Kauai-hebdo

In English so that ALL our friends can read ;-)

Jet lag turned out to be a blessing because it's very easy to wake up with sunrise at 6 am. We camped at the Haena Beach Park our first night and woke early enough to watch the sunrise as we walked down the beach. Haena is almost the end of the road where the Napali coast begins, hence the steep mountains you can see below.

You may click on the images to see them in a slightly larger format.

So far we've been exploring beaches, often visiting two in the same day. We sample the snorkeling and the surfing. One of Susan's favorites so far is Hideaway beach pictured here.

The coral reef is perfect for snorkeling because the fish hang out in the reef. It also protects the shore from the big waves, which break farther out. I did some surfing here too and it was quite good. It was just tricky getting out there at low tide when the reef is just below the water surface.

A few days ago it started raining so we did a day trip to the south and west sides of the island (where it was, and usually is, hot an sunny) The beach at Polihali State Park is around 15 miles long. We did not surf, because it was so windy the waves were quite choppy, but it was fun nonetheless to swim and run along the beach.

We've been hopping from one "beach park" to another since we got here. The beach parks are public beaches where camping is permitted. It costs $3 per person per day (free for locals) so it's a reasonable way to experience Kauai. You can also meet all sorts of people, from travelers like us, to locals, to hippies, and surfer dudes. For the second half or our trip we rented a small studio on the North Shore so we'll be a little more stationary. Although, the island is so small that any part of it is easily accessible in a day trip. The picture below is of the valley in which sits the small town of Hanalei, on the shore of Hanlei Bay.

À plus tard!

Alex and Susan

P.S. Oh and don't worry, we're staying fit...