Today ended up being a shopping day, but that’s not exactly what we originally expected. Last night we had two hard thunderstorms that dumped a lot of rain. So when we woke up this morning, that majestic mountain in front of us had 10 waterfalls visible from our condo. We hit the road around 8, with the goal of finding a way to get closer to the waterfalls. Instead, we founds taro fields, a hiking path through dense bamboo forest, and a beautiful old Japanese cemetary. We drove over to Hanalei Beach, walked the pier and watched a man give surfing lessons. The water, unlike yesterday was brown and murky from the rain.

We got a call from Carol and decided to meet everyone at the Hanalei local farmers market. Now this was fun. There were so many different things than we normally have. Carol bought dragon fruit, avocado and a lemon/lime fruit. We bought mangosteen, a bumpy lime and roselles – the seed bud that comes from a hibiscus and is used to create red zinger tea. Very cool. I enjoyed watching a woman whack open coconuts with a machete and people would drink the water and take the coconut home. We walked around and had fun shopping.

We stayed in Hanalei, and walked through the shops, ate lunch at the Kalypso and then went our separate ways. Mom and I drove to the Makai Golf Club and took a few pictures of the rainbow trees. We haven’t decided if we’re going to drive the Road to Hana in Maui, where there’s a famous Garden of Eden with the Rainbow trees. So this way we could at least see a few of the same trees. I made a reservation for a massage tomorrow and if the weathers good, a helicopter ride around the island on Tuesday, the same day George and Vic go golfing. I have the front seat, and so we’ll see if I scream the entire ride.

After most of us napped, we had cheese, crackers and wine before heading to a Mediterranean restaurant on the north shore. It was a windy night and because a front came through, a little cooler. For dinner we enjoyed a local fish, Hebi, which was similar to a swordfish and delicious. Tomorrow, many things are closed but we’ll find the secret beach.