Week Two in Korea

Asia is really just something else. David assures me that I'm adjusting "surprisingly well" to Korea, but I'm just waiting for the real culture shock to hit me in a few weeks. For some strange reason, the thing that is hardest for me to comprehend about Asia is the homogeneous culture and genetics. It's not unusual for me to be in some crowded space (the subway, a street, the market) and be the only person without black hair and brown eyes and Asian features. On the one hand, I expected all the Koreans to look the same to me, and I'm surprised by how different and distinguishable everyone is, but on the other hand, there is no cultural diversity, no ethnic neighborhoods, no melting pot scenarios. The thing I love most about living outside of America is that you gain a greater appreciation for just how unique and special America truly is. There are so few countries that have the same kind of diversity that America embraces. And yes, sometimes I get annoyed by all the talk of ethnic pride and cultural diversity and minority rights (why can't we all just be Americans?) but to look around Korea and see how the culture, the traditions, and the people have changed so little over hundreds of years, makes me even more shocked that a country like America can exist and thrive. (Although, I am not quite happy about the current state of America but that's another topic for another day....)

Anyway, I hope to start blogging more in the future about all the crazy, strange, fascinating and absolutely bizarre things I encounter in Asia. In order to not make my head explode with all the different sights and sounds coming at me, I plan on picking one thing to focus my blog posts on, whether it be my favorite Korean foods, the toilets (believe me, I've got a post about toilets in the works), or Korean temples, landmarks, or museums. I also want to try to learn more about Korean culture and history and write about that here as well. Korea is often a forgotten country amid its more famous cousins, China and Japan, and I certainly knew very little about Korea before I moved here. In the meantime, here's a random smattering of my thoughts about Korea so far:

The Food: I've had some absolutely delicious Korean food (my favorite is bulgogi, a very thinly sliced marinated meat that is often cooked right at your table on charcoal grills), and then I've had some stuff that I couldn't even begin to describe. It's such a different type of cuisine and one that relies on flavors and components that I've never heard of or never really liked much to begin with. I'm a rather picky eater (and not a lover of seafood) but I'm trying to be open to possible to all types of Korean food. I'm trying to stray outside my comfort zone and try many different dishes (you never know what you may end up really liking) but I'm just glad that food here is relatively cheap....and that I access to the commissary so that I can still prepare all my favorite foods.

The Money: While on base, we still use American currency, but out on town, we use won. (Which also means that I have to have both forms of money on hand.) The hardest part about using any foreign currency is understanding the exchange rates but my math-muddled brain is too slow to figure it out quickly enough. The exchange rate around here is around 1250 won to $1. Which means, I go to the store and see a bottle of juice for 1,500 won and want to freak out just a little, only to remember that it's really only $1.25.

The People: I had heard many things about Koreans before arriving here. Many had told me that they were rude or unfriendly or hated the military. I'm sure I will run into those people. But so far, every Korean I have met has been extremely kind and friendly and they are even more welcoming when you attempt to speak Korean to them or want to learn about their culture.

My next biggest challenge is to find a job. I'm not sure if I should try to find something on base, or look for a job teaching English at a Korean school. Either way, job hunting is about as fun as getting a root canal.

안녕하세요!

So. I'm in Seoul right now. It's nice here, except it's very hot. Of course, I've only really seen the airport and the military base where we are currently staying while we get checked into the command, but I already love it here. I think it really helps that a year ago, when David and I sat down to discuss our future plans, we both felt that South Korea was where we needed to move to after Hawaii and we made all the necessary steps to make it a reality. What's even better is that we have both felt a confirmation of that feeling since arriving here. I'm just so happy to be here and everything has been moving along smoothly since we arrived. We've even found an apartment (off base, thank goodness) and it is absolutely beautiful and twice the size of our condo in Hawaii. Four bedrooms, two baths, giant built-in refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, quiet neighborhood and walking distance to 2 subway stops. Anyone want to come to South Korea? We've got plenty of room!

I've been thinking a lot about how life helps you prepare for life. I had a roommate in college who had lived in South Korea as a teenager and who was obsessed with the country. She talked incessantly of how much she had loved living here, she took Korean language classes at BYU, and ate everything with chopsticks. (Side note: there are no drawers in any of the kitchens here. No place for my silverware!) If I hadn't lived with Sara those many years ago, I would never have known anything about South Korea and I most certainly wouldn't have been predisposed to the idea of living in Seoul if she hadn't loved her time here. I would never in a million years have guessed that someday, I too, would live in South Korea. It's amazing how seemingly minor experiences or people come into you life and end up teaching you something that helps you out many years down the road. I know there's some reason why David and I are here right now and I'm looking forward to finding out why someday.

