Not again ... in paradise

I knew something was wrong when the take off time had passed but the plane was still at the gate. When the pilot announced a passenger found a crack on one of the windows, I said to myself 'not again!'. Last year's fiasco with Hawaiian was what brought me here today to fly again to paradise. I dont much feel like spending another night in the dumpy Honolulu airport hotel, nor wasting a day waiting at the airport instead of spending it in the garden island. Luckily, after a 1.5 hour delay they decided it was safe enough for us to fly. With only 20 minutes to spare, I ran most of the way to catch the wikiwiki to the inter-island terminal to catch my flight to Kauai. Once arrived, my fear was confirmed. Our lugagge didnt make it. Then a red PT Cruiser pulled up and someone called 'Hippo'. My lugagge did arrive on the next flight and so everything was cool and welcome to paradise once more, finally Hippo's first visit to the island I've only been once before for half an hour.

Somehow I didnt get a feeling that this island was small. One thing for sure is that there's really no point of reference, just mountains everywhere and lots of green. The earth was specially rich here, very orange.

Uncle Chet and aunt Tish's house, resting on about 3000 sq ft in the Kiahuna golf course was a castle. Floor completely in Italian terracotta tiles, a lanai separates the 2 bedrooms giving each the privacy it deserves, full bath inside each. 48 inches flatscreen in the entertainment room, complete with a 24" iMac - free lightning speed internet! Now I have no excuse not to keep with my classes! The open floor kitchen and living area is what one would die for. I've never been in a house that has such a perfect layout for entertainment. The living area is huge with each side with a door that opens to the outside. The back side faces a green yard with just enough fruit and palm trees and a fish pound and it's completely open to the cool the house off. The kitchen has a breakfast nook that I just love to sit there and enjoy the outside green. It takes about half the width of the house, with a center island for cooking, full of every appliance that a kitchen needs. These people really know how to live in paradise! Paradise indeed!

B made us a smoothie of passion fruit, guava, lilikoi, and banana, and we had sushi and vietnamese noodles for dinner, while watching 'Keeping Mum (Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patrick Swayze and Maggie Smith - a British black comedy that was actually very good), the old British Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy series, and Penn and Teller's Circumcison theory. Hm ... I stick to my theory ... many more DVD's to come in the week ... Netflix just keep arriving!

In pitch dark (Felix was right!), we strolled in the neighboorhood, occasionally turning on our flashlights to avoid toads that leap and land on our pathway waiting to be squashed!

I was gonna start the Harry Potter audio series but it was way past midnight (past 3AM) and I was bone tired. I just crashed. Welcome to paradise Hippo! Once more!

 Hippo in uncle Chet and
 aunt Tish's house in Poipu