| Well Kauai was a lot more crowded than we ever expected. I'd always heard about how laid back it is. The traffic was like being Palo Alto around noon. Narrow streets, one ways and big, huge rich people SUVs. You know, the kind that come with TVs. These guys made it tough to traverse the narrow road(there is only 1 main road) which at times looks like it was developed for scooters rather than cars. All the one-lane roads and bridges are cool looking but people in a hurry don't understand the concept of yielding and driving in areas like the North Shore can be sketchy. The rich people who bought up all the gorgeous scenery are also pretty territorial. No Parking, No Trespassing, No Climbing, No Looking,etc. signs were everywhere on the North Shore. They string barbwire across trailheads and streams to prevent people from enjoying the sights. Basically you just stay in your car and look out the window in these areas. But traffic, buttheads, tourists and yuppies aside Kauai is still quite beautiful. The beaches didn't seem so great but the jungles, waterfalls, coasts and canyon were absolutely amazing. I did some crazy hikes and strained muscles I had forgotten about. A neat one(illegal, some schmuck actually owns the land) was a descent down a 187foot waterfall. Someone had knotted rope around a tree root and you just sorta slide down a muddy cliff into the deep dark jungle. You slip, hike, crawl over and cling to tree roots thicker than an elephant's leg. It was worth it though, the view from the pool was amazing and where else can you do such things? All in all, the views of Kauai cancel out the congestion and development(is it really necessary to have 6 Subways?). I bet the island was pretty laid back in the 70's when the hippies migrated over, hopefully Kauai will survive this tragic yuppie migration as well. |
