Luau

We drove to Hanalei Bay this morning. Visited the Kilauea Lighthouse. I can't really describe how pretty it is up there. The view down to the surf and rocks and cliffs below is just gorgeous. Check out the website here :
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/Kauai/html/sites/kilauea_lighthouse.html

The lady on our sailing trip (Barbara) had visited there also and they saw many, many whales just off the shore. Sadly, we did not see any whales. But the birds and plants and the view were just beautiful and well worth the drive. We also had lunch at Bubba Burgers - there are a few of these along our routes this week and they always have lines - ALWAYS. Today, we waited in line and enjoyed teriyaki burgers and 'frings' (onion rings and fries combined). Even J., who isn't a big fan of onions in general, said they were the best onion rings he's ever had. We followed it up with shave ice - delicious and unlike 'Mainland' shave ice, the flavor stayed on the ice, bite after bite. They are very patient in Hawaii - and they shave the ice very carefully. REALLY SHAVE IT - paper thin. Not chopped, not crushed. SHAVED into teeny tiny bits that really hold the syrup. AND they don't 'pre-shave' - they only fire up the ice shaver when there's an order so the cups of ice don't sit and 'freeze' into solid balls - which also helps keep the syrup in each bite. It was delicious!

Dinner this evening was a luau at The Smith Family Luau on the Wailua River. I wasn't too sure about a luau on a river - seems like it should be near a beach. But the setting was beautiful. And the luau was good. The online reviews are so-so but we enjoyed it very much. The food was good - not a huge selection, but enough variety that everyone found something they loved. There was the traditional pork - we watched the 'Imu ceremony' where they removed the whole pig that was roasting in the fire pit all day - along with teriyaki beef and a sweet and sour mahi-mahi. An assortment of salads, breads, mashed potatoes, fried rice and desserts completed the meal. The open bar served delicious mai-tais. We did a tram ride around the grounds (30 acres of tropical plants, birds, etc.) then the Imu ceremony, then dinner. Dinner was followed by the show which was also very good. Our only 'complaint' was that they seem to be looking for material to 'extend' the show a bit by including a Japanese fan dance, a Chinese dragon dance and some other non-Hawaiian dances that we thought they could have skipped. But, the dancers were talented and traditional and 'true-to-life' - all different shapes and sizes and all dancing their hearts out. I liked that. They were 'real' people doing what they love.

The patriarch of the family explained that his father had named the family business 'Smith' because it was easier for people to remember. Their last name is actually a traditional Hawaiian name and as the grandfather said (as relayed by his son) 'no one will remember our last name but they will remember Smith'. He was right, since I can't recall their true Hawaiian last name. They are 5 generations of the same family who have run this business for decades. Their website is: www.smithskauai.com/luau.html

We had a nice time and arrived home sleepy. The boys are playing a couple games of chess while waiting for me to have a little computer time before I head to bed.

Tomorrow, we have no 'firm' plans - all we really want to do is one final 'day at the beach' for some 'sun color' and maybe some last minute souvenir shopping. We need to be packed up and ready to leave the condo at 7:45ish on Friday morning to make our flight home which means a good chunk of the day tomorrow will involve attempting to get things put in suitcases and 'packed'. It helps that my 'souvenir' includes a cute rolling small suitcase and a 'tote bag' from the Honolulu Surf shop - a cute Billabong flower pattern. Santa had brought me a purple set of Swiss Army suitcases that we didn't end up needing - so we'll take those back and I splurged and got a really cute set of 'luggage' which is definitely mine (flowery) and definitely easy to spot on a baggage claim carousel. It's not something I 'needed' but something I saw that kept 'calling' to me every time we went to a surf store that had them. So I got them - a long lasting 'remembrance' of this great trip.