First Impressions

We got to Lihue (Li-hoo-ee) Airport, on the island of Kauai last night at about 7:30 HI time (10:30 PDT). Wow. A balmy 76 degrees with a light breeze and misty rain greeted us as we got our rental car (a Jeep Wrangler). We were pretty much beat after a long day of travel so almost immediately after checking in we went to bed.

This morning I took a couple of pictures with the camera in my phone. The first three are from our lanai (patio).

The man-made lagoon that divides the property in half.

Joe, a sort of mascot of the property, and quite possibly the ugliest goose on the planet.

Yes, there are chickens here. In fact, they are everywhere, running wild.

We had read about the unpredictable weather, and had even read about the chickens, but nothing really prepares you for the sheer number of wild barnyard chickens feeding and scratching everywhere. And I mean everywhere - alongside the highways, outside the condo, near Wailua Falls...everywhere. They are mostly pretty cute and funny, with one exception. Andrew Doughty, the author of The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, Kauai Revealed, puts it best.

OK, so you don't normall think of roosters as hazards. And normally they're not. These guys are wild in many parts of the island and can be charming. But our roosters have proliferated since Hurricane 'Iniki feed so many back in 1992, and they are particularly stupid here. They don't seem to knopw when they're supposed to crow, so they do it all day long just to cover themselves. (Probably for liability purposes.) If any of these two-legged alarms clocks are near where you're staying, you may find yourself waking up real early.

Honestly, I still can't get over the sight of a rooster and his harem of hens pecking and scratching right next to the highway. It's just weird.

Speaking of the wildlife, I got an even bigger surprise tonight as I was bringing our supper in from the grill (I'd grilled chicken...just because of the irony). As I stepped into our condo, I heard a noise behind me and was startled to see a wild pig behind me. It had evidently been feeding in the bush near our door. It was too dark to get a picture, but if it shows up again, I'll be sure to include it in a future post.

Today was a day to get oriented to our new, temporary home, get some groceries, and a few other necessities (bug repellent for our hikes and bamboo mats for the beach). I LOVE this place! Here are a few reasons I fell back in love with Hawaii today.

Black swan in the lagoon that is a few feet from our room.

















The love of my life on the beach about 50 yards from our room. The surf are currents here are too dangerous for swimming. This is a walking beach only.













Wailua Falls - about 8 miles from our condo. There has been several days of rain in the last week, so there is a LOT of water today. It's a 170 ft. drop from the lip to the pond below.

















And yes, even here, are wild chickens. This is a hen and a chick. There are actually two chicks here.

















Not a bad setting for a BBQ, eh! Nice, plump, Asian Barbeque-seasoned chicken breasts and a Trader Vick's pre-mixed Mai Tai (thank you Costco).










Tommorrow, we do some more driving around the island to get acquainted with our surroundings and visit Poipu beach, said to be one of the best on the island for snorkeling and swimming.