We are not in Kansas anymore! I have never seen anything like this place! We are on the island of Kauai, and it is actually where they did film Fantasy Island. Not to mention Jurassic Park, King Kong, Pirates of the Caribbean, Six Days and Seven Nights, and there are so many more. It's the most surreal looking place. I mean you are waiting for a dinosaur to come out at any moment! But that's just the beginning. This is "Island Mayberry". Can you imagine the fastest speed limit being 40 mph? There are tiny little villages everywhere. It's the coolest place ever, and we have had a blast! We have sailed right next to humpback whales (we even followed a mother and baby), we had spinner dolphins, bottle nose dolphins and sea turtles on that sail. The whales were jumping put of the water which is called breaching. It was an amazing sight! We have walked right up to a Monk Seal which is the rarest mammal on earth. We've snorkeled and seen the beautiful world that lives under the water, we snorkeled right beside sea turtles, and we took a surfing lesson (only one of us couldn't get the hang of it. I'll let you guess which one that was!). We celebrated Rainey's 11th birthday here, so we went on a helicopter ride that was absolutely amazing. I want you to think waterfalls, gorgeous canyons and beaches. The Na Pali coast should be seen by everyone. But it's not just the scenery here. It's the people and culture too! Everyone is friendly and easy going, and you definitely feel this spiritual sense as soon as you get here. It feels like another world. So much so that we had to keep reminding Peyton that this is America. Not only as a parent, but let's not lose sight of the fact that I am his teacher as well. He couldn't quite get it! Even the lady in the grocery store was having to tell him that this is America! But I see it, and I understand because this is another place and another time ! The children are in love with surfing! They surfed all day today, and Chancellor has an ugly war wound to prove it! The fin on his board cut him across his chest, and I mean cut him across his chest. It looks like a shark bite! He loves his Hawaiian tattoo! The first day we went snorkeling, we went to a beach called Tunnels Beach. It was absolutely beautiful and great snorkeling. Later that night, Todd and I found out that's the beach where Bethany Hamilton was when the shark attacked her (she's the soul surfer. she lives on this island). We decided not to tell the children, but somehow they found out. I wish you could have seen there faces when they heard that! It didn't stop them from getting back in! At this moment, we are trying to decide how to stay here forever. We've met 2 people that came for vacation and stayed forever. We've even thought about what our jobs could be. I could be a rooster eradicator. That is a real job here on this island! There are wild chickens everywhere! And, the roosters crow all day long, including bright and early in the morning! And, since no one wants to kill the roosters, they call the "rooster eradicator"! Doesn't that sound like the perfect job for me! There is a rooster crowing right outside my window right now! For the most part, Kauai does not have air conditioning (we haven't seen any), so the windows are open all the time. Perfect for rooster crowing! We are off to Oahu next, and I am so excited. I can't wait to see Pearl Harbor! Oahu is the surfing island, so the children are very excited! We thank God every day! We are busy doing school work, Todd working and loving the world God gave us. We do feel like Swiss Family Robinson right now. Every day is an adventure. We've explored the beaches, the food, and activities. Aloha and mahalo for checking in on us!
Callie and Todd
No comments:
Post a Comment