I was on the island for only about 33 hours but other than the 7 hours I was indoors, I enjoyed every moment of the remaining time on the beaches and in the wild. I've been to the Pacific coast several times in the past - San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Hilo and Waikoloa but have never seen the ocean as ferocious as it was in Kaua'i. Only when I got back from the island, I happened to see some forums that mentioned about few visitors who drowned. Though it was disappointing to read about their demise, apparently, they are to be blamed for being in-cognizant about the dangers an ocean poses. I came across a sentence in one of the forums that sums up this issue - 'Kaua'i is wild. Respect it!'.
We flew to Lihue, the only international airport on the island. Our resort was about five miles north of the airport. It started to drizzle as we boarded our rental car. And due to this rain, we missed our hotel's entrance a couple of times before I finally nailed it. And by around 5 PM, the rain had stopped completely and we were out on the beach. Amazing views. We could feel the power of the waves splashing onto the rocks on the beach. We didn't do much on the island except watching the Pacific and the mountains on the island. But we got so involved watching these two that we lost track of time and could not visit the southern shore. No worries though. We had our eyes full and what'smore, we will go there again to complete our unfinished business.
Amidst all this beauty, the icing on the cake was something else. A scenic and wonderful Hindu temple (of Lord Shiva), bang in the middle of the Pacific. Can you beat that? We had no clue that a Hindu temple existed there. We were visiting the Kilauea Wildlife Refuge when we ran into this American security personnel who told us about the Hindu temple. For a moment, I did not take him seriously. We had a chat about Arizona and Phoenix, etc. and then he came up with the temple story. We were taken by surprise, but still went on with our initial plan of driving by the northern shore. After the wildlife refuge, we caught up with Hanalei valley lookout and then proceeded to Hanalei and Lumahai beaches, which were easily the best beaches I've ever been to. Amazing views of the nature. The road ends at Kee'e beach, one of the most dangerous yet exquisite beaches known for its reefs. It is one of the best beaches for snorkeling. We have had our eyes full by then. It is at Kee's beach that the famous 'Na Pali' coast begins. 'Pali' means cliff and this coast sure has the most scenic cliffs on this planet. (That's what I've been told and saw in pictures, because I haven't been to this coast. Avatar movie apparently filmed some stuff on this island.) This coast is not accessible by road. You need to either hike a trecherous trail, take a catamaran or a raft tour, or a helicopter tour. Both time and tide worked against us and we had to save Na Pali coast ride for another day. At Kee'e and elsewhere, though we had plans to get into the water, we were lost in the sights of the beaches that we did not even consider getting into the water. After strolling on the Kee'e beach, we were on our way back to visit the southern shore. There were two prominent places to visit on the south - Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and Koke'E State Park.
And then it happened. By a stroke of luck, I changed my mind and decided against visiting the Waimea Canyon. Instead, I drove to the Hindu temple which is nearby the Opaekaa falls we saw in the morning. Thanks to iPhone, the American security personnel at Kilauea and a red signal at Kapaa. It was easily the best temple I've been to and on-par (and probably even better) than Tirumala & Kedarnath. The location of the temple sets it apart. We met a guruji who took us into the temple. I was in a screensaver mode throughout my stay at the temple. Absolute tranquil. We headed back to Kapaa and Lihue pondering over the twist in our trip and how successful it has been overall.
And deep in my mind, I knew I'd visit it again. I murmured to myself ... "I'll be back!". Mahalo!
