Kauai 2012 Day 8

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Today we drove up the east side of Kauai to get to our Bed and Breakfast up north for the remainder of the trip. We stopped to check out the Opaekaa Falls. They were beautiful, but just a photo opp. I think you need a kayak to get there. We had lunch at The Mermaid Cafe in Kapa'a: http://mermaidskauai.com/Mermaids_Cafe/Mermaids_Cafe_Kauai.html

and enjoyed a big ol' wrap of ahi with rice and cilantro. So good. So good. I took a few photos and texted one to my friend Melissa, the Mermaid of Kirn Pool in Council Bluffs :-)

We also saw Wailua Falls, famed for the intro to that old TV show, Fantasy Island.

There was a guy there making interesting baskets from palm fronds and we found a hole in the fence leading to a creepy old derelict bridge.

We made it to Hanalei Bay in the afternoon and checked-in with our hosts, Pete and Susan. They were warm, gracious and very interesting. They spent 10 years on a yacht sailing to various ports around the world. Really? People actually do this? They must be trust fund babies all grown up.

Their home was stunning. The front deck had this luscious queen sized bed chaise lounge and a breakfast table. Our ground level apartment was amazing. It had a kitchenette with microwave, cupboards, sink - everything except an oven and stovetop. It had a big living area with a nice couch (for one of us to escape snoring), a full bathroom, bedroom with king bed and ... an OUTSIDE shower. Mmmm, yes. Love island living.

We walked over to the beach and took in one of the most exquisite views in the world -- lush, foliage covered cliffs and a perfect, crescent-shaped bay of calm blue ocean. It's normally a hot spot for winter surfing, but the waves were fairly docile while we were there. Good for boogie boarding, though.

For the first night, we ate at a simple place, a little taco shack called L&L Hawaiian Barbeque in the village. It was OK. The price was right. We pedaled back to our b-n-b in the warm night breeze. Pretty darn cool.

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