Somebody...bring me back to paradise...quick! It's Wednesday morning and I'm back at work...sitting in my sad little cube, typing away while the overhead fluorescent light flickers away (damn facilities). I'm ready to retire. Boo hoo. My time in Kauai - to quote all of ABC's Bachelors and Bachelorettes - was an AMAZING EXPERIENCE. I had the time of my life and of course, the trip was way too short. There was so much I wanted to do...but no time! I've decided that this little tease of Hawaii demands another trip. I must go back.
The first night I got there, I took a walk down the street just in time to see the sun set over Makana Mountain (aka Bali Hai). I just sat there for an hour in complete tranquility. Now, I know that we have some beautiful sunsets here in rainy Southern California...thank you smog...but in Hawaii, it's not just about the sunset. When the sun sets in LA, it's like an event separate from the rest of the LA world. In order to get the full effect of it, you have to head down to the beach...away from the hussle bussle and smog...to check out the vibrant colors. It is only at the beach, during sunset, that you are reminded that the world is beautiful. In Hawaii, however, the sunset engulfs the whole island into its beauty. Everybody and everything on that island embraces the sunset. No matter what is happening in that moment, nothing else matters when the sun is going down. There is something just so peaceful and so sacred about it. I just felt completely at ease as the sky went from crystal clear blue to a fullfilling yellow to a fiery orange to a vibrant pink to a soothing purple and finally to a deep midnight blue. For a moment there, I actually thought I was floating. (Sigh.)
My sister's wedding was a nice and intimate occasion with an extremely beautiful view of the island and the ocean. As we were getting ready in her room at the Princeville Hotel, we could see all the surfers riding the waves in front of a backdrop of lush green mountains. It was a scorchering hot day (we were all melting in the sun), but all for the better because there wasn't a rain cloud in sight. Everybody was having a great time chatting it up and intermingling. And can I take a minute to say how much I love Eric's mom, Jackie? She is such an exquisite and sweet woman. Robee looked like a princess in her wedding gown and when Jackie saw her all dolled up, she started balling and kept telling her she was "a dream come true." It was sooo sweet...she had all the bridesmaids in tears. (Sigh.)
Kauai was true paradise. The weather was excellent...it rained a little bit, but it was still nice and hot. We went to the Limahuli Botanical Gardens and saw mango trees, guava trees, autograph trees, and screwpines. In the distance we could spot some whales in the ocean. I ran around the garden and got bit 20 times by insects that certainly weren't mosquitoes (based on the big ass red circles on my legs...um, yeah, no skirts for me for a while). I explored a cave, drank lots of guava juice, became real good friends with all the damn-loud roosters, stood in the clear water ocean (believe it...me in water), went in a pool AND a hot tub (yeah...again...believe it...me in water), laid out on the beach, discovered the heavenly experience of papaya seed salad dressing, took a ton of pictures (with everybody else's cameras), was a human ping pong in finding my luggage, had my picture taken with some hot hula dancers, drank enuf Mai Tai's to swim in (...if I could swim), and learned the proper way to fly...thanks to a lovely couple from El Segundo and their "magic" coke and sprite bottles. :) This long weekend/short vacation has instilled a new spirit in me. I've decided that I need to retire now, I've realized that Hawaii must be one of the places I move to (I say give me 6 years) and I'm now determined to learn how to swim. Any teachers out there?
Posted by Mollie Gamo at February 25, 2004 12:28 PM