Hoi!
Apparently that is a local way to say "hey you." The guy who taught me to say it was quickly admonished by another woman - "if you said 'hoi' to me, I would smack you." Apparently it's a guy-guy thing.
Anyhoo... on to a final installment of our adventures here. Apparently, I had a lot more down time in Argentina because the postings have been much less regular here. We have enjoyed just about every minute of this vacay - feeling very lucky and spoiled. We hiked some big old mountains, saw a big ol waterfall, snorkeled with this wild reef fish, boat toured the rugged and remote Na Pali Coast (dolphin pod - yay!)... Then countered all that with some delicious yoga at Yoga Hanalei.
A couple major milestones for the two of us: Kieran actually ENJOYING being in the water and breathing through a snorkel mask and Dave actually climbing and swimming and doing all the things that have evaded him for so long. So it's all going along great, right? Aside from the frequent mosquito attacks leaving us looking like lepers, things are moving along. Then I convince him to do the "jungle hike"... a short and sweet little hike through the inland jungle of Kauai along the Wai'ale'ale Crater. If you can make the 4-mile 4WD rough and tumble drive there. We rented a PT Cruiser. We made it about 100 yards and had to park. We then proceeded to walk the 4 mile road through the sweaty sticky buggy jungle to the trailhead. It was a beautiful walk and the hike was wonderful - amazing to see the mountain ridges so close and dip our feet in the freshwater streams. Then, there was the walk back. Hmm. I sort of didn't account for that. The PB&J sandwiches were gone and water bottles almost drained. So we flagged down some Utah boys in a Jeep and asked for a ride. Riding with a bunch of college students in a Jeep would be waaaayyy better than walking, right? Maybe not. I don't know if it was the testosterone or the feeling of invincibility that comes with being 22, but it was one of the roughest rides ever. The driver tore through the ruts and potholes while the four of us crammed in the back bobbed around like those little hula dolls. By the time we got to our car, the two of us were suffering from some serious whiplash. Nothing a little cold beer, local grub and ice packs couldn't fix, I guess.
All in all - a successful trip. But something was missing... this is the kind of place you want to be with friends and family. I know I know - Hawaii is the place you're supposed to go and be all ro-mannic n stuff. But really, this island is made for friends and family to hang out and just enjoy each other. Hope to do it again with you soon.
xoxo
K n D
