Hullo, hullo! Ready for a vacation themed version of Thinking Out Loud? Aaaand go…
1. Before we get into the recapping, I wanted to mention one meal that I didn’t include in yesterday’s WIAW post because I didn’t technically eat it in Hawaii. Behold the wonder that is running-between-gates-at-the-airport oatmeal…
I caught a red eye flight out of Kauai on Monday night, and had a 1.5 hour layover in Vancouver on Tuesday morning… I threw some instant oats, a banana, and AB into my carry-on, thinking that I’d have some time to make breakfast at the airport before catching my flight to Edmonton. HA!
Between having to pick up my luggage, clearing customs, and getting to the next gate, I just barely managed to make my flight on time. The breakfast gods were smiling on me, though, because there was a Starbucks literally 10 feet from my gate. The line was short, so I grabbed a small coffee and asked for an extra cup filled with water. 2 minutes later, and I was boarding the plane with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cup of oats in the other. Winning.
2. So, Kauai… it definitely wasn’t what I expected. First of all, we have to talk about the chickens and roosters. You wouldn’t think to associate those kind of birds with a tropical island, but they.were.EVERYwhere…
Apparently, a hurricane that hit in 1992 destroyed a lot of coops and scattered domesticated chickens and roosters bred for cockfighting all over the island… Since they have no natural predators, they began to multiply like crazy. I believe it — there wasn’t a single place we visited that didn’t have multiple flocks of wild chickens running around. They were on the beaches, at the resorts, in the forests, by the side of the road — literally everywhere. I’ve never seen so many chickens or roosters in my life.
3. Also unexpected? The weather! I thought it would be nothing but sunshine and blue skies, but it ended up raining every.single.day we were there…
It was a funny kind of rain, though… There were definitely a few times where it poured for a couple of hours straight, but more often than not, it would rain for 15 minutes and then stop for 20; rain for 15, stop for 20. Rinse. Repeat. It also depended a lot on which part of the island we were on… Sometimes all it took was a 10 minute drive to trade showers for sunshine.
4. That being said, I didn’t get much of a chance to develop much of a tan… I arrived with a Casper-esque complexion and left a lovely shade of off-white. On the plus side, at least I managed to avoid getting burnt to a crisp 😯
5. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to avoid getting a heat rash. As much as I enjoyed my trip, I have to admit that I’m not much of a sunshine and beaches kind of girl — at least not for extended periods of time. I get super moody/tired in the sun, my skin breaks out in heat rashes, and the humidity makes it almost impossible for me to do anything with my hair. I do a lot better in cooler, drier climates, and prefer mountains and forests to oceans and beaches. That being said, I did love waking up to the sound of waves hitting the shore, and I’ll definitely miss starting the day with a walk on the beach…
6. I’ll also miss seeing things like this…
7. But I definitely won’t miss seeing things like this…
I had a basement room when I was living at home with my parents so I got a lot more comfortable with all manner of things that creep and crawl. Spiders that big, though? Heck.NO.
8. Aaaaand I think I’m going to end it there for today. Actually, what the heck am I talking about — I can’t end it with a picture of a nasty spider… Here’s a gorgeous sunset instead…
9. Alright, now I’m done. I’ll be posting one final recap of my favourite part of the trip tomorrow, but that deserves a post of its own. Oh, and one last thing… Make sure you head on over to wish Amy a happy birthday! Girl is all sorts of fabulous. Byeee! 😀
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Absolutely GORGEOUS!! That waterfall picture is breathtaking…and I love all the colors in that sunset pic! I’ve never been to Hawaii but I’d love to visit someday. I am most definitely a beach girl…nothing like the relaxing sound of crashing waves, digging your toes in the warm sand, and slathering on 142 layers of sunscreen so your fair ghost-like skin doesn’t end up looking like a red hot! Ha!
Amanda, you always take such beautiful photos. I’m beyond jealous of the way your able to capture every stunning angle. Teach me your skills – please?
