Aloha from Hawaii - Part 2

The next adventure undertaken in Hawaii was Captain Andy's sailing adventure. Here Marguerite waits outside the shop before boarding the Catamaran.

The Catamaran was class, it was 60 ft in length and had loads of cool wee features such as this trampoline thingy here for laying on - nice.

'Eh....Marguerite do ya think I should stick on me cool Hawaii hat, wha?, asked Jude a few times as he ran the risk of getting fried good and proper out on the waves. 'No Jude, you look like a geek with thon silly hat on, you just don't suit hats Jude, you look stupid with a hat on, like a real weirdo', replied an empathetic Marguerite.

The staff on the boat were really good as they carted the soft drinks, fruit and ice cream out by the bucket load.

Jude did indeed stick the auld Hawaii hat on as the high sun threatened to cook him like a prawn. Here are Marguerite and Jude as the Catamaran heads up the beautiful Napali coast of Kauai.












Just to prove that Jude does look like a geek in his new Hawaii hat check out this pic, wha?

Even Popeye the sailer man was getting in on the game of making Jude look silly. 'Hey Marguerite do you think I should get one of those cool Hawaiian Shirts jobbies', asked Jude. 'Catch yerself on Jude, not only are they stupid looking but one would really be stupid looking on you', replied Marguerite.

This trip was not only sightseeing up the coast but also a snorkeling trip. The boat stopped for over an hour to allow everyone to swin with the fish. ere Marguerite gets geared up.

'I think we should both get a Hawaiian shirt Marguerite, look at the hack of us', mumbled Jude as they prepared to go snorkeling.

'What's that, wha, what do ya say?, asked Jude' 'You don't put the mask on until ya get into the water lad', shouted the Captain. 'Aye dead on sailor, I'm taking no chances', replied Jude as he walked around with his facemask on at least 5 minutes before he got into the water.

And just like a duck to water, in he jumped with his 'anti-sunburn' T-Shirt on. Sure he's a pro at this game, look at him, doesn't he just look like a pro?

You can clearly see the fish in this pic. The water was totally clear and full of the most wonderfull multi-coloured fish. Class!!!!!

Now it's the little mermaid's turn as Marguerite gets ready to dive in. Is that a shark in the background, is it a fish or is it a green monster?

No, it's Jude. Super brave Marguerite takes the plunge.

Aye you're lovely looking the pair of ya.

Some auld doll was charged with the task of taking a couple of pics of Jude and the little mermaid in the water. She did a good job.

Here is Jude with the Captain in the background.








And here he is as he larks about on the Catamaran.









The snorkeling was great and Jude was second last back onto the boat. His philosophy was, 'I'm staying out as long as there is one other punter in the water'. And so he did - for well over an hour. Back on the boat and the auld doll photographer took this nice pic.








After the snorkeling there was plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and to relax on the Catamaran and........










........to mess around and.......














.....to watch some more of the class scenery of the Napli Coast of Kauai. Loads of films were shot here (King Kong, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Blue Hawaii, among others) and it was easy to see why this location is regularly chosen for films.









Before long the crew were carting out the free cocktails and beer. This went on for the final two hours of the trip and needless to say Jude and Marguerite took full advantage of this little stroke of generosity, so much so they were talking like washing machines by the time the journey finished.

Dinner was also served. It was lovely sliced stake pieces, chicken, rice, salad, bread and some great Hawaiian Deserts. Yum!









A quick clean and a change for yer man.









Marguerite puts her feet up and soaks up the sun as it begins to set.











Now folk, Jude and Marguerite (like everyone else) have seen some spectacular things in their time but easily one of the best was the sunset witnessed in Kauai.

Being on, or near the Equator, provides for stunning fast sunsets which really fascinate mere ordinary folk like Jude and Marguerite. 'Just how does it happen to brilliantly?', was the question being asked.

And before you could sing, 'Don't let the sun go down on me', it was gone like it just rolled over the edge of a table. Pretty mad it was actually. Jude managed to capture the sunset on his video thingymabobber and give a running commentary into the bargain. Check it out at the bottom of the post.

The hotel was located right in front of the beach and a wee cracker it was too. It's no coincidence that Jude and Marguerite usually seem to stay in nice hotels, that's just down to Jude's research before they book anywhere. This place was more like a well spread out group of apartments with lots of privacy.

In Kauai, and Hawaii in general, it rains frequently, not like at home where it rains twice a week (for 3 days solid and then for 4 days solid). It rains here 2 or 3 times a day for about 5 minutes at a time. Usually it's refreshing and welcome but on the odd occasion folk could get stranded in the middle of nowhere with little cover when a shower struck, as was the case when Marguerite and Jude were caught as this monsoon struck and all there was to hide behind was one of thon trees. Take yer pick, any one you like, but the trees were so skinny ya had to move around depending on which way the wind blew.


After the rigors of the all day catamaran cruise and the previous kayaking/hiking/waterfall adventure, todays super cool activity was a good old fashioned bike ride up the Coconut Coast.

Marguerite's bike is a cool one I think you'll agree.






Jude jumped off his bike to take this pic of a scary monster he spotted along a coastal path......and he was shocked to also spot a black statue in the background too!!!!!!!










Further up the Coconut Coast and here's a lovely wee spot for a nice pic, wha?












Aye yer basket Jude!












Jude looks out over the rocks for..............eh....fish perhaps, who knows?













Marguerite loves wee spins on the bikes but she's also fond of a rest every 5 minutes.












Jude has managed to drag Marguerite back onto the bike and off they go again.











'The freewheelin Bob Dylan'........eh sorry..... I meant 'the freewheelin Jude Clarke'.













Today Jude had to let on to Marguerite she had only cycled a short distance (to keep her going ya see), but they had actually cycled about 8 miles, hehehehehe!










Later on the cycling trip and Marguerite and Jude came across this wee enclosed beach (enclosed by rocks all the way around). So another spot of snorkeling was in order as they hired a couple of sets of gear and dived in again.








The bikes were parked and the towel laid out as Marguerite heads out to the water.








'I can hardly walk Jude, I mean how far did we cycle today? 'I think I need to lay down for an hour', cried Marguerite as the bikes were returned.










Oh yeah, the Islander on the Beach, now that was a nice spot and it was a bit of a wrench to leave when the time came around. This was a great trip and one which may well be repeated before too long.








Another BBQ with beer to finish off the Hawaiian adventure.









In Kauai airport Jude and Marguerite were pleasantly surprised to see a collection of clocks on a wall, and stuck there in the middle (fourth from left in middle row) was Beal Feirste (with Belfast labelled below). Even though Hawaii is a 5 hour flight west of the west coast of mainland USA this picture reminded Jude and Marguerite that even in Hawaii 'yer never too far away from home'.