To Kauai

I finally went to Kaua'i!! Rahul and I had found the $18 airfare way too cheap to pass up, especially since neither of us had been to Kaua'i. I think this was a most excellent use of funds. He's an online poker player, who pulls in way more than I do (and it makes me feel like a sucker for working so hard), so he could take the days off. I'm still a lowly grad-student, and my boss is off in Switzerland. So I skipped too.... Besides, I'd just spent a long hard week in solitary confinement work-prison, I mean observing, so I felt justified. It's a beautiful place. Very green and open. Chill.

We took a morning flight over and the view of the Waianae was pretty nice.

We drove up north first, stopping at a lighthouse/bird-sanctuary.
We then hiked down a small trail to the "queens bath" - this little cut in the rocks that's a very well protected swimming hole. It was really cool. Great view. It's up in Princeville, which is aparently where a bunch of dot-com millionaires retired. Very posh looking "outpost" with just shops, a golf-course, and nice apartments/houses. Somewhat fake and manicured, but that's what rich people like right?
We finished the day up near the end of the road, at the start of the Kalalau trail. There's an awesome beach park right there. It was packed, and I definately felt like one of the tourist hoardes, but the view of the cliffs was sick, and the barrier reef protecting the beach made the swimming great.
We were staying at a hostel back down in Kapa'a. They had messed up the reservation and put us in a smaller room, not the one we paid for, so they gave it to us for free! So, for the day, that's $15 for half a flight, $10 for my share of the car, $9 for gas, and $15 for my half of the pizza that was lunch and dinner. Damn nice!! I don't think it will get much better than that without having your tax money fly me around to work somewhere.