The View From Above
Yesterday morning was more laid-back in that we actually hung out around our resort for most of the day. The weather was gorgeous so we went for a run down the harbor next to our hotel. After that we went swimming and relaxed by the pool. It was very nice to just stay put and not have somewhere to go.
At 1pm, we did have an appointment to keep, however. With a helicopter. When discussing which activities we would be doing on the island and realizing that money would be a limiting factor, I asked my husband if he could only pick one major excursion, what it would be. Without hesitating, he replied, “A helicopter ride.” Truthfully, my husband doesn’t ask for much, so when I saw how much he wanted to do this, we made the decision.
We went with the company, Blue Hawaiian, and we weren’t disappointed at all. I was a little nervous about getting motion sick, but our pilot was great (and I’m sure it helped that the weather was pretty clear) and it was a smooth flight. We got to sit in the front and take in all of the fantastic views.
(our hotel from the air)
Remember how I said that when we looked over Waimea Canyon, I wanted to be a bird? Well, this is about as close as I think I could get (besides hang-gliding, perhaps).
It was amazing to descend down into the deep valleys, and see “hidden” waterfalls, accessible only by foot or air.
We flew along the Na Pali coast (also only accessible by foot, air or water), which was breathtaking. 
Our pilot even got us into the crater of Mt. Wai’ale’ale, which used to be the volcano that created this island. The top of Wai’ale’ale is reputed to be the wettest place on earth, 428 inches of rain per year. The whole helicopter ride was just unforgettable. I wonder how difficult it is to learn how to drive one of those??
After we got our land legs back, we treated ourselves to some ice cream treats and did a little shopping. For dinner, we decided to try out a little saimin restaurant. Saimin is a local dish, basically a noodle soup which local Chinese say comes from Japan, and local Japanese say comes from China. Who knows?
But since we like both Chinese & Japanese noodles, we figured we couldn’t go wrong. It was cheap, hot food, with a lot of local atmosphere. Unfortunately, we weren’t overly impressed. The broth was too salty and it didn’t have enough veggies (in my opinion). After dinner, we walked around Kmart, which was the only place we could find open to walk around. They had a decent Hawaiian souvenir section and some Hawaiian children’s books I enjoyed looking at.
And there passes another day in Kaua’i… the week is going by fast!
At 1pm, we did have an appointment to keep, however. With a helicopter. When discussing which activities we would be doing on the island and realizing that money would be a limiting factor, I asked my husband if he could only pick one major excursion, what it would be. Without hesitating, he replied, “A helicopter ride.” Truthfully, my husband doesn’t ask for much, so when I saw how much he wanted to do this, we made the decision.
We went with the company, Blue Hawaiian, and we weren’t disappointed at all. I was a little nervous about getting motion sick, but our pilot was great (and I’m sure it helped that the weather was pretty clear) and it was a smooth flight. We got to sit in the front and take in all of the fantastic views.
(our hotel from the air)Remember how I said that when we looked over Waimea Canyon, I wanted to be a bird? Well, this is about as close as I think I could get (besides hang-gliding, perhaps).
It was amazing to descend down into the deep valleys, and see “hidden” waterfalls, accessible only by foot or air.
We flew along the Na Pali coast (also only accessible by foot, air or water), which was breathtaking. 
Our pilot even got us into the crater of Mt. Wai’ale’ale, which used to be the volcano that created this island. The top of Wai’ale’ale is reputed to be the wettest place on earth, 428 inches of rain per year. The whole helicopter ride was just unforgettable. I wonder how difficult it is to learn how to drive one of those?? After we got our land legs back, we treated ourselves to some ice cream treats and did a little shopping. For dinner, we decided to try out a little saimin restaurant. Saimin is a local dish, basically a noodle soup which local Chinese say comes from Japan, and local Japanese say comes from China. Who knows?
But since we like both Chinese & Japanese noodles, we figured we couldn’t go wrong. It was cheap, hot food, with a lot of local atmosphere. Unfortunately, we weren’t overly impressed. The broth was too salty and it didn’t have enough veggies (in my opinion). After dinner, we walked around Kmart, which was the only place we could find open to walk around. They had a decent Hawaiian souvenir section and some Hawaiian children’s books I enjoyed looking at.And there passes another day in Kaua’i… the week is going by fast!
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