Easter Sunday in Kauai, Hawaii

This morning we started off with another delicious and healthy breakfast. Half a papaya with yogurt and granola in the hollowed out area? Yes, please! And a Lavender London Fog tea with that? Perfection!

We then attended the Easter morning service at Kapaa First Hawaiian Church. They were very kind and welcoming. The service was in both Hawaiian and English, which was interesting. I sneaked one quick picture of the cantor. He lead all of the music. It was an old church building with photos of almost all of the ministers that have ever been leaders there on the back wall. It was a good experience and the preacher spoke earnestly about the women who discovered that Jesus had risen. I know I'll treasure the memory of sitting there with my crew, the wind blowing through the open doors, listening to the Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian. The Lord is risen indeed!

This afternoon was a quiet, restful one. Eliana and I went to the beach just down from our apartment, but the wind is blowing hard today making the waves a little too boisterous for us. We ended up in the swimming pool, which was nice too. 

I need to record a bit about yesterday since we have some gorgeous photos I want to post. The kids and I went on a 5 hour boat tour of the NaPali coast. It was amazing! The waves were rough and Eliana experienced motion sickness for the first time. Thanks to one of the other passengers who gave her a Dramamine and some tips on what to do to feel better she perked back up and was able to go snorkeling and enjoy the rest of the tour.

The NaPali coast is wild country! It is only accessible by water or air. We saw where the opening scene of Jurasic Park was filmed and also parts of one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We saw dolphins and waterfalls and sea caves. It was so beautiful! No whales, but with everything we did see I couldn't even be disappointed.

Tomorrow is our last full day here. I do not want to think about it on the one hand, but I always love going home. So we will enjoy the rest of our time to the fullest, but be happy to get back home when the time comes.

The Day We Snuba Dived

Snuba diving, the perfect marriage between snorkeling and scuba diving. You have an oxygen tank which is on a light raft and you have a 20 ft. tube attaching you to the tank. In theory this means you can dive and swim up to 20 feet under the water. And that was reality for one of our party... Annika. The rest of us struggled to get past the whole I really can breathe under water and I'm not drowning right now mindset. I think we all got it eventually, but I definable was not 20 feet under water at any point! I did, however, see amazing tropical fish and the coral reef. 

We were all so busy staying alive that there are no pictures. Next time I'll have Annika take them. Keith got motion sickness, which helped him decide that he will not be going on the sea cave exploring adventure we have planned for tomorrow. A raft along the coast for 5 hours would probably not be a good thing for him. We have tried all of the meds and tricks and he is just very susceptible to motion sickness. It is almost guaranteed he would be miserable for 4.75 of the 5 hours.

So I don't have pictures of an amazing under water world to share with you, but I do have a few from the Luau last night and from the little walk Annika and I took together this afternoon. The Luau was fun and the food was {mostly} amazing. There were a few selections that stayed on my plate. Mom, they kept blowing through a conch shell and I thought of you every time. 

I think that inside of each of us is a bit of wanderlust that causes us to be willing to trade the comfort of home for the inconvenience of travel. Just to see different birds and flowers and foods, it is thrilling and satisfies something deep within. The unfamiliar bird calls, the salt that only comes course ground even at Target, the comparison of prices and the excitement of finding exotic souvenirs all makes it wonderful... but it also makes us more grateful to return to the familiar, where life is predictable and comparatively easy.

And yet, it is not the sea birds that awaken us each morning... it is the crowing of many, many roosters. One of the funniest things to me about this island is the number of chickens, roosters, and chicks just roaming everywhere. They are in remote areas and in the Target parking lot. They are just everywhere.

So far we are having a truly wonderful, relaxing time. Our Airbnb has a kitchen where we are using so many delicious tropical fruits and fresh vegetables. They have an Instant Pot, so I made chili this afternoon because there are so many wonderful meals you can make with chili. The cost of food is definitely higher than we are accustomed to, but there are quite a few little stands selling fresh produce, so we are loving that!

Ok, I'm heading to bed soon. Early bedtime tonight because we have an early start tomorrow. People who just did this tour yesterday said they saw several whales. I'm soooo hoping we see one!

Poipu Beach {We Saw Seals!}

Yesterday we saw sea turtles. I was so thrilled to have seen them! When we were deciding which beach to visit today we read that people sometimes see Hawaiian Monk Seals on Poipu Beach. Obviously I was hoping we would see them. As we were walking down to the water there one was, gliding through the waves. Shortly after we saw a second one.

We saw them off and on as we waded and splashed and marveled at the gorgeous, clear, warm water. After a bit Eliana was the only one still in the water. The rest of us were soaking in the sun on the beach. And here came the smaller (I assume female) of the two seals. She waddled up on the shore directly in front of where we were sitting and immediately went to sleep.

It wasn't long before the larger seal (I assume male) decided to join her, but he didn't seem to be quite as ready to nap, much to her disgust. She told him exactly what she thought about him waking her up. And then told him exactly what she thought of him in general.

He seemed ready to fight back, but quickly reconsidered and decided he would nap later. 

It seemed like a good choice to me.

At least, I'm pretty sure that is what happened right in front of us. I may have gotten 1 or 2 details incorrect, but I know it is very close to accurate.

Tonight we are going to a traditional Luau. Hopefully I'll share pictures from that event tomorrow. We skipped lunch in preparation for the feast after reading about what to expect.