Published Jun 1, 2008

I’m sorry I haven’t written! But I’ve been so, well, relaxed, and busy doing relaxing things. For instance, sleeping in. And sleeping on the beach. And sleeping next to the pool. And drinking almost every rum-based drink known to man. But I did take some pictures in between, because I care. Or, because I did wonderful things and want to make you jealous. To wit:

After spending all of our wondrous second day on Kauai on the beach, we started out our third day by driving up to ‘Opaeka’a Falls, a mere 15 minutes away:

After that — and after much ado finding a well-worth-it vegan lunch at the Blossoming Lotus — we took a boat cruise down the river to see the Fern Grotto. The boat cruise came complete with traditional Hawaiian music:

While the Fern Grotto came complete with the promised ferns, many hanging from the top of the grotto:

For the evening, being as we were on Hawaii, we decided to attend a Luau and eat the roast pig and even sample the poi. I am weird enough that I liked the poi with the salty kalua pork. More sensibly, the AIG avoided the poi after a brief taste, determining that it resembled library paste, a point with which I heartily agree. But, then, I was the one who drank 7 Mai Tais.

Anyway, we enjoyed our luau at the gorgeous Phloston Smith’s Tropical Paradise, with pork, chicken, beef, all sorts of vegetables, lomi lomi salmon, sweet bread, and everything you expect at such a feast. We even really enjoyed the rather cornball entertainment for the evening, with a few authentic dances and several that must’ve been made up on the spot. (And a Filipino chicken hypnotizer whose mojo was not working that evening.) Please to enjoy:

(For the doubters: yes, I was there!)

What could follow a Luau but a big hole in the ground? Hawaii’s famous Waimea Canyon — apocryphally called the Grand Canyon of Hawaii by Mark Twain — is just down the road from us, so of course the AIG gamely drove us up there. Again, please to enjoy:

Tomorrow: photos taken with a disposable point-n-shoot.