North coast day....

Day 10 – Feb 6

Sunday morning and all is well with the world. It appeared that the skies were socked in and the day would offer some rain. Since it was Super-bowl Sunday there was anticipation in the air and the bar was set up early. After some breakfast we decided to take a drive to the North and east side of the island. We drove all the way to the end of the road at the North end and took a walk on the beach and rocks listening to the pounding surf. It was overcast with light rain form time to time. The surf was very cool as it pounded away on the shore showing its bright luminescent colour as it broke into a ferocious curl. On the way back we watched some surfers catch some of those huge (18 ft) waves and riding the power to its limit. We then stopped at Bubba Burgers to sample the best burgers in all of Hawaii. The little village of Hanalei was bustling as the sounds of Superbowl flowed out of every establishment. Each of the small bars and restaurants were full to capacity. We ordered our burgers and waited inside watching the game as did the others who were waiting their opportunity to tastes the best burgers. They did not disappoint any of us and the trick here is to take as they serve them as they do a great job.

Our next stop was at a roadside craft stop in Kapa’a where we checked out some local wares. We did not buy anything but we had some fun chatting up the locals. Next we went to our stand-by Coconut Mall where we have always been treated to a number of local offerings in a mall environment. It was shocking to note that truly one half of the stores were empty. The retailers were definitely struggling and some had gone away for good. There is a distinct lack of tourists on the islands these days with the exception of the travelling Canadians. Many of the vendors commented on the numbers of Canadians and lack of either U.S citizens or foreign travellers. The impact of our economy is felt by all.

We then returned to the resort to watch the final 10 minutes of the game. We found Duck and Karin safely tucked in their corner of the crowded bar. The results were a happy thing to most of the assembled audience. We stayed for a while but retreated to Poipu for dinner at Josselin’s for a Tapas dinner. The food was delightful and very creative in its construction and presentation. We enjoyed some scallop pillows, beef buns, a beef short rib, chicken teriyaki and some veggies with salad. They had a tray of Sangria that we tasted and decided to try it out. That too was delicious. All in all a very tasty dinner with a new look to food preparation as all the food was prepared in an open kitchen environment. Mmmm good!

I was tired on the drive back but it was a good day all around even if there were blasts of rain throughout the day.