Hawaii Five-Oh: Vacation blog, part 2

Let’s talk vacation. Trevor & I spent 5 days in Hawaii last week with the Graham clan, including Jay (sister’s boyfriend) and Jill (sister’s best friend). We also got to spend a ton of time with our mutual friend Beth. We sunned, ate and drank up a storm, and I think it’s safe to say that a great time was had by all.

Highlights:

• The Napali Coast Raft Tour – Not so much a highlight for Jay, (and I wish I had remembered to put sunscreen on my legs – that shorts burn looked pretty awkward the rest of the week.). However, I can’t think of a better way to spend a first day on Kauai than on a high speed Zodiac boat, zooming up and down the western coastline, viewing scenery from a perspective otherwise impossible. It’s like a roller coaster through beautiful landscape.

• Anini Beach – After visiting the Kilauea Lighthouse, we made a stop at Anini Beach (or possibly Anini Beach’s neighbor – the directions weren’t super clear) on our way to Hanalei (Yes, home of Puff). A quick swim, a lovely nap, some Frisbee and a Negro Modelo – what a perfect afternoon!

• Bocce Ball with my mom – Now, we all know I love me some bocce ball. Saltbox, Arboretum, Esplanade (I still don’t understand why Trevor won’t let us play on the roof…), these are all lovely bocce backdrops, but I’m just not sure that they can compare. Also – my mom is freakishly good at this type of game (by which I mean, casual “lawn” sports: badminton, croquet, ping pong, ladder golf... And also bowling. She could beat me – and you – at every single one of those.). Though Trevor pulled ahead at the end, I think I see a future bocce champion!

• The coconut ratatouille at the luau – No, really.
• Drinks @ the Grand Hyatt – I had a Lava Flow, which was pretty much life changing. I don’t see how much booze it could really have in it, being as it tasted like a delicious strawberry milkshake. Good thing we had to leave after one.

• Beth! Trevor & I were on summer staff @ Camp Stevens with Beth in 2002, and Jill & Meredith have been friends with her since her winter staff year of 1998. Having not seen her in 6 years, what a great surprise to find out this summer that she was moving to Kauai and would be there when we got there! So, we got to reconnect, and hang out a ton, which was really special, and I’m sure we’ll keep in touch this time. I mean, hello – we’re already totally Facebook friends. (Now, I don’t want to leave Jill out here just because I see her relatively frequently (4 times in the last 18 months – not bad for someone who lives in San Francisco). She’s a good person to have in your life – hilarious and honest and with some great life experience that she’s willing to share. Nothing but love.).

You know what was also awesome about this vacation? We didn’t do a single bit of shopping (Okay, we went to one gift shop – but it was in a gift shop SLASH museum in Waimea Canyon) and we went to bed by 10 (mostly 9) every night. Awww yeah.

My 2 favorite quotes from the week:

• Apparently, the Napali Coast used to have copious numbers of waterfalls, cascading down its sides into the ocean. A long time ago (I honestly can’t remember if we’re talking about the late 1800s or like 1970), they were all dammed up to divert the flow to the sugar cane plantations. Our tour guide’s take on it: “Nothing a bottle of Jack Daniels and a sledgehammer couldn’t fix.” Amen, brother.
• After everyone else had departed, Trevor & I spent a day with my parents, playing bocce ball with my mom, lying by the pool, then off to a luau and back to the condo to play Scattergories. During said game of Scattergories, the letter was ‘J’ and the category was “Something you keep hidden.” My mom couldn’t say her answer out loud, giggling until she finally said, “I put joint?” Classic.
  

So there’s the wrap-up. I’m ready to go back anytime.