Aloha

I've been itching to take a tropical vacation, and through the joy of airline miles and some generous friends who were willing to share their condo with us, plans fell into place miraculously.

My primary goal in Kauai (other than spending some fun, quality time with my family) was to relax.  I’m happy to report, I succeeded.

I suppose though, the beaches had something to do with it.

And the swaying palm trees.

As well as some other stunning vistas.

In addition to guava juice, assorted tropical fruit, taro pancakes with coconut syrup, and other local specialties, my two favorite meals were at Duane's Ono Charburger, a red shack off the highway (*Thanks to Steve Betz for the suggestion)...

...and the local goat cheese stuffed pork with mashed potatoes at the Lighthouse Bistro.

I didn't expect the ubiquitous number of chickens and roosters on the island.  They populate the island due to Hurricane Iniki in 1992.  Apparently, the hurricane not only wasted the economy, a handful of domestic chickens escaped, fled civilization, procreated like mad, and became "wild".  Also, since Kauai does not have natural predators such as the mongoose (which the other islands do), the chickens have populated like mad on the island.  I saw them wandering around the condo, at scenic destinations, and even wandering around the burger shack.
 

With such rich soil, it's no wonder everything is so green and flowering.  The plumeria trees are everywhere.  Not only are they gorgeous flowers, they smell divine.

Quite amazingly, my seasonal allergies were non-existent on Kauai.  Apparently I'm not allergic to any of the flora on the island.  This would be a strong argument to move there!

And finally, the sunset.

Can't wait to go back someday!