Aloha From Kauai - Once Again!!

What a busy, action-packed week this has been! Our cruise of the Hawaian Islands is almost over - on Saturday we disembark in Honolulu early in the morning, then fly to Maui for a few more days, hopefully in the sun...

For those of you hwho had been hoping for the detailed and frequent account of our adventures that I had hoped to supply, will have been disappointed, just as I have been disappointed not to be able to blog! Internet time on the cruise ship is ridiculously expensive, but here in this little internet cafe in Nawiwli, Kauai - yes, we have been back on Kauai since we docked early yesterday morning! - the rates are much more reasonable, plus I have been completely successful in accessing everything I have tried....

It's hard to know just where to begin to describe the sights and experiences since last I blogged, so I'll probably limit myself to some highlights of our time on the cruise ship, Norwegian Cruise Lines "Pride of America", a vessel with a capacity of some 2000 plus passengers, which I know sounds quite overwhelming, but actually, most of the time, it is quite OK. The food is plentiful - too plentiful! - and there is so much to do - or not, if that's your preference!

On board we have a couple of Hawaiian 'ambassadors', and we have got to know Malu and Kekai pretty well, taking in all cultural activities offered. We have made a fresh orchid lei (a lei is a flower wreath worn around the neck) as well as a woven ribbon lei. On the more active side, we have had daily classes in hula dancing!! This afternoon we are performing on the main stage.! We have three numbers that we have been practising all week. Participation in only one class qualifies a person to be in this afternoon's show, so there is no indication of just how many of us will be swaying our hips in the Hawaiian style, but I do know that I plan to be well to the back of the group!! The dress code is to be as Hawaiian as we can make ourselves, so those leis will definitely come in handy to make my Hawaiian dress look more festive... More on that another time.

As we have returned to Kauai at a rather cloudy, damp time - which it seems is pretty typical for 'the Garden Island' - we realize how blessed we were to have had good weather pretty well the entire week we were here before . Of course, the more rain there is, the more impressive the waterfalls, and the more lush the growth, for which the island gets its nickname. Apparently, Kauai is 80% privately owned, which accounts for the lack of commercialism, and has been the location for a number of movies - Jurassic Park, Blue Hawaii, to name a couple. Elvis loved to visit, and had his own cabana - the only one of several left standing after a hurricane.

So much to tell, but so little time left on the computer clock! We are hoping that the place we have on Maui will have free internet access so that we'll be able to get caught up a bit. Of course, the main thrust of our visit is to enjoy the beaches and sunshine, so how much blogging gets done will obviously depend on the weather....