I too get heat rashes on my chest! I would get so paranoid about them back in middle school & high school – especially at school dances when my chest would be red all over. Sure did make photos look a bit… um, not flattering LOL. You ever have that problem, or no?
I actually usually get them the worst on my hands, but there’ve been a few times where I’ve gotten them on my chest and stomach as well. Definitely annoying.
Wow, what gorgeous pictures! Starting your day with a morning walk on the beach sounds like absolute perfection. I laughed at your description of the weather though because I remember the exact same thing happening in Mexico – it would seriously POUR for 10 minutes and then 15 minutes later it would be like it never happened because the heat would quickly evaporate all the puddles. That was so long ago though… it has been way too long since I’ve been on vacation! Next time you’re taking me with you. 😉
Wow!! I’ve never been to Hawaii, but looking at your pocs I definitely want to!! Minus that spider. EEK!
One thing I am lucky with is my skin – I have a slight natural tan which makes people think I am always on vacation – but it’s a heritage from my Mom – which is weird, cause we are boring Swizzies and nothing exotic.
I understand your love for the mountains, you know that – actually I am almost on my way up there – whish we could enjoy some snowviews and boarding together!
Gorrrrrregous pictures! I hear you on preferring mountains and forests to beaches and oceans- don’t get me wrong, I loooove the beach! But I think I appreciate it so much more when I go to visit for a few days instead of living next to it.
Dear Amanda:
I am jealous of your trip. Mainly because it is 18 degrees here. Also because it looks beautiful. Also because you seem like a great airport-food-finder and I could use some of those skills. Uhm. I may also be more suited for cold climates due to my…white white skin. But that doesn’t mean I can’t dream high…
Did you wear Christmas socks on this trip? I don’t see much sock wearing…Do you need an intervention?
Sincerely,
Chelsea
Confession: I didn’t pack any socks at all 😯
OMG.
I’ll leave right now. If I don’t even pack anything (other than my entire sock drawer), I’ll be able to make it to the airport by midnight. I must come immediately. This is very serious. An intervention is needed to save you.
🙂
Agh. That spider is way too big for me, but that is a beautiful sunset picture! But I totally feel you on the whole mountains/forests vs hot beaches… Growing up in Buffalo kind of made me hate any sort of crazy heat/humidity.
The colors in these pictures are gorgeous! What a beautiful place!
Your chicken pictures have reignited my desire for backyard chicken pets. 😉
And hmmm…you’ve got me wondering about tomorrow’s recap……hmmmmmmmm
Working on it as we speak 😉
It rained so much when I was in Hawaii too! I was so surprised. Hilo, on the big island, is the rainiest city in the US! Isn’t that nuts?
Such beautiful sunsets! Ugh, and the waterfalls. Love it!! Definitely DON’T love spiders. Eek!
I’m boycotting your blog until you take me to Hawaii.
Ha! Just kidding! But seriously, your photos are amazing. I am so happy you had such a great trip (despite rain!) and got to see your boyfriend! I’m looking forward to reading about the best part of your trip tomorrow 😀
If you don’t get around to responding to my email, it’s okay. This post gave me a good idea of what to expect. I’m kinda bummed too that I’m leaving my 80F sun for rain =/ Did you go swimming the ocean at all?
I wrote you back this afternoon — hoping you got it! And you still might have better weather than I did… Kauai can be really random, apparently. As for the ocean, we did some swimming in Poipu and around the south shore mostly. There were places in the north that were really rough, but there’s a good handful of beaches around the island that are lifeguarded and safe for swimming, so you’ll definitely get the chance if that’s what you’re looking for 🙂
Starbucks is my savior at the airport! I think they’re they only chain food establishment that sells fresh fruit. That scenery…dayyummmm! I think I’ll go book my flight now.
The pictures are gorgeous! I is making me excited for my trip. I must buy a decent camera before I go.
Love the beautiful photography 🙂 I had a blast in Kauai, but 10 days was even a lot for me! Did you happen to run on the little paved trail that runs along the ocean and dead ends into someones garden? I loved doing that run every day, besides the humidity!!
im not much of a beach person either but i do prefer hot weather over cold..mountains i will be ok temporarily..looking forward for the recap trip now 🙂
Weather being unexpected or not… those are some beautiful shots 🙂 Ben and I’ve talked about going to Hawaii but haven’t committed yet.
