Vacations MAX Blog

Top Secret Entry……

Lihue, Hawaii, Jun 30, 2005

Now it was parent’s day for Kim and I!  We had consulted “The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook” (which proved a wonderfully comprehensive companion) to select a day of kayaking and hiking up the Wailua River.  I had contacted a kayak outfitter on Monday to reserve a couple kayaks and we had fun picking these up — the proprietors originally hailed from Corpus Christi so we chatted about the homeland for a bit before securing the kayaks to the top of our rental car.

The outfitter was only a mile north of a launch (with free parking) and in no time we were out on the river.  The scenery was delicious as we navigated two miles upstream…but I can’t find those pictures at the moment so please check back later on.  At this point we disembarked to make the mile hike back to “Secret Falls”, touted as a scenic waterfalls.  I don’t think it was quite a mile, the trail pretty much following a creek — a bit muddy, but very easy trekking.

We encountered a handful of folks going the opposite direction and soon reached an uprise where we could hear the falls.  We scaled the hill with bated breath and were greeted…by about sixty people scattered around the base of the falls!  The falls were gorgeous, but certainly not ‘Secret’, lol.  Wasn’t the romantic picnic lunch we expected, but we still enjoyed our meal and followed with a dip in the basin at the foot of the falls.  Both of us heeded the warning to not get directly underneath the falls — you could see where a lot of rocks/boulders had plummeted at one time or another — but there were a lot of folks living on the edge and getting directly doused.

After savoring the beautiful spot a little longer, we hiked back to our kayaks and continued upstream perhaps another half mile before it became too shallow.  A leisurely rebound brought us back to the launch in no time (downstream on the return) and we loaded our craft back atop the car and returned them at the kayak shop.  A recommended idyll for a day on Kauai!

Actually, the venture took surprisingly little time so we drove back to Poipu and picked up the rest of the gang (they had been enjoying Brennecke’s Beach all day…another recommended spot if you have youngsters).  We navigated to Spouting Horn, a blowhole that was nearby.  It wasn’t awesome, but still enjoyable and we got to see several rainbows.  One of the splendors of Hawaii is how many rainbows you get to witness during your visit, reinforcing the natural beauty.

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Hong Kong

World, Oct 31, 2009

On to Hong Kong…..After the rough and tumble of Southeast Asia for 4 weeks, Hong Kong’s cleanliness and organization were a major contrast. This city is unbelievable – About 7 million people in 1,000 Sq Km (400 Sq miles) and the place is spotless, the trains run like clockwork, excellent roads etc and of course the many skyscrapers which create the world famous skyline which we’ve all seen at some point. A week earlier in Hanoi, I met John McCarthy from Killorglin and as luck would have it, he is currently working / living in Hong Kong. I met up with him and a crew visiting him from Killorglin – It was the night before halloween and Lan Kwai Fong (Main bar area in Hong Kong) was jammed with a brilliant atmosphere. In true Irish style we went to an Irish Pub – drinks were consumed, accordions were played and songs were sung into the early hours of the morning…..

I did the usual tourist trips – Up the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak for a look out over the city. Also went across to Kowloon for the night view of Hong Kong island. Also went to the “light show” whereby the lights on the main buildings (miles apart) all flash in sequence and in time to music played on the other side of Victoria Harbor.

After a few days in Hong Kong it was onto Mainland China for 3 Weeks…..

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Hanoi / Halong Bay

Halong Bay, Vietnam, Oct 26, 2009

Next stop on the trip – Hanoi. Less developed than Ho Chi Minh in Southern Vietnam, this place certainly has its own character. I thought traffic in Bangkok, Siem Reap, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh were bad……in Hanoi you just have to laugh! There is simply no room for the volume of traffic in the narrow streets. Motorbikes are parked in the walking areas so pedestrians have to join the traffic and walk on the road! I met up with some people on the first night and we went to a floating disco on the Red River until early morning…A good night was had by all and most of the following day was spent recovering. Next day we headed north to Halong Bay which we’ve all seen in photographs at some point or other. It certainly is worth a visit – hundreds of limestone Karsts emerging from the sea making the whole place very scenic. We spent 2 days on the Bay and stayed overnight on a small private island owned by the tour company. Food was plentiful and absolutely excellent. Activities including Kayaking and of course in for a swim before we sat down to eat (again!). Met tons of people from all parts of the world – up early then for the long drive back to Hanoi airport to catch a flight to Hong Kong. Overall, I would highly recommend Vietnam for a visit – I spent about 10 days there which wasn’t nearly enough.

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