Kauai photos are up!

As I'm frantically packing for adventure number 2, I somehow found time to get Kauai photos done - laundry and packing can be done at 3:30am, right?

So here you go: https://picasaweb.google.com/saracwatson/Kauai2011#

Aloha nui loa!

Napali Oranges

I forgot how good the oranges are here. Most people just think of the pineapples in Hawai'i but honestly it's the oranges that they have the rest of the world beat on. Right off the tree, peeling isn't really an option, just bite into it, discard the piece of bitten peel and let the juice run down your chin. You WILL need a shower (or better yet a dip in the ocean) after indulging in this. Yes I forgot about the oranges.

Today we ventured out into the waters to see the great Napali Coast. I was told to expect to be stunned by it's breathtaking views, but such foreshadowing didn't do any justice for what I was about to see.

The trip started out rough. Literally. The rain was coming down like nothing in Seattle and the sea's violent swells were doing nothing to calm the nerves of the 49 passengers boarding the Lucky Lady at 730am. To calm my nerves, I simply took note (even before stepping foot on the vessel) of the catamaran's lovely - and yes, quite able I am sure - crew. Young bronzed surfer bodies, with that unbelievable curly black hair. Hello memories! Yes the images flooding back to me (which were totally innocent and PG13 rated, Mom and Dad, I swear...) would come in quite handy moments later in distracting me from the motion that my fellow shipmates were turning green from.... Oh man, my life in Maui, how I miss you. Ahem, sorry, where was I?

Oh yes... Well, luckily for those without the pleasure of such nostalgia, it wasn't long before we were in clear blue skies, and much calmer waters. And what is that? A pod of dolphins to the right of us? Ooooh aaaaaah!

We rounded the western most point and headed north to the cliffs we had all been anticipating. Scenes from movies we had all seen were suddenly before our eyes in real time. And it was like nothing I had ever seen or expected to see. My pictures won't do it any bit of justice but I'll try to get them into an album and post the link soon.

The return to port was even rockier than the departure, as if to reinforce the notion that nothing comes without a cost, not the least of which being a natural beauty as magnificent as we just witnessed. The BFF didn't fare so well, barely holding her lunch down and willing the captain to speed up this damn boat.

Sitting on the lanai now, letting the aforementioned orange juice drip down my chin, I can't help but feel overwhelmingly lucky to be here, to have the privilege that so many do not, to see the things like I saw today.

Cleansed

I am caught in a rainstorm and instead of running to the safety of cover, I embrace it and let my skin, my hair, my clothes soak up the heavy round drops. The burden of your anniversary runs down my cheeks and arms and legs, not unlike it did five years ago (exactly, by the way). Only this time I feel strong, sure, loved, and free from both the physical and emotional pain you inflicted. Five years later, even on this anniversary, I can stand with my head held high, my heart still beating, and my life still in tact. The trust that you stole from me has returned little by little, and the bright brassy red that stained me that night has changed now to a warmer, softer red. With this rain, with the passing of time, even in this place that you could have ruined for me, I feel clean.

The fanny pack

As we all know, airports are fabulous places to people watch. It can be quite the entertainment experience, really. Such a variety of performers. There's the clueless bumpkin struggling to deal with the sensory overload that comes with being in a "big city" setting (and yes, I use the term "big city" loosely, as this can be found in pretty much any airport based in an area with a population base exceeding 10K). And then, there's the poor mother of 3 trying to reign her offspring into a 20-foot radius (while silently cursing their father who conveniently opted to stay home this trip). Or how about the old couple in the corner yelling at one another about their forgotten prescriptions ("I told you not to foget them!" "I couldn't hear you!" "What?")? My favorite though? The generally nervous traveler constantly checking his watch, looking up at the gate ("don't wanna miss that plane"), who makes sure he is in line to board 20 mins in advance of the preboarders despite holding a ticket for seat #2 (meaning he will be the last to board). He's the same one who stands up immediately after the flight lands, regardless of the fact that on this flight he is all the way in the back.

Today, however, I get the pleasure of seeing something that I haven't seen in awhile: the fanny pack. Now, yes, of course I've see multiple members of the geriatric population sporting such style, but it's been awhile since I've seen a one on an under-65-er. This morning though we have a nice 40ish gentleman fashionista. To make matters worse, its clipped low under his middle-aged "I've been drinking everything alcoholic since 17" belly. In fact I doubt I would have noticed it (doubt I could have) except that when he bent over to get his bag, he had to shift it off to the side so as not to squish certain manparts while bending over the few degrees.

Had I been a little more iPhone sneaky, and had the oh so graceful move presented itself, I would have video'd it for you. That way you could have "enjoyed" the moment from your living room, cube, bus ride or wherever you are as much as I did.

Alright time to board to paradise... C'mon now, don't hate.

iBlog

As many of you know, I started out really wanting to hate the iPhone. Those crazy nutjobs at my previous place of employment were constantly tossing money down the tube and while, yes, many times such tossing greatly benefited me, I didn't always feel right about it. So when the iPhone first came out and the demented duo that runs the place insisted that we all get one, I immediately took the stance of "really, can we be any more frivolous?". Because lets face it: these things weren't cheap in those first couple of years. And, then I used my good girlfriend's when we were on a roadtrip. "Damn it," I thought within 2 mins of holding the revolutionary little device. "This is pretty f*ing cool." And so when I got back to the office on Monday, I had to admit it: I wanted one. Five days later I had one, and about one nanosecond after that, I was hooked (so much so, by the way, that the first place I went after walking out of Nutjob Central for the last time was... yep, you guessed it: AT&T, to get me a new one).

And now, 4 years later, just when I thought my love affair with iSara (yes that's it's registered name) couldn't get any more intense, I found one more way for it to enhance my life: an app to let me blog on the go: BlogWriter. (side note: there really IS an app for everything. I just learned that I could, if I was as sick and sex starved as apparently some iOwners are, take this love affair to the next level and download a personal massager app.... Eww! Really? Really? They're not that expensive ladies, just go buy a real one. Mental note: think twice before borrowing someone else's phone... But I digress...)

Anyway, all this to say: this is my test entry to see how well this will work. If it passes the test, this is going to be quite handy on the upcoming expedition I depart on next week. I hope to document the adventure here so as to satisfy the curious and, yes, slightly jealous minds of friends and family, as well as tame my mother's undeniable fear that I might have been kidnapped, run-over, or bitten by a malaria-ridden mosquito.

Supposedly I can post photos here too. So let's try that now as well. I think I'll choose a Kanoa photo... In case you haven't heard that little family unit of three that I love so much, just became a unit of four. GO TEAM KLAJA!

Alright, here goes nothin'! I guess I just push send to post?