It’s a place everyone needs to see at least once, so you may as well get it out of the way early 😉
Everything looks GORGEOUS, but that spider web is terrifying beyond belief!
I’m sorry to hear the weather was not so good while you were there. But your pictures still look amazing! Don’t you wish you could walk on the beach every morning? It’s my dream to be a writer and live by the beach when I’m older.
I love your pictures; they are BEAUTIFUL! Do you have any photography tips?
My best piece of advice is to just start taking lots of pictures. Pop the camera into manual mode, pick a subject, shoot, and then play with the settings to see how they change the outcome. I spent a decent amount of time reading about photography, but it wasn’t until I actually just started shooting that things finally started clicking.
For some reason Hawaii was never on my “must travel” list but those pictures are absolutely stunning. I bet they don’t even begin to do it justice, either.
That chicken detail is kind of fantastic! It definitely adds an interesting quirk to the island. I’ve never been to Hawaii but that’s sort of like what I envision, and it’s gorgeous! Looks like even rain can’t put much of a damper on its beauty (no pun intended ;)) I’m with you completely on the climate preferences. I can’t stand high heat and I especially can’t handle humidity. I’ll welcome a dry, warm, but not hot summer day, but I’m a fall/spring girl all the way.
Thank you for not ending with the picture of the nasty spider – I’m terrified of those things. Living in FL for 8 years I ended up encountering WAY too many of those humongous, nightmarish things – and they jumped!!! Eeek!! Anyway… LOVE all of the photos, so gorgeous!! Never knew about the chickens either! Hope someone around there likes their chicken! 😉
I would NOT be okay with jumping spiders. Omg just no. And I’m pretty sure the spiders we have up here in Alberta are tame compared to the ones in warmer climates. That’s one of the good things about living in a place where it’s so cold all the time — the nasty bugs don’t like it here either 😀
I just got goosebumps looking at the picture of the spider. Ridiculous goosebumps. Lady, I give you major props for learning to be okay around the creepy crawlies. It’s a no go around here. Lol!
Love the triple waterfall picture! When I went to Puerto Rico, I came home with more photos of the scenery than I did anything else. GORGEOUS!
I love the oatmeal + Starbucks water trip! Looks like Kaui was beautiful, even if not exactly what you expected. Glad you made the most of it!
Wow, it sounds like an amazing trip but you are making me miss Puerto Rico so much. It looks very similar to Hawaii. and thank you for the last sunset photo; just gorgeous and much better than a spider! lol
So so so so SO (because there weren’t enough so’s listed…) GORGEOUS! I never would have thought there would be chickens in Hawaii. That’s my little known fact for the day 😉 And, your future self with thank you for not getting a tan. No wrinkles or skin cancer to worry about 🙂
Your pictures look awesome. I think I need to visit Kauai. I am opposite of you though, I could spend all day lying on the beach, basking in the sun, and not care!
There’s a picture of me crying hysterically under a tree on a hike through Waimea Canyon. It was gorgeous weather when we left Poip’u beach but when we started our hike but by the end it was a torrential downpour with no rain gear whatsoever. And this girl does not do rain….I was miserable in the most beautiful place on earth. Also I get heat rash too. IT SUCKS.
We couldn’t hike the Kalalau trail because of the weather 🙁 In fact, the whole north shore was in pretty bad shape so a lot of the places were inaccessible. Le boo. But it was still a good time.
Isn’t Kauai just gorgeous?!?! It’s my favorite Hawaiian island. It’s just like a huge gorgeous green garden. And aren’t the chickens and roosters totally random?! I thought that was pretty hilarious. Sorry it rained on you the whole time! That’s a bummer. It’s kinda hit or miss!
Gorgeous pictures!! And bummer about the rain! That totally would have caught me off guard too. Whenever I picture Hawaii, I always picture brightness and sunshine!