I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin about half past dead…
This song recurs to me now and then when I’m on the road. In Puerto Jiminez on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, a kind of dusty border town, the song came to me. And here this morning in Kapaa, on the northern shore of Kauai, I’ve got only a half hour from the airport and I love the place. It’s got the big touristy hotels, but there’s a healthy local gringo culture here, haven’t been here long enough to suss out local Hawai’ian culture, been here less than 48 hours now, gotta check out of hotel soon, so will post some of yesterday’s discoveries before the maid kicks me out:
My Daewoo beater, duct-taped sunroof, $25/day (30 w.tax), perfect, not being the new Avis/Budget/Alamo brand new tourist rental.
Found a place to lay my head, got into ocean, perfect temp., not too cold/warm, oh my! 3 times in water yesterday, each time with fins, once with air mat, which I’m finding difficult to control, squirrelly; a little body surfing; the sand is rough and granular, fluffy, soft, nice to roll around when you come back in. Last night swam in rain. No one else at least here, doing anything like this. I’m like a starving man sitting down to a banquet, the Pacific so inviting and comfortable, unlike the 50 degree NorCal ocean.
Annie Caporufscio set up shop in this converted Ford airport shuttle van with her partner Jeremy Hartshorn; Annie had run the shop for 9 years in rented space, but got tired of the landlords rising the rent and “…didn’t want to be bullied in the lease.” Great barista crema, the muffins make a good breakfast. Local hangout, good vibes…
Kauai Beach House Hostel
$40 shared sleeping room, $80 for a solo room (of which there are 3). Looks doable to me, especially in the land of 2-$300 hotel rooms. On beach, clean, wi-fi, young travelers, kitchen, shared baths, cool place.
Shared room.
Paul Iwai’s Rooster Farm
How many roosters, I asked. 200?
More, Paul said. Are they beautiful! Had great visit with Paul, from a Japanese family, on family land, born here, I know chickens, and we talked shop. Oh my again! Look at these beauties; beautifully tended. You should hear the noise!
I asked Paul where I could buy a knife and he gave me two. We ate macadamia nuts from his trees, he gave me grapefruit, tangerines, I’m sending him 3 books. Kindred spirits abound here.
That’s part of what happened yesterday, gotta pack up and head north now.
What a pleasure to read about yours! Keep it coming, keep it coming….
Great pictures/stories/info.
Beautiful Roosters. Any idea why they have so many Roosters (selling feathers?)
I didn't want to say anything because the air mat seems so right, but I took mine out and squirrelly and frustrating was what I found. I would encourage you to rent a board so you can score some waves.
Not exactly free range roosters are they?
Why keep so many birds that you have to tie them up?
In Hawai`i roosters often = cockfights – however non-legal they may be.
to Anonymous…gosh, I was so taken with the bright colors/variety of feathers/roosters, it missed my notice they are tied up.
seems bizarre to me, to tie them up….and to have so many..
I hope Martin is not correct in alluding to the possibility of them being kept/used for cockfights…too sad.
These roosters appears to have had their combs and wattles removed: a process known as "dubbing". I cannot see whether their spurs have been cropped or sharpened. The reason that they are tethered and not allowed to run free-range is that they would kill each other if given the chance. They definitely appear to be gamecocks and not your nice little bantams. Whether they are actually used for illegal cockfighting, I cannot say.
this critter looks pretty amazing…so much so, one might think he is a regular visitor
http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/559257/Polar-Bear-in-Canada-tries-to-get-into-tourist-lodge