I'll post some pictures as soon as I get a chance. But first, I need to take some. Hopefully, we'll get out to see some of Seoul tonight.

What We've Been Up To....

Well, I'm still on the mainland but no longer in California. We flew out of LAX late on Sunday night and arrived in Atlanta, Georgia (David's hometown) Monday morning. But I'm getting ahead of myself now. First things first: California!

We had a bit of a family reunion in San Diego. All my siblings (minus the one who still lives there), flew in for the occasion, and my aunt and three cousins also drove down from Utah. For most of the week, David and I had just been laying around, enjoying our vacation. Or, at least, I was. David was trying to catch up on 3 weeks of homework. On Friday, we (minus David), went to the beach, which is always a fun experience when you've got little babies with you who love the water and sand.

Brigham dug a hole for Anna and James which was then filled with water from a wave. Anna had a very good time splashing around in her little pool.

She also could not get enough sand in her mouth. She'd take huge clumpfuls in his tiny fists and shove it into her mouth. Mmmmm, sand.

Have I mentioned that I love my niece Anna? She's the cutest most chubby, happy baby in the whole world.

She has the cutest face and chubby cheeks. And her hair is turning a pretty shade of red. Love!


Of course my newest little niece, Isabel, might just give her a run for her money. She's pretty darn cute too, but hasn't had enough time to build up those nice stores of fat that I like to see in babies. She is, after all, only 2 weeks old. But since the whole family was there on Sunday, my sister and her husband blessed baby Isabel in my parent's ward. It was great to be there. She slept through the whole thing but she looked so adorable in her (too big) blessing clothes.

Anyway, on Friday, we went to the beach, came home, got showered and cleaned and then the whole family went to the San Diego temple to do a session there. It was such a neat experience to be in the temple with most of my family. After that, we went to dinner at Fidel's, our family's favorite Mexican restaurant.

Saturday was our one year wedding anniversary! I can't believe David and I have been married for a whole year now. The time has really flown by, in the best way possible. As a treat to ourselves, we went to a day spa and got a couple's massage. It was absolutely splendid. I need to get massages on a more regular basis. I'm always way too tense. That afternoon, we took family photos at my parent's house (I'll post some of those pictures later, if I can find a good one) and this time, David got to be in all the photographs! Then we had a big barbeque in honor of our whole family being there and my dad's upcoming 60th birthday next month. Old man. It was a splendid day.


Meanwhile, Suyom spent most of her week, sitting on my mother's computer desk, watching all the birds who were flitting around the three birdhouses out there. Someday, she might catch a real bird. If we ever let her outside, that is. Or maybe we'll get her a pet.

Sunday, we blessed baby Isabel and then David and I re-packed everything and drove up to LAX to catch our 11pm flight to Atlanta. Worst flight ever. Suyom would not stop meowing, I was miserable because I had a sinus infection which, coupled with the pressure of the plane, was making my head feel like it was about to explode and I could not sleep. At all. We got into Atlanta at 6am on Monday morning and we promptly went to David's parent's house and slept. I was pretty miserable all Monday and most of Tuesday, but I am feeling much better. I swear, my body hates me right now. I even broke out in hives for the first time ever.....because of stress. My body is freaking out....I just can't wait to see what it'll do once we get to Korea.

I'll be back soon to document our week here in Atlanta. And then.....KOREA!

Holy crap. I'm moving to South Korea.

I <3 the Mainland

Well folks, it's official. We have finally made it to the other side. I am no longer stuck on a small tropical island! I'm currently freezing my butt off in California. Seriously, we've got lots of June gloom and I'm loving it because it is not Hawaii! I'm so glad to be back on the mainland.

I did fear for a little while that we might not make it off the island. Those last three days were some of the most hectic and stressful of my life. In fact, I can't talk about it yet. It's still all too fresh in my mind. Maybe in a month or so, I'll be able to chronicle the adventure of moving but suffice it to say, it was awful and we barely lived through it. But here we are, finally in California. In a little over 24 hours, David and I have eaten at In & Out (pure bliss), Chipotle (fantastic), done a session at the San Diego temple, and met my adorable new niece Isabel, all of 11 days old. She slept in my arms for over an hour and I think I have succeeded in convincing her that I am her favorite aunt. Lucky for me, my brother-in-law has no sisters.

