Instead of going the usual touristy thing to visit Waimea Canyon, which is the popular Grand Canyon of Hawaii, we ventured out into the more rugged and off the beaten path Kauai with a lovely local couple, Karen and Jay, both Kauai guides, who brought us around. We are not hikers but we love the secluded outdoor nature sceneries that simply take your breath away, where the mountains meet the sea. And that is why Kauai is popular to moviemakers who have ventured to for those perfectly breathtaking backdrops for movies like King Kong, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park. More recently, movies like Lilo and Stitch, Catching Fire, Six Days and Seven Nights, and Soul Surfer, amont many others, have continued to be added to the list.
Kauai's charm is brought about by the successful preservation of this natural beauty. Quaint charming houses and shops line Kauai's beautiful little towns tucked between valleys. Our favorite was of course Hanalei, which is sort of an artsy sleepy town graced with timeless beauty, with population of 450. It's popular for its art galleries and famous beaches. Hanalei was also supposedly referenced in the song, Puff the Magic Dragon, despite no proven acknowledgement of this interpretation by the song writers. Although from the Hanalei Pier, we can imagine the exact scenery painted by the song, complete with the autumn mist that covered the mountains shaped like a dragon which lived by the sea.
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| View from Hanalei Pier on a rainy afternoon |
