Early Mornings

An obnoxiously loud rooster jarred me from my tranquil slumber not long after first light. It goes with the territory I suppose. 18 years ago hurricane Iniki slammed in Kaua'i causing almost $2billion in damages and unleashing on the island a plagued of cross-bred chickens. Kaua'i, being a rural island, had a large population of captive chickens that were set "free" by the hurricane. These domestic chickens quickly cross-bred with the "native" chickens of the island and became legally protected as "native" species. Now, the entire island is covered in chickens that seem to have an internal clock aligned with the New York sunrise. They start crowing around 4am! This episode will repeat itself every morning for the length my stay. Although, if an early alarm clock is the worst thing I have to complain about...

Arrival

The plane landed yesterday (Sunday) just after 2pm. I was sitting near the main entrance to the plane, and so, as the seal on the hatch was cracked I could feel the warm, moist air rush into our previously dry and cool environment. I had spent seven hours breathing recirculated air through a stuffed-up nose, so the fresh air felt great, even if it would normally be classified as muggy. I calmly collected my bags and then rushed for freedom beyond the door. For an international travel destination that services 1.2 million visitors a year, the Lihu'e airport is down-right tiny. Walking at a moderate pace I made it from the airplane door to the waiting arms of my family in about 30 seconds. My parents and little brother had arrived several hours earlier, so we packed my bags in the rental Jeep and headed for the North Shore to drop my luggage so that I could turn around and drive back to the airport to pick up my cousin and her husband, who would be landing in about five hours.

The view from the condo

The island has been in a drought, although just prior to my landing it had rained for 22 days in a row. So, much of the emerald green that I was expecting was, in fact, rather yellow and I was disappointed. Traffic on the only "highway" on Kaua'i could push a driver used to L.A. over the edge of insanity. There is one lane, in each direction, with an average speed limit of 45, with the emphasis on limit. Many locals will drive between 25 and 30, more than likely, just to aggravate the tourists. So, the 30 mile journey easily takes an hour, at that's if there are no back-ups. I've had it take almost two full hours to get from Princeville to Lihu'e. Anyway, I picked up my cousins and I drove north again to my waiting bed.