I got lei'd

That's an old joke but I couldn't resist. :)

It's been a long hot day, but I am in Kauai, where I'll spend the next seven days.

I'm not really superstitious but maybe it's a good omen that the flight number is 1111 and the gate number was 69.

The "1111" luck came into play when I was able to get a seat that would normally cost an additional $35-40, but when I changed my seats after checking in online, it showed as free, so I changed my seat assignment to an empty row. And no one sat in the other two seats. The three seats across the aisle were also empty until a couple claimed them after the plane door closed. I decided to check in my carry-on anyway because I've had problems with my surgery site each time I lifted anything heavy.

I think the couple sitting in the row in front of me took the "69" luck to heart, because they ate each other's face practically the entire flight. I figured they were honeymooners.

SuperShuttle picked me up close to 7am, although I was downstairs since 6:30am. I thought I could skip the first step of check-in because I already got my boarding pass in my phone. It turned out that i still had to go to the kiosks to get my luggage tag printed out before dropping off my bag in Step 2.

Lots of people but TSA PreCheck line went reasonably faster with no incident. (Unlike my experience at Phoenix, AZ last July.) The five-hour flight didn't feel long either. They had several movies in different channels in the personal screens,

It was supposed to be rainy in Kauai for most of the week (I checked the weather online), but it was gorgeous today with nice fluffy white clouds. A bit too hot for me though.



I also reserved an economy car, but when I arrived at the rental car lot, the assistant said, "Would you like an SUV? It's the same rate." Naturally, I said, "Sure!" A very lucky trip indeed! It works hard going uphill though, so it's just like a regular car. And I have to point my toes to reach the pedals. Short-people problems.

It was only 11:30am local time when I left the car lot (I think it's a 3-hour difference from California because of Daylight Savings Time) and check-in is allowed after 4pm. So I passed by Coconuts Fish Cafe (which was on the way) and had the recommended fish tacos (which they are supposed to be well-known for). The tacos looked small but were filling. There were two tacos, one in its own small plate. They were piled high with fish (I don't know exactly what kind of fish, but, based on its texture (a bit chewy), I'd guess it was catfish. Each taco was topped with a cabbage salad and then a tomato-based salsa and then little cubes of mango. It was good, but I think I should have gone with the poke bowl. Nice ambiance though. Surfers and big waves on the TVs with some mellow surfing music. And the wooden tables were shaped like surfboards, with the fins in one end. The side of a nearby building had a large mural of a breaching humpback whale.



The same shopping center had Safeway so I did a bit of shopping too. Mostly breakfast food.

The drive was really nice. Once in a while I could see the deep blue water with a narrow strip of green near the beach. And the white foam of the waves. A little more inland, I'm reminded of the Philippines. I had a flashback when I realized that the soil is red. When I was 14, we moved to Bataan to live with my dad who found work there, and it struck me how red the soil was. So the scenery was a mix of red soil, lush greenery, and blue sky. Bataan felt quieter though, but I wasn't driving then, so I didn't have to pay attention to the road. Kauai even smells like the Philippines. I thought of stopping to take pictures but decided to get going. I was already not awake enough for driving.

After checking in, I was sent to the concierge desk to pick up my parking permit. And I think it was a set-up. It's a timeshare company so they want to get people into their talks. But I'm already an owner and I don't even use all my points, so it's pretty moot for me, but they'll give me a $150 American Express and discounts for the local tours, so I'll go anyway.

"My" concierge Marina was very friendly and a joy to chat with. The first thing she did was give me a purple orchid lei. Real orchids! I mentioned that I made reservations for a boat tour and a luau for Wednesday only and none for the rest of the week. So she made several recommendations. It turned out that there's a part of the island that is not accessible by car. The area is called Na Pali. My choices were by boat or by helicopter. I like the water, so I think I'll go with the boat. So I'll go tomorrow to the presentation so I can get the discount because the tour is kinda expensive. But I'll still drive around the island as far as I can go and take pictures. She gave me a map highlighting interesting places to go to. And a calendar! I guess I won't get much done on my novel on this trip.

The one-bedroom unit is twice as big as my apartment. It has a patio but no view of the water. Nice big trees though. Three large fans but no air conditioning. Everything looks fairly new. Large screen TV. Free wifi.


Photos later. Having problems uploading them.