The day after graduation Mr. Scottie the Hottie headed to Hong Kong. Earlier in the year he applied for the school's Hong Kong Career Connect. About 50 students who wanted internships or full time jobs in Hong Kong applied. They had to submit resumes and have a series of ingredients. Then the top 8 were chosen, and the school took them to Hong Kong to meet companies and have interviews. Scott was one of two Caucasian boys chosen (the other six were all Chinese or Hong Kongers), and the only one not fluent in either Mandarain or Cantonese.
He got to spend a week over there, for only $400! I am so proud of him.
This did, however, leave an opening in our Kauai trip, because my parents had intended on taking me and Scott. So my brother Colby got to come instead! When we got to Kauai we met up with our family friends, the Beans. Shawn is a year younger than me and we were best friends growing up in Tucson.
Here are a few pictures of the hotel we stayed in on Coconut Beach in Kapa'a. It was right on the beach, and gorgeous.
1. On the first day that we arrived we met up with the Beans and headed to Waimea Canyon. It's known as the "little Grand Canyon". But is far more colorful than the real grand canyon because it is mostly red rock with bright greet plants everywhere. It takes about an hour to drive either way in, and there are 3 or four view areas. Unfortunately when we went it was very very foggy, and we couldn't see much.
This was when we could see the most.
The entire crew: Shawn, David, and Annette Bean. Then Joy, Colby, and Scott Holbrook (I took the picture)
On the edge of the canyon when we were almost out of the canyon we finally escaped the fog, and you can see what everyone is talking about!
Just a few shots of the view at the end of the canyon, with the gorgeous skies.
2. On the second full day there we kayaked 2 miles up a river, than hiked inland to the Secret Falls. Kauai is known as the Garden Island, and it was truly beautiful. I don't have any pictures because the waterproof camera I got for Scott's birthday took a nose dive off the sea catamaran the next day. :(
3. On the third full day we went on a huge sea catamaran around the Na Pali coast. The Na Pali coast is the side of the island with huge cliffs and canyons, and it is gorgeous!
the Na Pali coast
A picture of me and Colby in front of a romantic waterfall. I missed Scottie, :(
On the way out we saw a pod of whales, probably 5 or six. It was really unusual because it was so late in the whale migration season. But the guides told us that it was a group of momma whales, baby whales, and teenager nanny types whales who helped take care of the younger ones. They were jumping and splashing, blowing water from their blow holes, and slamming their whale tails against the water for us. I had never been so close to them, so majestic!
Shortly after we saw the whales we saw a pod of dolphins as well! I had never seen dolphins in real life, and they were so majestic! They were small Spinner dolphins, and apparently it was a 'small' pod of them. Only 50 or 60 ;).
They were jumping and spinning. I was in heaven!
Colby and Shawn on the Catamaran
Me and Shawn with the Na Pali coast in the back.
This is one of my favorite pictures, I love the layers of cliffs!
A gorgeous sea cave.
Here is where we stopped on the way back to snorkel with some schools of fish. I also attempted a shallow scuba dive, but I got so claustrophobic, and couldn't clear my ears, that I only got to go down a bout 10 feet before I had to come back up. It was great to try, but I don't think I'll get to go look at the Titanic's remains any time soon.
4. On our last full day in Kauai we drove along the North Shore to the very end of the road.
This is a gorgeous lighthouse.
Our family at the lighthouse!
After we drove up the north coast we went back to the town of Kap'aa where we were staying. Then we rode on a slow boat to the Fern Grotto. Basically it is a big cave in a beautiful garden off the Wailua River (the same river we kayaked to get to the Secret Falls), that has lots of ferns hanging off the cave. It is part of the old royal Hawaiian lands, and royals used to get married there because the place was said to have special powers pertaining to relationships and fertility.
The staff at the Fern Grotto played us some traditional music and did a Hawaiian wedding luau for us.
Along the same Wailua river we passed this hill. Look familiar? Yup- In Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark, at the beginning Indie runs from the cave through some trees, and swings from a tree into the plane that is here!
Overall: I liked Kauai alot. It was very green, and had tons of high adventure opportunities (kayaking, hiking, catamarans, snorkeling, repelling, tubing, zip lining, ect). But it lacked the great beaches of Oahu, and the rugged mountains of the North Shore I was used to. I definitely recommend it for a vacation, but I still prefer to live in Oahu.
