We just got back from Kauai. It was incredible. On Monday, we got married on Anini Beach at sunset. It was beautiful! So romantic. The minister performed a traditional Hawaiian ceremony. We exchanged leis and drank blessed waters from coconut shells which we combined to signify our joined life together.
For dinner, we ate at the Blossoming Lotus in Kapaa. This is most likely the best vegan restaurant on the planet!!! We loved it so much, we went back again on Wednesday night. They have an awesome cookbook. I'll put a link on the recommendations page. The Tuna-Free Tempeh salad is incredible as well as the Barbeque Tempeh Sandwhich. We loved the hand-made iced Chai and Lemonade. The specials were incredible. Gourmet vegan at its finest. The cornbread is legendary. I'm going to try the recipe from the book and review it here soon.
Tuesday we snorkeled in Poipu with green sea turtles!!! See the pics below! They are incredible. So graceful - they fly through the water. It was a truly amazing experience. We used a reusable underwater camera to take these pictures. They came out very well.
That evening, we drove up north and took some great pictures of the taro fields in the valley. We found a little lizard friend in a coconut tree and got some awesome moon and sunset views.
Every morning, we visited the Lotus Cafe (where the Blossoming Lotus used to be on the main drag in Kapaa.) The baked goods are to die for. We tried almost all of them. Also, the Java place next door serves up great organic Kona coffee with your choice of rice or soy milk. MMMMMMmmmm good. This place is a vegan paradise. We also checked out Papaya's, also in Kapaa. This was a very well-stocked natural food store with a vegetarian food bar serving hot entrees, salads and soups. We found a good selection of natural toiletries including sunscreen, bug repellant, and some soothing anti-burn and disinfecting lotions. (Needed those after getting sunburned and beat up on the rocks by the surf while snorkeling.)
Wednesday morning we checked out Glass Beach. The "sand" is made of tiny bits of polished glass that have washed ashore and been hammered by the surf. A local woman told us that the glass came partially from an old glass factory that was nearby and various shipwrecks just offshore. We found many colors and styles of glass bits as well as pieces of dishes. We were told not to take any lava rocks. It would anger the goddess Pele and would cause us bad luck. Up on the hill next to the beach was an old Japanese cemetary. What a view those corpses have! We took quite a few picture at the beach, of the glass, the surf, the shipwreck remains and the cemetary and wildlife.
After glass beach, we decided to go back to Poipu to find the turtles again. First, we went down the road aways and checked out Spouting Horn. Pretty cool. We headed back to Poipu. The surf was very rough, but after walking around the shore we spotted the turtles feeding just off the rocks. Awesome!
Thursday, we looked at some waterfalls, fed the birds. One thing about Kauai - there are wild chickens everywhere! They are really cool. The cocks crow constantly. They are fun to watch.
Finally we had to return our car and get on the plane home. We had so many wonderful experiences there. The locals in Kauai are super friendly and helpful. The scenery was superb (no wonder so many movies are filmed there). The wildlife was a real treat. We can't wait to visit again.
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