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| Kauai, Hawaii - May 9, 2008 |
| Other Kauai Pictures:
05/08/2008 | 05/09/2008 | 05/10/2008 | 05/11/2008 |
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Kipu Rd. & Hulemalu Rd.
Lihue, HI 96766
Rating: Chopsticks of Pleasure
Lots of fun. You can take an ATV solo or share or take a Rhino if you don't feel as daring. I wish there were some more advanced trails though.
Hope's little mishap
That's a lot of bamboo!
The waterfall and pool
We left early in the morning to go to Kipu Ranch Adventures where we geared up in helmets, goggles and bandannas to protect ourselves from dust.
The tour started with an introduction to our ATVs and some practice laps around the lot before heading out to the ranch.
The first leg of the trip was on a dirt road about half a mile long, completely lined with pine trees. These long guantlets of trees were planted hundreds of years ago to signify your entrance into the land of Hawaiian royalty. You can see it in the background in this picture.
We had a few photo stops as well as an unscheduled stop when Hope hit a big hole that careened her ATV into a fence (note arrow in image to the left). The impact broke a fence post and wedged the ATV in so securely that the guides couldn't dislodge it so Hope had to continue on as a passenger with one of the guides. We also stopped for some additional training on how to maneuver over rough terrain and how far the ATVs could tilt safely (quite far, more than 45°).
For the next couple hours we drove through fields and forests and stopped at some famous areas seen in movies like Jurassic Park. We also had the opportunity to swing out on a rope over the river in the same location that Harrison Ford did at the beginning of the first Indiana Jones. That was followed by a sandwich lunch when we marvelled at how dirty we were from kicked up dust. Mike and I had the worst since we were near the back of the group.
We hiked down a bamboo covered hill to a waterfall where we could swim. It was a nice little pool but the water was pretty cold and muddy and the mosquitos were relentless. Then we returned to the base camp and finished the tour. I could have gone for a few more hours and would have loved to tackle some rougher terrain and perhaps a little more speed. We rarely had the opportunity to open the throttle and those ATVs have a good amount of power if you need it. The fastest I went on a paved straight away was 32mph, though Mike hit 33. Some of the girls had more than their fill of ATV riding, but overall I think the tour is an excellent activity and pretty accessible for even non-motorsports inclined persons.
 4834 Iiwi Rd
Kapa'a, HI 96746
Rating: N/A
Rated second best in Kauai, but we never made it there to try for ourselves.
 West side of Kuhio Hwy
Kapa'a, HI 96746
Rating: Chopsticks of Displeasure
Average shave ice, decent shrimp but overall a scatter brained experience. Maybe the clothing and furniture is decent but you can pass on the food.
On our way back we wanted to cool down and relax with some nice refreshing Hawaiian Shave Ice. I almost chose Hawaiian Blizzard Shave Ice because it was the closest one in my Nuvi directory but I elected to stop at a bright orange truck on the side of the Kuhio Highway in Kapa'a instead. At the time I didn't realize that Hawaiian Blizzard was the runner up for best shave ice in Kauai so in hindsight, I made a poor decision.
 Lured in by the sign proclaiming, "Easy Parking," we turned into a tiny lot that could only fit three cars if you park creatively and don't have any qualms backing into the patio furniture (occupied or not) to get out. It turned out to be a snack truck and a clothing/furniture shop called Carrie Daway (the lady has an ebay store and a "coming soon" website too).
We looked in the truck and found it empty because the owner was sitting on the couch in the shop talking on the phone. She told us to wait a few minutes so we settled down on the patio furniture.
After a couple minutes she came out and asked if we wanted her to take our orders, which she had never done before. After a few minutes of clanking around in the truck she returned for our orders. We considered leaving b/c she seemed pretty scatter brained but she convinced us to stay by telling us she had the most expensive shave ice machine available (who says that? Usually places that aren't very good). She also informed us that her shrimp dishes were created by her culinary consultant who used to be the sous chef at Wolfgang Puck's Spago.
We decided to stay and 5 minutes later the first two shave ices came out and it took another 5 minutes for the last one to arrive. The flavors and ice cream were fine but the ice was pretty course, resulting in a fairly average shave ice. Ashley and I decided to order a garlic shrimp as well which came with a small salad and rice. The garlic shrimp was very tasty but the salad was a bit wilted despite the organic greens being "just picked this morning." The salad also had hair in it which Ashley and I weren't particularly surprised by. After taking a few pictures at the beach across the highway (including a house with goats) we returned to the hotels to clean up and prepare for dinner.
 5022 Lawai Rd
Koloa, HI 96756
Rating: Chopsticks of Ambivalence
While the food is good, I think it's overrated by patrons enamored by the romantic sunsets.
Li-Hing-Mui Mai Tai
Seafood Chowder
BBQ, I mean Fish, Nachos
Located on the south shore of the island, the Beach House Restaurant has a dining room that opens up to the patio and beach with a stunning view of the sunset.
The first thing I had was a Li Hing Mui Maitai. Li Hing Mui is a salty/sour spice mix that is pouplar in Hawaii to season fruits. When I first read about it, I suspected it was the same powder used to make Chinese dried plums (indeed it is the same) and that my mom loves and keeps around the house to sprinkle on fruit. So took this opportunity to try this drink. The powder is mixed in the drink and used to line the rim of the glass instead of salt or sugar. I really liked this drink and thought it would make a good introduction for a person who would otherwise think the powder is too potent.
After perusing the dinner menu, I did not find anything particularly appealing to me and was surprised by how small their fish selection was so I decided to choose some simple appetizers that a restaurant of this level should excel at. The table shared an order of calamari and while it was good I was disappointed. In Maui last year, every restaurant served big strips of squid (because the rings would be way too big) instead of the dinky little rings that we get on the mainland, which are from smaller, cheaper squid. This was the first time I've seen dinky calamari rings on Hawaii.
For my own meal,
I started with seafood chowder which, as expected, was very good. For my entree I chose the fish nachos which should be a no brainer. Alas, these were the worst fish nachos I've ever had. Perhaps the chef was trying to be daring by using barbecue sauce but he definitely failed. Every single bite had way too much sauce and I couldn't taste the fish, corn or tortilla chips. I didn't even realize there was cheese until I was half finished b/c the barbecue sauce overpowered everything. The barbecue sauce wasn't even that good either: it was way too sweet. Once again, I found myself making an extremely rare decision to give up and not bother finishing it.
Most everyone else was happy with their food but I don't recall anyone raving about it. Personally, I think the stunning view may be the primary reason this restaurant is so highly rated, instead of the food (too many lovey-dovey couples thinking about how romantic it is instead of how good the food is). So if you're looking for great romantic ambiance and stunning sunset views with a decent meal then Beach House is right for you. However, if you're looking for great food, look elsewhere.
Sunset over the ocean
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