.

Before heading out, we crossed the road to check out a cave.

A little farther along, the road ends at Ke'e Beach. We hiked up to a scenic overlook. If we had brought more water, and if I weren't pregnant, we would have hiked the entire trail. As it was, the little Nubbin had something to say about me exerting myself, so we stopped to check out the view of the Na Pali coast from here, then headed back to the beach. The sun cooperated and came out for a while for us to enjoy.

We stopped for lunch in Hanalei and walked through some of the shops. In a toy and candy store, we tried some Li Hing Mui candy -- it's a salty dried plum that's quite sour and, honestly, kind of weird. Of course, the S.O. loved it and brought some home.

We picked up some local fruit -- papaya, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple and bananas -- and headed back to our condo. It was getting late, so I sat on the porch, writing in my notebook until it got too dark to see.

After our busy day, I was wiped out. We spent the rest of the evening in and went to bed early.

My Aloha Babymoon, part 1

As promised/threatened, I present you with pictures and memories from my recent trip to Hawaii. It's been awhile since the S.O. and I had a real, honest-to-goodness vacation. This seemed to be as good a time as any.

We flew from our hometown airport to San Francisco on an early, early morning flight. Even though I haven't been having morning sickness, the flight still made me a little queasy. I think it's the smaller planes that do it. From San Francisco we flew directly into Lihue Airport on Kauai, arriving around noon, local time.

As we waited for our rental car, I snapped a picture of this rooster. I didn't know the full story of the chickens until later.

Apparently many chicken coops were destroyed during Hurricane Iniki back in 1992, freeing the birds who went on to multiply like crazy. Seriously, these feral chickens are everywhere. And while you're not supposed to feed them, the tourists do anyway. You know tourists.

Apparently, the island also has a problem with feral cats and pigs. I saw one cat and heard one early in the morning. That's always such an eerie sound -- cats can be kind of scary. But we never saw a pig. Which is probably good, because they can be quite dangerous.

Equipped with our fine rental car, we headed off to our resort -- The Outrigger at Lae Nani. It is a very nice condominium with a full kitchen and a view of the ocean. It has its own pool and a small private beach. You're probably wondering who would use the pool with the ocean right there.

Well, with dangerous riptides and high surf warnings, sometimes you want something a little safer. Still, we did get a few chances to play in the surf.


Our first day in Hawaii was mostly uneventful, we had some lunch, played on the beach and relaxed and recovered from our flight. Our real adventures began the next day, which I will cover tomorrow.

Babymoon

According to Wikipedia (which everyone knows should be taken with a heaping helping of salt), a babymoon is "a period of time that parents spend bonding with a recently-born baby" and was "coined in a book 'The Year After Childbirth' by childbirth educator and author Sheila Kitzinger."

Whatever. I've heard it used more recently as describing that last romantic vacation expectant parents take before Baby comes. And that's the way I'm using it here.

When I found out I was pregnant, the S.O. and I decided to plan a trip. We figured if something bad happened, we could go and drown our sorrows with Mai Tais and surfing lessons. And if nothing bad happened, we'd get a much needed and long overdue vacation (minus the Mai Tais and surfing lessons for me).

It turns out 14 weeks is a great time to go on a vacation. I'm not so big that I couldn't do things like hike and play in the surf and I've passed the time of having nausea (although there were a few iffy moments on the airplane on the trip over).

We went to Kauai, Hawaii. It was a first for both of us, and yes, it's beautiful, and yes, we had a great time. With six days of adventure and photos, I don't want to try to cram it all into one blog post. If you're willing to indulge me, I will share photos and memories over the next few days. (November is NaBloPoMo, after all, and I should at least make the attempt.)

Aw, heck. If you're not willing to indulge me, I'm still going to post pictures and talk about my vacation. I'm pregnant and I'm going to do what I want.