The rest of my family arrives later this week for a bit of a family reunion and I cannot wait. It really does get quite lonesome when you live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And I'm starting to think it's going to be even more lonesome living in Seoul with 11 million other people. But I'll think about that next month.

Moving Day

Weeks ago, David and I scheduled the movers to come pick up our stuff on Friday, thinking that that would give us plenty of time to prepare. Ha! Thursday night, we were up until 3:30 a.m. trying to finish last minute cleaning, packing, and organizing in time for the movers' morning arrival. We didn't necessarily have to pack ourselves, but I had kept a lot of the original packaging for some of our more delicate items (Kitchenaid, plates, Foodsaver, Wii, etc) and wanted to pack them all myself to ensure that they were properly and carefully packed. We also had to clean and decide what would be packed and what would stay with us. We wanted to make things as easy as possible for the movers once they arrived in the morning.

We woke up at 7 a.m., hopped in the shower, and then proceeded to wash our bedding and towels and continue to get things ready and make final decisions about how much clothing to pack with us. The movers arrived a little after 8 a.m. and went to town wrapping and taping and boxing up all our belongings. It was overwhelming to watch our stuff being dismantled and packed away into 5,000 boxes. I tried to be watchful of the packers' techniques (especially of my books) and direct them as best I good to be gentle, but this soon proved to be impossible due to lack of sleep and multiple eyes to oversee everything. Eventually, I just decided to trust the packers and pray to God that my stuff would still arrive in one piece and I took a 30 minute nap on the floor of the spare bedroom, nestled between a pile of David's accounting books and two suitcases. David slept in the bedroom closet.

By the time I emerged from the spare bedroom around noon (where we were keeping all the items we did not want packed), the packers had basically finished packing up our bedroom, closets, bathroom, and front room, and were beginning to pack up the kitchen items and inventory all the boxes.

This was the scene as they packed up our beautiful dark cherry wood bookcases, filled with our linens. That big blob in the background is our loveseat.

And this is what our bedroom was reduced to. Those top two boxes in the tallest stack are David's collection of Legos. He was quite concerned over the safe packaging and transportation of his large collection. He even called our insurance company to double-check that they would be covered. They laughed at him. So did the packer who wrapped them up.

After inventorying all the boxes (another hour), the big moving truck arrived, and they began packing all our belongings into three big wooden crates. But first, they taped a bunch of boxes to our stairs to create a big slide. It was quite ingenious, actually, but it also meant that a lot of our stuff was simply being shoved out our front door and rolled down the chute. I mean, yeah, our stuff isn't that nice, but it's still OUR stuff. And I'd really, really like to see it all again sometime soon. Also, it's weird to know that everything we possess in the world can fit into three crates.

By 2 p.m., our front room was empty, sad, and forlorn. I don't like going out there. I can still see where the couches used to be. I miss having chairs to sit on.

And this, my friends, is everything we currently own in the whole world, exploded all around our spare bedroom. We borrowed an air mattress, blankets, and towels from a friend, which we've set up in our bedroom. We can check into a hotel tomorrow, but we haven't decided if we will because none of them will let us bring Suyom.

And speaking of Suyom, I think she hates us. Not only did the movers take away all her favorite toys and cat condo, but we also sedated her during the big move. I asked the vet if we could get tranquilizers for Suyom for our flight(s) to California, Altanta, and Korea and the vet said we'd have to test it out before she'd give us more, because some cats have bad reactions to sedatives. So we gave Suyom a quarter of a pill at 8:30. She calmed down a bit, but instead of knocking her out so that she simply slept through the morning (like I had expected), she wandered drunkenly around the spare room, meowing piteously and looking glassy eyed and stoned. Poor cat. It wore off after about 4 hours, but I don't know if I can do that to her again. I think she just might pop the air mattress during the night in retaliation.

Anyway, the packing portion of the big move has been completed. Now we just need to clean and paint our condo, sell our cars and get everything settled with the property managers. And I really really really hope that we'll get our plane tickets on Tuesday. Because if we don't, I might just have to have a mental breakdown. And that just won't be pretty. And David is already stressed enough because his computer's hard-drive just crashed and died and he has to completely re-do his accounting mid-term. But that's another sad story for another day.....

Oh please, let it be Friday soon.

