Poipu Sands Condominuims - Poipu Kai By Tpc

Hi all, today we are in Kauai. As usual we did not go on a tour but we took a shuttle to the whale village shops and then took another to the shopping center. Once we got there and got our diet coke we were in a much better frame of mind. We got 4 Hawiian Starbuck's cards for the grandkids for part of their Christmas presents. Tomorrow morning we are going to go again and have a Starbuck's with our drink in it!

As you can ...

... of the day at Tunnel beach - which to say the least - is my favorite beach of all time. It is a gorgeous location, uncrowded, great snorkeling, and even has a few little waves to play in.

For our second day, we booked a helicopter tour with Air Kauai (I believe this company is out of business). This was an incredible experience! The price tag for one of these tours is a little steep - so I'd ...

... may know the story of our last trip to Las Vegas 13 years ago when I still thought that a pretty waitress serving me free alcohol while playing blackjack was a good thing. On that occasion I returned to our hotel room at about 4am (after way too many of the aforementioned free drinks), woke up Tracy, and after finally convincing her that I had won $200 (which was true), laughing and then saying, "And then I lost it all!". She wasn't impressed (and ...

... that I agreed! However, they had run out of a few provisions (rum and cigarettes) and since I wanted to go back and get something from my car, by and large, myself and two of the guys, Greg and Domingo, walked the 2 mile path back to the road, jumped into their car and drove to Hanalei to get what they needed and then returned back to the camp. Whilst in town, the guys bought some 'chili-pepper chicken' which apparently is "kind of a big deal in this area" and I got to ...

... aren't expecting, even if you would have understood
it on written paper. Our flight to Kauai was uneventful, other than it
was nice to have a 30 minutes flight. We picked up our rental car and
found our place on the northeast corner of the island without much of a
fuss. It's been a long day and we're really tired, but it sure beats
flying east!

... to the hospital, where I'm pretty sure I was the only patient and the nurse taught me that "shi shi" meant to pee... so that's nice. She followed me into the bathroom, too. That's Hawaii for you... oh, so helpful :) I assured her I could shi shi on my own.

About 2 hours later I was walking out of the hospital on a cloud of ...

... we only had two more miles left. We got back to our car and changed into some clothes we had left in the car. We picked up a couple girls from Vermont that we met at the 8 mile camp that needed a ride. They've been on vacation for over a month starting in Maui and ending in Kauai. They are doing one of those low budget trips where they camp and hitch-hike for most of the trip. I sort of wish I had done a trip or two like that ...

... Kauai, for the entire stay, was the Kauai Sands on 420 Papaloa Road in Kapaa, just north of Lihue. It was the cheapest we could find on the internet at the time for about $120 a night. It proved to be adequate with roomy accommodations, lovely swimming pool and a nearby sandy beach. We explored the whole island from here which meant full days of travel with a return to the hotel usually around 21:00. Coming Soon: Waimea Canyon - A Breath Taking Sight

... the shore before a wave carries you back. We set up early under the only tree on the entire beach, and by lunchtime, we were thankful for the shade. We grilled chicken for dinner and ran into a couple living in Parker Colorado. She graduated from Colorado State. Next up at the grill was a man who worked for Qualcomm in their early days. The world just keeps getting smaller.

... worth it as there was a secluded beach with a river running into it and the waves crashing up against a rock wall a couple hundred feet high. The whole trail had majestic views but unfortunately, I did not run with my camera. We hung out at the beach for a couple more hours before heading back to the hotel. We had already checked out but they let us use the shower in their hospitality room. After dropping off a DVD at ...