If you are planning a trip to the Hawaiian Islands, or just want to hear about them, I think you'll enjoy reading about this trip to paradise. I went with my daughter Lisa and we visited Kauai, Maui, and The Big Island of Hawaii in 14 days.

2/20/99 - Saturday - The Journey West
Dawn brought clear, cold weather to New Jersey. The snowstorm we had worried about headed out to sea, and we didn't even get flurries. The car service was due at the house at 9:00am and by 9:05 we were on the phone in a panic. "He's on his way" was the response we got and finally "Al" showed up at 9:25. Everything went well at Newark Airport and we were in the air within 10 minutes of our scheduled take-off time. We were both impressed with the leg room and cushy seats on our United plane. Lunch was actually edible! The only minor problem was my seat that wouldn't recline due to a jammed button. I had purchased inflatable neck pillows and they were worth the $8 price tag. The Rocky Mountains never fail to amaze me with their majestic beauty. The snow capped peaks were like stiff merengue. It was the only snow we saw on our westward journey. Some slight turbulence over Denver was bothering Lisa, but they were only minor pockets and the flight smoothed out within twenty minutes. Vodka and orange juice smoothed things out even more. One thing I thought was neat (Lisa disagreed) was the audio channel linked to the cockpit. I listened to the towers communicate with us, and other planes, as we were "handed over" across the country. Our in-flight movie was Pleasantville. I thought is was funny, while Lisa called it "odd". I guess I related more to the late 1950's flashback. The Grand Canyon's various shades of red, orange, pink, and gray were dazzling in the afternoon sun. A totally different rainbow than my last cross country trip near sunset. It's hard to believe the pioneers ever managed to cross the Rocky's, these canyons, and the deserts, to get to California. As usual, I got very little reading done while flying. I find it hard to concentrate at 37,000 feet! And don't ya just love the Sky Mall magazines? How about a standing rack of lamb for $70. Of course that includes risotto stuffing. then again, you could order the Beef Wellington, including truffle-laced Madeira sauce for $110... serves ten people.

Los Angeles International Airport
My cyber-friend, Kathy Rose, didn't make it to the airport to spend some time with us, so we made ourselves comfy in Wolfgang Puck's pizzaria and bar. The yummy spinach and mushroom pizza and several potent margaritas served by our friendly bartenders, Ernie and Leonard, made the 2 1/2 hour layover pass quickly. They let us play gin rummy at the bar. Mom 10 - Lisa 2.

LA to Lihue, Kauai
The flight is full, but again we had good leg room and a peaceful 6 hour flight. It is tradition to try and guess the exact time the plane reaches the geographical halfway point between LA and Kauai. I guessed it to within 22 seconds and won a bottle of Champagne! We'll open it on Sunday night to belatedly celebrate my birthday. Dollar Rental was wonderful to work with throughout our trip. They had our silver Chrysler Sebring convertible waiting for us and we were out of the airport in a jiffy! It was only a 20 minute ride to the hotel in lightly spitting rain. Our surroundings were invisible in the dark, so we were anxious to see everything in the morning.

Sheraton - Poipu, Kauai Our room is very nice and we overlook a lagoon and Garden Pool. The manager advised us the free upgrade wasn't possible, but if a room becomes available, they will move us. We're satisfied with what we got, so no worries. Sleep did not come easily. We went to bed just after midnight, but our excitement was high.

Poipu, Kauai - Sunday 2/21/99
Lisa and I both awoke by 6 am. It was cloudy and there were occasional sprinkles of rain, but we took advantage of the bad weather to acquaint ourselves with the surroundings. the view from our lanai is superb! Just below our 3rd floor window is a lagoon surrounded by lava rock, palm trees and gardens. Nest to that is a large swimming pool, snack bar and pathway to the Japanese restaurant. Exotic birds fly over and the sound of the waterfall grotto near the pool is soothing to the ears. We indulged in an early morning buffet breakfast at the oceanside restaurant. The surf is incredible! There are 3 indoor/outdoor dining areas surrounding the beach and two more pools. The Sheraton has at least eight buildings, none of them higher than 4 floors, so even in our Garden Building, we can enjoy good views all around us.

After exploring the hotel we quickly headed for our orientation over at the Coconut Beach Resort in Kapaa, on the east coast of Kauai. Neither one of us wanted to go, but as long as we had disappointing weather we figured we'd go just to get our "freebie" tote bag. It turned out to be worth the trip. we learned a lot about the tours and signed up for the helicopter ride for that afternoon. We were also allowed to sign up for some of the Maui activities in advance. It's a good thing we checked, because many were already filled. Once again luck was with me and my name was selected for a door prize. We won a free dinner at Gaylord's. We thought we would have to pass up this restaurant die to the expense, but now we could do it!

