Kauai Day 1: our first time in Kauai

Who knew that you could take airplane bottles of liquor as carry on?!  

Pocket shots are my favorite; they are so transportable... so pack-able.     

At just 1.50$ a shot it is a much better deal than buying drinks at the airport or on the plane.  I think the drinks got me through the flight which was extra long due to head winds.  It is hard to believe that a domestic flight could take 6 hours and twenty minutes.  

Back to pocket shots... spiced rum and POG (passion orange guava) makes the best cocktail.  

In fact, it is so good it is our drink of choice at our Kauai house.  Rum and POG.  

(I am still in disbelief that you can bring alcohol in carry on luggage!)  

I thought we were going have time to hike today but after grocery shopping and driving we did not make it to our place before dark.  Luckily we had light for most of the drive, and we stopped for a few minutes here and there to absorb the views.

Kauai is amazing.  It is what we were picturing when we went to Oahu a few years back (and were a bit disappointed).  

To me Hawaii is a mixture of Nicaragua, Belize and Thailand as far as flora, topography, the houses on stilts, and the laid back nature of the Hawaiians.  

We couldn't get any closer to Kilauea lighthouse because they close at 4 pm but this view was good enough for us.  "Built in 1913 as a navigational aid for commercial shipping between Hawaii and the Orient, Kilauea Point Lighthouse stands as a monument to Hawaii's colorful past.  For 62 years, it guided ships and boats safely along Kauai's rugged north shore with its signature double flash" (fws.gov).   

There is a huge waterfall on the mountain in the background.  

Yep, this is what we imagined Hawaii to be like.  

We rented the Taari Beach House studio on VRBO.  It is the perfect size for two people, and is a two minute walk to the beach.  It is located in Haena, which is just about we far as you can go on the highway until it ends at the Na Pali coastline.  

We spoiled ourselves the first night.  For lunch we bought two kinds of poke at the grocery store, spicy and California style with avocado.  We ate it with toothpicks as we shopped.  It was amazing.

For dinner we had lobster tail (Fred is so good at making them), risotto and Hawaiian bread.  This is the good thing about having a house.  We had this wonderful dinner for about 20$ which would have cost at least three times the price at a restaurant.  

Oh yeah, and don't forget about our POG and rum!  Mmmm mmmm.