Tuesday in Kauai

This Tuesday, I made my first trip to the island of Kauai on business. "The Garden Island", as it is called, is the oldest and fourth largest out of the Hawaiian islands. It has breathtaking landscapes which have been featured in many movies, including "South Pacific", "Jurassic Park", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and "Blue Hawaii". I am beginning to sound like a tourbook. Anyhow, I was sent there along with my fellow post-docs to visit the therapists in our study and provide consultation. I will be going back about every 6 weeks, and hope to see a bit more of the island on each trip. Our days on the island are actually quite busy, and we don't have a whole lot of time for sight-seeing, but I am hoping that some of my visits can be booked on Fridays so that I can stay over and be a tourist on the weekend. (Interisland flights are often on special for residents--sometimes as low as 18 dollars round trip from what I hear....so Nate will likely be able to join me after I am done with my business.)

On this trip, we opted out of eating lunch so that we could drive up to Waimea Canyon Look Out. Waimea Canyon was dubbed "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific" by Mark Twain. It looks a lot like the Grand Canyon, but just a whole lot greener and not as large. It also has a picturesque waterfall that is visible from the lookout. The canyon was formed not just by erosion, but by a large collapse in the volcano that created Kauai.

My general impression was that Kauai looks somewhat like Windward Oahu, but just all over in terms of its lush, jungle-like landscapes. However, Kauai is "country" throughout and retains the feel of the 1950s. I needed contact solution and the only thing we could find was a tiny, one room pharmacy where they still line the shelves with just one or two of each item. It was also expensive. My contact solution was a tiny little bottle and cost over ten dollars. That part was not so 50s. There were chickens wandering all over the school and town yards, and there is only one major "highway" which runs around the edge of the island. I now understand why those that make Kauai their home wish to protect it from being overrun by tourists and traffic. It feels like it would be a uniquely peaceful place to live away from the hustle and bustle of...well, the whole world!

Overall, it was a great trip. We had a good time bonding as a team and adventuring together!