Back from Kauai

Back from vacation! We all went to Kauai and I gotta say I loved it. I was a bit worried at first that it would be rainy all the time and there would be nothing to do. Although Kauai receives like the most annual rainfall in the world, it was pleasantly sunny (most of the time) and we enjoyed doing nothing more than going to the beach, eating, swimming in the pool, eating, swimming in the pool, eating again and then watching DVDs. One of the best vacations ever. Not that many mega resorts, but just small little towns that could have been there for 50 years.

I'll try not to bore you to death with vacation pictures, but picked a few that I thought were interesting.

Our yard in Poipu Beach





Old Koloa Town







Puka Dogs! Gotta try one since Anthony Bourdain did. It's a hot dog bun that they impale on rod which makes a hole. They insert the hot dog and shove a bunch of island flavored sauces into. My first one was pretty good, albeit small. The 2nd one tasted like it was left on the grill since yesterday.



Obligatory Hula Girls





I did manage to find a Toy Store.



This is Beachrail in Lihue. I called ahead and asked if they had any Japanese toys hoping they had a giant stash of vintage Hawaii colored vinyls I could bring back, but alas, they did not. So I went there anyways to check it out. At first, it was just your standard kid toy store, but in the back, it was dedicated to die-cast and model trains. Looking around for that special gem reminded me (again) why retail store shopping is so much fun. The internet is putting most toy stores out of business which is a shame because when buying stuff on the internet, you kinda have to know what you want first. But when you wander into a store like this, you never know what you will find. The hunt is part of the fun.

















This dude is rad. Traditional Polynesian carvings. I wanted to buy this bat and asked him how much it was. He said $400 which is completely worth all the labor, but more than I wanted to spend.



Hanalei, North Shore



Bali Hai, North Shore



Kilauea Lighthouse







Queens Bath



Queens Bath is really interesting. A bit of a hike to get to and then you have to cross these amazing lava fields. Quite spectacular. I like the warning sign.



ok, spooky signs from the Hawaiian Gods. They left their mark on me. It's a scab in the form of the Hawaiian islands if you can't tell. It's a sign that we must return immediately. Or at least every other year.