'Surfer's Paradise'!

Although neither Sue nor I profess to be surfers - other than in our dreams! - we are really enjoying the BIG waves from the shore, as we watch others pitting their wits and strength against the wild winter waves! According to the Kauai Ocean Report, the waves were 15 - 20 ft., 'well above advisory level'.....We are just a few minutes drive from the beach judged by 'Dr. Beach', in his 2009 list of the best U.S. beaches, to be numero uno!! This 'exquisite two-mile beach that hugs Hanalei Bay' was where we spent an afternoon walking along the golden sands, basking in the sunshine, and watching both highly-skilled and neophyte surfers waiting for 'the Big One'.

The village of Hanalei is the oldest settlement on Kauai, with a beautiful Hawaiian church and mission compound, dating back to the early 1800's, nestling amongst the palm trees and brightly coloured shrubbery. Apparently there is good shopping to be had here as well, but somehow we missed the large number of shops and stalls the other day. We plan to remedy the situation a little later on today!

 We are staying at the N end of the island, about an hour's drive from the airport in Lihue. Hanalei is further N, and not too many miles beyond Hanalei the road comes to an abrupt end, and the only way forward is on strong legs, with feet shod in sturdy hiking boots.... The driving up to that point provided enough excitement for us, with several single-lane bridges over various creeks and rivers, culminating in one final single-lane bridge with deep potholes and boulders to navigate around, plus a stream running over the 'road'! Sights along the way included both wet and dry caves, which gleamed with an eerie glow, but did NOT tempt us to enter in to explore further.

Princeville, where our condo is located in a tree'd area on the edge of a golf course - and we even have our 'own' flamboyant tree outside the window, shared with roosters and feral cats! - seems to encompass quite a large area of condos and private homes, with a number of different kinds of trees and shrubbery, lots of greenspace and many varieties of colourful flowers. The Makai Club, our home-away-from-home, has been here for thirty years, and must be one of the oldest resorts in the area. The location is very picturesque, but the buildings themselves are scheduled for major renovations, starting this fall. 

One of the very positive things we have noticed, not only in this area, but all over the island, is the lack of billboards and hoardings, which is most refreshing. Apparently, buildings are not permitted to be any taller than a palm tree grows, so no sky scrapers spoiling the views here! From what we have observed, it is easy to see why Kauai is known as the 'Garden Island'.