9am flight from SFO, meant I had to get to leave my house at 7am. Upon arriving and getting through security in record time, I get a text message from United that there are mechanical issues with the plane.
Cry. Kauai… so close but so far.
Quickly text Laurie to let her know, since she hasn’t arrived yet and snap this quick photo of the plane that later on got taken away by the truck below it.
Goodbye!
I head over to get a snack and settle on a chocolate croissant and pulverize it in less than a minute. About a month ago Ted had tweeted about wanting to have one, and I have had a chocolate croissant every morning since. Inception!
Once Laurie arrives, we settle in at Buena Vista Cafe in Terminal 3, and each get a bloody mary. If we’re going to be stuck here an indefinite amount of time we might as well start the morning off right.
Vegetables help start the day off right!
We end up getting a new plane and then we’re off! Being infamous for being able to nap any time, and any place, I catch up for lost time from this morning on the plane and by the time I wake, we’re in Kauai! 5 and 1/2 hours, where’d you go?
First stop is Alamo Rent A Car, whereby they have these adorable self service kiosks.
Cute cartoons! I’m mesmerized. @_@
Then we’re off to the races. First stop before we do anything else? Tons of food of course.
We swing by Pono Market to partake in some poke.
First things first, I’m the realest (realest),
Drop this and let the whole world feel it
And I’m still in the Poke Murda Business
I can hold you down, like I’m giving lessons in physics
Next logical stop? The Green Pig to make sure we get our Loco Moco on with pork gravy topped shoestring fries.
Gravy so good you could drink it.
We weren’t sure what to order since everything looked delicious so we went classic and ordered the Loco Moco with BBQ sauce and then their fries with gravy sauce.
Unless you like BBQ sauce flavor in general, I would stick to the gravy sauce because it’s savory perfection. While the BBQ sauce was great, for us it took away from the wonderfully cooked meat, whereas the gravy was a natural compliment to the tender meat.
The portions are generous and we sat at their picnic bench area and ate until our bellies could handle no more. I loved the wild chickens hanging out too. I ended up giving them some fries to snack on.
After our bellies are full we decide to check into our vacation rental. Our original lodging plans fell through, so we managed to score this place 2 days before the trip. When we arrive and enter in the gate code, we peel into a long driveway and think to ourselves that it looks wonderful. Thanks VRBO!
Not bad at all.
We meet the owners who are super nice and walk us through the guest room. King sized bed, private full bath and separate entry. It’s perfect for our needs. Mini fridge, microwave, and kitchen sink are all located right outside our room on the deck. She points out this bird’s nest outside our door in passing that she was trying to get rid of, but they just keep coming back, also she mentions they have a really friendly cat named Tiger who likes to sneak into the room, but that we shouldn’t let him. We nod and put our left over food in the fridge, not knowing that these two facts would come to bite us later.
After we’re settled we hop back into the car and go to visit Jieae at her timeshare for a chat about hiking tomorrow, quick dip in the pool, and hot tub break before heading over to The St. Regis Princeville Resort (valet parking is free when you’re just visiting the hotel for drinks). I ordered something alcoholic to start which I can’t remember at all, but for my second drink ended up getting a virgin Pina Colada and it was probably the most delicious one I’ve ever had.
The best drink I had in Hawaii and there wasn’t even alcohol in it.
A guitarist played music in the background as we gabbed and semi-sung along, as his setlist was masterfully chosen. Just as he was about to end his set, a woman who was sitting in front of the guitarist with her family offered the man a generous tip to continue playing a couple more songs. Sitting at the bar we looked at each other with glee as he continued several songs more. A really nice way to end day .5 in Kauai.