After the orientation, we stopped at Snorkel Bob's for our gear. We can take it with us to all the islands and drop it off on The Big Island when we leave. They fitted me with a prescription lens mask, too! I have the option to buy all the gear if I like it.

Some sun began to peak through the clouds, so we went to visit Wailua Falls on the way back.

These falls were featured in the opening credits of the original TV show Fantasy Island. It was a quick ten minute drive through sugar cane fields, and we were face-to-face with the massive falls. The brave can try to hike down the slippery path and swim in the pool below, but Lisa only took 3 steps and fell in the wet clay soil. Another visitor kindly shared some bottled water to clean her off. No damage done. I dropped my trusty camera (luckily it wasn't my new digital camera) when we left the orientation, so we stopped at the local WalMart and I bought a little Pentax 35mm for $50.

After a quick sandwich at the poolside snack bar, we were picked up at the hotel by the van from O'Hana Helicopters for the afternoon trip. The rest of the afternoon is almost beyond words. There were six of us in the helicopter. Lisa and I got to sit up front with the pilot and we embarked on the most fantastic journey of our lives. Can you picture a 65 minute flight into Jurassic Park? we were beyond words as we flew into the area where 95% of the movie was filmed. We flew into the misty depths of a long dormant Waialeale crater and Kilahana crater. We got up close to Manawaipuna Falls (and thousands of others) and the secluded beaches of the south shore of Poipu. The headsets provided narration by our pilot and a musical score to fit each location. There was no fear. Instead, the beauty of this island overwhelms you as the chopper sweeps into Waimea Canyon and over the Na Pali coastline. Rainbows are awaiting at every turn and the legends of Hawaiian Gods fill your mind. We saw our first whales breaching off the Na Pali coast. The overhead view of them in the turquoise waters was breathtaking. They were burning the foliage in the sugar cane fields to harvest the canes, and we also flew over taro fields. All in all we agreed that this is a "must do" for visitors to Kauai. It is an event that we will never be able to describe to others. You have to experience it to believe it. It is the most expensive item on the trip, but the most memorable.

We were driven back to our hotel and Lisa headed for the spa to work out before dinner. Not being quite as ambitious, I went down to the beach to relax. a small crowd had gathered around a roped off area and I had to join them to see what the excitement was all about. There it was! A huge Monk Seal! They "haul out" of the sea to rest on the beach after a night of eating. this one came up at 10am and spent the whole day. Because it is one of the most endangered species, the hotel puts up ropes and signs to keep the tourists away. These rest periods are important to the seals and if people try to pet them, they go back into the water. If they are exhausted, they die. So we snapped away with cameras and enjoyed the moment when, just before sunset, he turned and body surfed back into the Pacific on the waves. His awkwardness on land instantly turned into gracefulness in the water as he navigated the heavy surf. We never expected to see one of these beautiful creatures up close, so it was a real treat. Lisa joined me just in time to witness his departure.

We didn't think the day could get any better, but more was in store for us. We ordered a pina colada and mai tai on the beach patio restaurant and prayed the clouds would hold off until after sunset. We were not disappointed! Our first Hawaiian sunset was a stunner as the sun sank towards the ocean horizon. I got some wonderful pictures as the sky turned brilliant shades of pink, then red. No famous "green flash", but a memorable sight nonetheless.

A quick change into sundresses and we drove to Gaylord's. They allowed us to use our "prize" coupon later than usual. we had stopped in earlier in the day and were most accomodating when they found out the helicopter tour prevented us from arriving before 6pm. Gaylord's is located in an old plantation house and we were seated in a courtyard. Lisa feasted on shrimp cocktail and I had a honey-baked brie encrusted in ground macadamia nuts and accompanied by grapes, fresh French bread, shredded carrots. Marvelous! Lisa had a seafood entree that included mahi-mahi, and I had onaga (ruby snapper). We HAD to try dessert. The homemade banana cream pie was great. Our waiter was really nice and is a golfer. The restaurant had pretty nearly emptied out by then and we talked with him about the island and the golf courses. He invited Lisa to join him at the municipal course before we leave, so perhaps she and Richard will do that on Tuesday.

We were back at the Sheraton by 10pm. I brought earplugs along for Lisa, so my snoring wouldn't keep her up all night! We both fell into a deep sleep. Is it possible for the rest of our trip to be any better than our first day? It's hard to imagine, but we look forward to finding out.

Here are some more photos!
This is Bogart, owner and pilot - O'Hana Helicopters:

A cove along the Na Pali coast:

Waimea Canyon - The Grand Canyon of the Pacific:

We nicknamed our visitor - "Thelonious T. Monk Seal"

He buried his head in the sand. This was the funny result:

Cruisin' in the Sebring convertible!:

Our friendly parking valet/bell captain at the Sheraton:

Some views of our room at the Sheraton Kauai: