We had a lazy day. By we I mean Dan and I. Sandy and Alan were up and out early taking full advantage of the trip.

The rugged Napali (technically Na Pali) coastline stretches fifteen miles along the northwest coast of Kauai. Its cliffs rise as much as 4,000 feet above the water. Add sea caves, lush green valleys, and cascading waterfalls and we soon saw what the big deal is. It’s so remote that there are only three ways to see it: by boat, helicopter, or a grueling 22 mile hike.

Dan and I sussed out an ideal spot to view the coast and guarded it with our lives for 5.5 hours through lunch, potty breaks, drink runs, naps, and a number of rain showers. We spotted a few whales in the distance. Just their backs as they came out of the water. We were hoping for dramatics, but just got their backs. Around 3:30 fog set in and it poured rain causing us to give up the ghost. With little hope of it clearing we cleaned up for dinner and lo and behold the fog lifted and the rain stopped. The cushions in our hideaway were soaked through, so we joined the throngs at the rail to appreciate the view. It was beautiful even with the fog that persisted on the cliff tops, but we had a good idea that it would have been spectacular had we hit it on a sunny day.

Once we saw the beautiful, shrouded coastline we headed to dinner and the ship headed south toward Honolulu. All of us agreed that it has been a fun cruise and that we have had a good taste of Hawaii.

...Food …

More spam is consumed in Hawaii, per capita, than in any other state of the U.S.

Taro, a root vegetable, is a staple of the Hawaiian diet and grown on the islands.

Loco Moco anyone? Think white rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg, and brown gravy.  

Diced pork filling inside a steamed white bun = the ever popular Manapua (translation: delicious pork thing).