OhWhatAWednesday – Winter And The Garden Isle

Oh dreary winter. Oh lack of green. Oh snowy driveway. Oh bundled up to the hilt. Oh wait … we were in Kauai. Oh sunny day. Oh lush greenery. Oh valet parking. Oh swimsuit and sandals. Oh yes!

And I get to write about it on in a winter gardening series because I used ‘Winter’ and ‘Garden’ in the title. No matter that the garden wasn’t officially my zone 5 back yard. It was a garden, I was in it, and I live in zone 5. So there. Let’s get on with sharing my wonderful memories of our trip last week.

Here we are at the Marriot in Lihue. Not your basic hotel. Not even your basic Marriot. More your grand and grander Marriot. It was indelibely impressed upon us before we even got to the buildings. Our red convertible, with the top down, felt right at home as it traversed the lush greenery of the long and winding entryway. We later learned that the 800 acres of the property have had 50 years to mature. Well done. My garden should be planned with such forethought.

We barely left the Marriot the next day. How could we when the pool looked like this? It’s one of the biggest in Hawaii, and it was magnificent. Notice me there in my swimsuit. NOT! And immediately across from the pool was Kalipaki Beach, which turned out to be one of my favorites. Not that we played volleyball there. We could have. We would have … 10 years ago. Now, we enjoyed the view created by the cove, and were happy to eat our breakfast there.

Yes, we certainly had our share of fine island cuisene at only the best places. Here I am at Eggberts for breakfast, which actually was good, and not a budget breaker. Duke’s was another place we liked, with a real island atmosphere, and it was right on our beach. Keoki’s Paradise had enough atmosphere for us to go to twice in one week. If you go to Kauai, watch for farmer’s markets and sunshine markets. Get the papaya. And whatever the hairy red one is, get that. You don’t even need to know it’s name (I don’t). Just get it. Fruit and a sandwich from the Deli and Bread Company and you’ll be set. Helps make up for the cost of the sunset dinner cruise and luau.

We didn’t just eat though. After all, I had to look good in that swimsuit you didn’t see me in at the pool. We hiked the Na Pali Coast on the Kalalau Trail. Yep, an 11 mile hike. Slippery, wet, rocky, up a mountain. How about that picture? Worth the climb! Did I mention we only did the first half mile?

The helicopter ride was amazing. We don’t spend that kind of money without thinking twice. Maybe three times. Many parts of Kauai can only be seen by boat or helicopter. Kauai has mountain ranges, a major canyon, and waterfalls. For example, the waterfall you saw in Jurassic Park, and the one from Fantasy Island. The terrain may be like none you’ve ever seen. To really get the feel of the island’s beauty, take a look at the Blue Hawaii Kauai video.

If you are jealous at this point, don’t be. Instead, look forward to someday when you can go there too. Aloha, and mahalo Kauai.

This is an installment in the OhWhatAWednesday series, where I dare to take on the task of finding something in my garden that looks good during a Chicago winter. Even if that means I have to take my garden to Hawaii.