Kauai - November 2011

For Thanksgiving this year, Katie and I decided to take Penelope on a vacation to Hawaii. We had been wanting to go back ever since we visited Maui a few years ago, and the Thanksgiving break seemed like a good time to get away from the cold and rain of Seattle. We were very happy that Omi and Abuelito (aka, Jason's parents) were able to join us, and not just because we wanted some babysitters (although that was a big help!). In the past, we have generally spent Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas with Katie's, and this seemed like a great way to continue that tradition, but in a much nicer location.

Omi and Abuelito flew out to Seattle on Tuesday before Thanksgiving, which allowed them to break up an otherwise 12+ hour trip from the east coast to Hawaii. Penelope stayed home with them on Wednesday, which I think all three of them enjoyed. Then on Thursday (Thanksgiving day), we took off for Kauai (one of the advantages of flying from Seattle is that there are direct flights to all four main islands, on Alaska Airlines, obviously). We were a little concerned about a 6 hour flight with Penelope on our laps, but she did great. Katie, Omi, and I had an entire half row, so Penelope could easily move across all of us. There was a little fussing when it was time for Penelope to take her nap, since she wasn't used to the surroundings, but she settled down and took a nice long nap, which helped to pass the time. It was also great having Omi and Abuelito for additional Penelope entertainment and to take the load off our own laps (she is getting heavy!).

The landing on Kauai was amazing. We were on the left side of the plane, and as we approached the island, we flew right by these stunning cliffs right on the edge of the ocean. It felt like you could touch them. I wish I had had my camera, but it was probably better to just enjoy the view. After the plane, we headed for the car rental. Lugging around 4 checked bags, a baby, a stroller, a car seat, two backpacks, a diaper bag, and a food bag made us "those people" who no one would ever want to be behind in a line. But luckily for everyone else, we were so slow that we were the last ones in line. We got our car, and for $11 got upgraded to a mini-van, which really made me feel like a Dad. The woman helping us assured me that it was what we needed for all our stuff, and she was probably right. After installing the car seat, we headed to our hotel in Po'ipu, on the south shore of the island. It was a pleasant drive, and we were all happy to be on vacation in Hawaii.

After checking in, it was time for dinner. Although it was somewhat late for Penelope on Seattle time, she was in fine spirits and seemed to be enjoying herself, as long as we kept her well fed. For dinner, I was excited to find that the restaurant had a Thanksgiving special of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce, so I was able to have my Thanksgiving dinner in Hawaii. Everyone else went with more traditional Hawaiian fare, and Penelope was happy to have a little bit of what we all were eating. Then it was off to bed for all of us. It had been a long day.

The next day, we woke up early (still on Seattle time) and saw a beautiful sunrise. We decided that we would spend our first day in relaxation mode. We took Penelope to the pool to swim and play in the "sand" (they had some rocky sand surrounding the pool). She immediately took to playing with (and tasting) the sand, and she had fun in the water, too. After her midday nap, we went to a nearby beach (our hotel was on the cliffs, not the beach). We were scared Penelope might try to run into the ocean, so we put a life jacket on her. She didn't mind the life jacket too much, but in the end, she was more content to just sit there and play in the sand. And the sand really slowed down her walking, making her pretty easy to keep track of. Katie and I went into the ocean to play in the waves, but we came out after they got a little too big for us. Omi started a tradition that would last the rest of the trip. She filled up Penelope's bucket with water and brought it back to her. Penelope played with it for a while, then dumped out the water and asked for more. From then on, every trip to the beach also involved at least 10 minutes of bucket brigade time.

For our second day, we decided to visit Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of Hawaii." The weather was overcast, and as we climbed in elevation, it started to get cold and rainy. We weren't really prepared for it in our T-shirts with no rain gear, but we were smart enough to have extra warm clothes for Penelope in the diaper bag, so at least she was comfortable. And we were definitely not the only unprepared tourists. It was a pretty cool canyon, but the view was hampered by the fog. As we drove back down, we stopped at an overlook that provided a really nice view back at the canyon. It also made for a nice backdrop for taking some photos of Penelope, who obliged to sit on a large rock while I snapped way too many photos of her. Her reward was to eat the small rocks and dirt that she found on the big rock. I don't know what it is about her and dirt/sand/rocks, but she loves it.

We stopped for lunch (with real food, not just dirt) in "Old Historic" Hanapepe, a one street, two block town ("modern" Hanapepe is a little bigger). We ate at a plate lunch place, and I had the Moco Loco, which Katie introduced me to the last time we were in Hawaii. Moco Loco is two hamburger patties on top of rice, smothered in brown gravy, with two fried eggs on top. Mmmm, yummy. We walked around town a bit to see the little shops and read about the old buildings. All of the buildings were the originals, and they had signs indicating what they used to be back in the day, which made for a neat little history lesson. Then it was back to the hotel for nap time. Unfortunately, though, Penelope had fallen asleep on the drive to Waimea Canyon, so she wasn't tired enough to take a nap. She ended up skipping her nap for the day, which made her a little cranky at times. Instead of napping, we went to Po'ipu beach, a five minute drive away. Unlike the other beach we went to, this one was nicely protected so the water was very calm. Penelope once again played in the sand and ordered around the bucket brigade. Since the water was calm, we let Penelope take her first steps into the ocean . She was hesitant at first, but was soon having fun splashing and playing in the waves. Penelope also got to have some shave ice, which combines two of Penelope's favorite things: ice and sweet stuff. She was hooked instantly. After the beach, it was off to dinner then off to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day.