Kauai #5
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It was quite a surprise to me, because I have seen Kona Coffee for sale everyplace from Japan to Saipan to Guam to mainland U.S.A., and don't recall ever seeing Kauai Coffee in any of those places. But this one estate on Kauai, with 3,100 acres, claims to produce 60% of all coffee produced in Hawaii. The other surprise to me was that from the Kauai Coffee I tasted, compared with the Kona Coffee we drank on Big Island, I strongly preferred the Kauai Coffee. For any of you back "home" who received Kauai Coffee, of course this is where it came from: Where it was grown, where it was harvested, and where it was roasted, processed, and packaged. These are truly "estate" coffees.
What better way to start an afternoon than to have a nice cup-o-Joe (actually several small cups, since they allow you to taste about 20 different varieties or so at Kauai Coffee Company) and then head on up to Waimea Canyon. You may remember seeing this in the first album, as (in the first album) we got here at about sunset (and the clouds were low, blocking a lot of the view). We HAD to return on a day when we could spend a few hours.
Do you see the goats? There are two in the photo. Real goats, too: Not just rocks that look like goats, like the face in the previous album.
Here you can likely see them a bit better. Take a while to look at how steep this cliff is. Pretty doggone sure-footed rascals.
The white dot above the waterfall is a helicopter. Notice the rainbow above and to your right from the falls. Waimea Canyon is supposedly the largest canyon on any Pacific island, and is called The Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is more than a mile wide and 3,000 feet deep, although I did not pace it off to check for sure.
Of course, there were no large land mammals on the Hawaiian Islands before man came. The Polynesians brought many of them in their boats for food. Can you imagine sharing several weeks at sea in a small outrigger canoe-type of craft with your goat and pig (and probably several other people, each with their own goat and pig)? Goodness, I complain when I don't have enough leg room as I fly across the Pacific in a 747!
Pretty much all the way up the road, from sea level to an elevation of over 4,000 feet, all views are to the east, into the canyon (the road is along the western rim of the canyon). Then, very near the end of the road is this nice overlook, from which one can see the Na Pali Cliffs and Coastline. Of course, it doesn't take much fog to require that one has a good imagination. As you can see, when we got there, we were in a pretty significant fog. I said that it would lift however, with great expectation.
Look at that slope in front of Bev. This was an almost dizzyingly steep cliff to be at the top of. That's probably the reason she is standing back a couple of feet or so from the edge. Straight down on this side for nearly 4,000 feet! I think one could roll right down to the ocean.
Night time at the Marriott Kauai Resort. One only needs to spend a few seconds here to see why it is twice as expensive as is the Garden Island Inn where we stayed. Too bad they didn't have any of the continuing education classes in the pool. By the way, you see only about 1/4 of the pool here: It forms a complete circle around a central island which is to your right (the elephant at the right of the photo is an extension of it).
Gee, I forgot the name of this restaurant. You remember, Bev? It was between the Garden Island Inn and the Marriott, so very easy walking distance.
One of our last meals on Kauai. This was a burger bar where you ordered downstairs, then walked up a narrow flight of stairs and waited until they called your name (so you could walk back down the stairs, get your food, and then ascend the stairs again). The Marriott (and the restaurant in the last photo) is to your left. Garden Island Inn is to your right. The bay which the Marriott is on is straight ahead. The birds from the last photo were just beyond the "window sill" here, where there is a roof over part of the downstairs portion of this establishment. The food was quite good, if I remember correctly. I hope that you enjoyed our time on Kauai. Next album gets us to Big Island!