Survival

Hi. I'm still alive. Just so you know. Just very busy with the big move and all. The movers come on Friday which means that I only have one day (ONE!) to finish organizing, packing, cleaning, etc. I knew it was coming on quickly, but I've been slightly distracted by other things this week:


1. I had a quick outpatient surgery on Saturday. Nothing major, nothing big. I'm fine and all and was up and moving around that night. My doctor gave me a prescription for percocet, but I haven't taken a single one. Actually, my tongue is taking the longest time to recover from the ordeal and not the actual bits that were sliced open. Apparently, the face mask they put in your mouth during general anesthesia to help you breathe often pinches the tongue and numbs it for several days. I'm slowly getting the feeling back, but if I stick the tip of my tongue into anything cold, like ice cream, I can't feel a thing. It's really annoying. I was pretty scared going into the surgery since any number of things can go wrong. Like I said, it wasn't anything life threatening or major (I don't mind going into more detail but a public place like this blog just isn't the place for this discussion....if you're curious, I can explain more), but I was still apprehensive about going under, the recovery process, and the fact that it was happening only 2 weeks before we were leaving the islands forever. But my doctor assured me it would be fine, it was a short procedure (less than 30 minutes), and that it was better to take preventive action now than to than wait until it worsened and I was was in a lot of pain. Which would not be fun since I'll be spending a lot of time on airplanes in the next month. Luckily, David was absolutely wonderful and supportive during the whole process and it even got him an extension on his mid-term for his accounting class.

2. I've taken a few sub jobs in the last few days since I figured it would be a good idea to earn a few more dollars before taking off and not having a paycheck for who knows how long. All I can say is that I am now 95% convinced that I will homeschool my own children. (David is 120% convinced.) Public school is, quite frankly, a big huge waste of time. (For the record, I want to homeschool while our children are elementary age and then put them in a traditional high school so they have the opportunity to get involved in other activities and take AP classes.) Anyway, subbing takes a lot out of me.


3. Parties and good-byes. Much more to come next week but it's so hard to say good-bye. Especially when you're not really gone yet.


4. Last day of work. Today was my last day at my part-time job. It was kinda sad, but I was done about 3 weeks ago, so I'm not going to miss it a whole lot. Actually, I'm quite relieved.


Right now, my biggest concerns are to finish packing, sell our cars (which is proving to be quite difficult), and to finally get our plane tickets. (The Navy is sure taking their sweet time with those. I'm a planner. How can I plan if I don't even know when we're leaving?) Hopefully I'll get a chance to update ya'll on our progress and adventures during the next month, but if you don't hear from me, you'll know why.

In just over a week, I'll be in San Diego with all my family and I get to meet my brand new niece Isabel. Yay!

Mission Glasses: Accomplished

Uh. So my last post was my 100th. Yay for me! 100 posts....that should be a milestone or something, like 100 episodes is always a big deal on TV. I don't know why. But they always make a big deal about it.

Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that MJ is the winner of the "What glasses should Liz buy?" sweepstakes. She was the only person who thought I should go with the #3 option and that's exactly the pair of glasses I purchased last night at Wal-Mart before David and I went to see Star Trek. (Awesome, by the way.)

Basically, it boiled down to this. (Since I know ya'll are so interested to hear why I picked the glasses I picked.): I decided #4 (the Umbro pair) were out of the running because they were the most expensive and the more I looked at the picture, the more I did not like their rounded edges. Plus, they looked weird. I also eliminated the pair from Costo (#1) because, while I did like their look, I ultimately decided that I did not want to live with random flowers all over my glasses for the next several years. They're cute for right now, but I knew I'd start to get sick of them after a year. So, that left me with pairs #2 (Levi Strauss) and #3 (No Boundaries). I tried both of them on and could not, for the life of me decide between the two. And then the optican or whatever said that he preferred the No Boundaries #3 because they had a noticeable break in the bridge, whereas the Levi Strauss pair were the same height all along the bridge line and made it look like I had a uni-brow.

And that's what ultimately sold me on the No Boundaries pair. Plus, they were cheaper. That might have had quite a bit to do with it. And, they felt more comfortable on than the Levi Strauss pair, which felt a little tight right above my ears. So thanks for all your help! I couldn't have decided without others' opinions. And thanks, MJ, for giving me encouragment to like the third pair since no one else even mentioned them. :-)

Up next for this week, a trip to the vet so Suyom can get a rabies shot, more visits to the doctor for me, and the never-ending project that is packing and organizing for the big move. Oh, and tomorrow, I have to give a talk in church and then teach Sunday School. Perhaps I should go get started on that......

HELP! I need somebody!

