Back from Kauai

Well, my Hawaiian vacation is now officially over :( Tomorrow, it's back to work and the real world. But, I must say that the vacation did me some real good and I'm looking forward to going back to Hawaii again to see another island.

Kauai is the island best known for it's tropical plant life and beauty, and it really was amazing. We went on a tour of the Allerton Garden, of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. Our tour guide, Phil, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and we had a great time despite the morning rains. In fact, the rain likely made the tour a bit nicer since it kept the hot sun at bay for the beginning of the tour.

L. and I also went to see Waimea Canyon, which is the grand canyon of the pacific. It was nothing less than incredible. I've never seen the actual grand canyon, so I have no basis for comparison, but I was blown away by the view at Waimea.

Aside from that, L., his parents, and I all drove around the island and saw so many different things and ate at some of the best restaurants. The luau we went to was a blast, and I even tried Poi, although I can honestly say that I have no idea what the big deal is about. It doesn't taste like anything and it has a strange texture. But, I highly recommend the Smith Family Luau if you go to Kuaui because they have beautiful gardens and performances that honor all of the cultures that have contributed to the rich island life.

On the last day, L. and I went snorkeling at Poipu beach, and saw the most incredible fish. It was so cool to put your face under the water and see a whole different world below. And to my relief, we didn't see any sharks! But, the unfortunate thing was that between the two times I went out, I didn't cover my back and legs well enough with sunscreen, so I burnt on my back and the back of my legs and butt. I can tell you that it made for a very uncomfortable journey home, and I still can't lay on my back. I dread putting clothes on tomorrow to go to work b/c it's going to be an interesting mixture of pain (in the places where I burned really badly) and itchiness (where I'm starting to heal). I haven't had a sunburn in over five years, and I tried so hard to avoid it on this trip by wearing SPF 50. But, I just didn't cover myself well enough after getting out of the water the first time, so I'm suffering for it now. Thankfully, L. has been taking good care of me and I am starting to heal now, but I still have a ways to go.

The weird thing is that I can't remember my password at work, so I can't check my email. Tomorrow I'll have to deal with the fallout from that, but I couldn't care less tonight! I checked my personal email, but haven't read everything or responded to anything yet. I got a lot of email while I was gone, but I'm trying to extend my vacation as long as possible, and part of that is being without technology. For the first time in a long time, I didn't have any access to email and I didn't even mind! Usually I'm so connected to everything online, that I get jumpy when I haven't had Internet access for one day, but this vacation forced me to disconnect and enjoy my surroundings. It was a welcome change for once. I know that everyone is wanting to know how the trip was, so I figured I'd at least write a blog entry about it tonight. But, I promise to get caught up on email throughout the week, so if I haven't responded to you yet, I will get to it as I have time. Just be patient with me :) I've got a lot of stuff to do this week!