Travel Diary: Kaua'i

This past weekend I took a day trip up to the beautiful coast of Maine to enjoy the early summer weather with my husband and my parents. As we crossed into Cape Neddick we stopped for a late lunch at a small restaurant that hugged the very edge of a salt water marsh. We perched ourselves on the roof deck and, as we sat under the sun and felt the cool, salty ocean breeze on our skin; my husband and I began to talk about our recent trip to Hawaii. That discussion lead to further conversation about all the places I'd love to visit. Places like Thailand, Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Italy. Places like Mexico, South Africa and New Zealand! My mother interrupted, as she typically does, and said "In your entire life, I have never heard you speak about anything as passionately as you do about travel. I think it might be the only thing you actually love". As I was brushing off the typical complimentary-insult I get from her, she began to tell a story about my childhood. According to her, when I was about seven years old my parents took me to the top of the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls. And, at the top, as we ate dinner in this great big revolving pod, I pushed my face against the glass and said "My gosh. Look how beautiful. I love to travel. I can't wait to see the world". 

Well, she may be right. Travelling is like a love story. And I do love a great love story. Our conversation made me recall one my my favorite quotes in a book. The book is Eat, Pray, Love and the author is, of course, Elizabeth Gilbert:

"Traveling is the great true love of my life... I am loyal and constant in my love of travel. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless newborn baby - I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine. Because it looks exactly like me."

To this very moment I identify so much with that passage and seven year old awe-struck Mimi spills out everywhere. That is how I felt in Kaua'i. That is how I felt as I held tightly to the catamaran railings as we bounced up and down in the small waves,  rounded the mountains and glimpsed the wild, rugged and beautiful Nepali coast for the very first time. It's in those moments where I feel truly at home. 

We spent seven blissfully adventurous days in Kaua'i and, if I had to recommend one thing to do while on the unspoiled island it would be a catamaran snorkeling tour up the Nepali coast with Captain Andy. More than 50% of the Island is inaccessible by car. And, aside from hiking the Nepali nature preserve (which I would recommend as well!!), the best way to see it is via boat. Just sit down, enjoy the view and be in the moment. There is nothing more magnificent than the earth and Kaua'i is certainly a place to revel in that magnificence. 

Here are some picture from our journey!