If I survive the month of May, I shall be very happy. I cannot even begin to list the insanity that is this month....and it just keeps getting better! [/sacrastic tone] Anyway, I need to buy a new pair of glasses and quick, so I need your help chosing my frames. I decided to go for black frames this time since my current pair are brown and I'm looking for something in the $50-100 price range, so I stopped by Wal-Mart and Costco this week. So here are the final choices:

Freelance frames from Costco, $49.99. The price is the best and I like the shape of the frames, though I question if they are too long for my face. Also, there are random flowers on the sides.

Levi Strauss from Wal-Mart, $84. Not bad, though maybe too wide?

No Boundaries from Wal-Mart, $52. Again, a cost-effective choice but I'm still not sold.

Umbro from Wal-Mart, $98. Please excuse the face. I was rather cranky yesterday. At first, these were my favorites and of course, they were the most expensive. Although, now that I look at the picture, perhaps they are too round and squishy for my face.

As you can tell, I desperately need your help, as I am completely undecisive and incapable of objective reasoning. And I need to order them ASAP so I can have them before we leave Hawaii in 22 daaaaaaaaaaaaaaays! I'm just going to pretend that I don't have 5 million things to do before May 29th.

But seriously. HELP ME!

Kaua'i, Days Two and Three

One of the things you learn quickly about Kaua'i is that it is infested with feral chickens. And being springtime, there were lots of mother hens with their little chicks wandering behind them. The chickens have no natural predators on the island (for some reason there are no mongoose on Kaua'i which have kept the chicken populations on the other islands under control). But I liked roosters the most, who have beautiful colored feathers and like to crow at all hours of the day.

Why is that that male birds are always so much more beautiful than the females? This rooster was the only one who didn't run away when I tried to get a close-up.

It was fun to see chickens where ever we went. But it's still weird to see chickens sun-bathing out on the beach.

Well, on Day 2, David and I rented a kayak in order to kayak down Wailua River. Kaua'i is the only Hawaiian island with a substantial river that runs through the island.

We kayaked for a few miles down the river, and then parked our kayaks at a little island.

And we crossed to the other side and hiked a mile to a gorgeous waterfall, Secret Falls.

It was absolutely breathtaking. And there was a little pool in which to swim.

David swam in it, hence why he's all wet, but I didn't. That water was cold.

But here I am. After we hiked back to our kayaks and kayaked back to the landing dock (our arms and shoulders were quite sore by the end), we ate at Bubba's Burger, which have absolutely delicious hamburgers and then drove to a few other waterfalls in the area.

Like this one. I believe this is the waterfall that used to be featured on Fantasy Island.

On our third and last day, we woke up early and drove to a secluded beach to go snorkeling. David isn't much of a snorkeler and I tend to freeze up from time to time under water too, so we didn't spend a long time there. Besides, there wasn't much to see either. The reef was pretty sparse and I only saw a few fish, sea slugs and a starfish or two.

After snorkeling, we went back to the hotel to clean up and check out and then headed into Lihue to visit Kilohana, a former sugar plantation which has now been converted into a restaurant and shops.


The house was built during the Great Depression and is a beautiful building.

They even have an old horse-drawn buggy outside. The restaurant, Gaylord's, named after the plantation owner, is outside on the back deck. We ate a delicious lunch there.

Here's the main sitting room of the house. It was very gorgeous and David especially liked the ceilings and wood panelings. If I were rich, I'd probably spend all my money on a beautiful home full of antique items and custom-built furniture. I'm a sucker for a beautiful home. Which is why I had to stop subscribing to Architectural Digest because it gave me unrealistic expectations. And made me salivate with jealousy.

After our dinner at Gaylord's, we drove to the western side of Kaua'i and drove up Waimea Canyon, Hawaii's Grand Canyon. I was only two when my family went to the Grand Canyon, so I really can't say how they compare, but it was very pretty, with lots of striking colors and cliffs. Unfortunately, it was also rather cloudy, so we didn't get to see much.

And when we got to the very top of the mountain, we had gotten above the clouds, so we could see even less. But it was gloriously clear and sunny at the top.

As we came down the 20-mile drive, we stopped at a few outlooks on the way to see if we could capture more of the canyon. Luckily, some of the clouds had moved away and a nice woman took this picture of us. David and I have so few pictures of us together because we always go places alone and then it's up to the kindness of strangers to snap photos for us and let's face it, they don't always do the best job. Also, it's not the most flattering photo. Goodness, I need to lose some weight.

After driving all around the island, David and I were quite sick of being in the car. So we drove back to Lihue, ate dinner and then returned our car and went to the tiny airport to wait for our 20 minute flight back to Oahu. Kaua'i was wonderful, but it was nice to get back home. At least, our home for the next 25 days. But at least now I can check off a few items off my to-do list.

Kaua'i, Days 0.5 and 1

David and I spent 3.5 glorious days on Kaua'i this week. And I went almost 4 whole days without checking my email or going online at all. It must be a new record for me. Of course, as soon as we walked through our front door on Thursday night, the first thing David and I did was say hello to our poor Suyom (who was quite lonely in our absence) and then turn on both our computers. We're addicts, we are.

I try to explain to people that the palm-tree waving tropical paradises they associate with Hawaii exist on the neighbor islands (Maui, Kauai, the Big Island, Molokai) but not on Oahu. Oahu is not a tropical paradise. So it was a pleasant break to escape from our island and visit Kauai. Of course, after three days of one-lane roads, no easy conveniences, and sparse civilization, I was ready to leave the beauty of Kauai. Because while I can get a little island fever on Oahu, it's nothing compared to the tiny emptiness of Kauai.

Day 0.5

We flew into Lihue, the biggest town in Kaua'i (big being a relative term), Monday evening. We got our rental car, checked into our cheap hotel, and grabbed some dinner. I may have watched a little TV in my excitement. (I haven't had real TV or cable in over 3 years now so watching TV on a real TV and not my computer is exciting for me now.)

This was our view of Kaua'i as we flew into Lihue right at sunset.

Day 1

The next morning, we woke up relatively early and set out for the Kalalau Trail, a strenuous 11-mile hike along the Na Pali coast, which is comprised of sheer cliffs. It took us about an hour to drive from our hotel in Kapa'a on the eastern side of the island to Ke'e Beach, which is literally the end of the road on Kaua'i's North Shore. The cliffs prevent a road from being constructed all the way around the island. It was a beautiful drive, but there's not a whole lot our there.

At the start of the trailhead. David and I decided that we'd hike the first two miles, which takes you to a small enclosed beach and that we'd consider hiking another 2 miles to a waterfall.

Here we are halfway up the trail, with the beautiful, though hazy, Na Pali coastline in the background. The trail was quite slippery and muddy, but the view was spectacular.

Like this. I wish we could have gotten closer to the coast, but the only way to really see it is by helicopter or boat and we didn't want to pay for that.


We finally reached the beach and David was excited to find raining rocks to stand under. We ate our lunch and decided to head back rather than trek on the next 2 miles. The trail was rather slippery and our feet were already hurting. Plus, I discovered that my trusty hiking boots, which I've had since I was 14 or so, were separating between the sole and the shoe and were no longer very reliable. So sad. I guess this means I need to get new hiking boots, although I'm not sure how much I'll actually use them in Korea.

After hiking the two miles back to our car, David and I set out to visit the other sights along the North Shore. We stopped at this "wet" cave.

And also this "dry" cave. David likes caves. Truth be told, they kind of freak me out a little. But I've done some caving in my past so I guess I'm not totally paralyzed by the thought of being inside a tiny hole in a huge mountain. I guess.

We stopped in Hanalei, where this beautiful green shingled church stands. I love anything with gabled roofs and stain-glass.

And it was beautiful stained glass. The colors of Kaua'i, which is lush and green and aqua blue.

We passed by this beautiful valley where several movies have been shot. Kaua'i has been the location for a lot of movies and there are all sorts of movie tours you can take, but we didn't do that. This valley has many taro farms. Taro itself isn't so bad but poi is absolutely disgusting.

Next, we drove out to the Kilauea Wildlife Preserve with it's old-fashioned lighthouse. Why are lighthouses so cool? I haven't figured it out yet, but I love lighthouses. We didn't want to pay to go into the preserve since they were about to close. So we headed home to rest and relax and recover from our busy day of hiking and sight-seeing.

Later that night, as David and I were sitting on our bed, watching a little TV, David glanced over and saw what he thought was a gigantic spider. But on second glance, we discovered that a crab had somehow wandered into our room.

So we caught the little sucker (crabs can sure move fast) and David took him back out to the beach and set him free.

We also tried this bizarre fruit called a mangosteen which we picked up at a fruit stand along our drive. It, despite it's name, has no resemblance to a mango.

It actually tastes like a combination of kiwi and lychee. It was, however, quite tasty.

Well, that's it for now. I've got to get ready to see Wolverine. Up next, days two and three of our trip.

Expect chickens. Lots of chickens.