That afternoon, we headed to Poipu, the most popular beach destination on Kauai. Poipu is just like I remember it from when my family and I stayed there in 1991. It feels like a different island from the north, as the sun in Poipu seems to shine in a much brighter way. It’s a lot more touristy than the north, but not in a bad way. It has everything: bodysurfing for the teens, a wading pool for the kids, and booze and sunshine for adults.
I went bodysurfing at Brennekes Beach…for about 10 minutes, until I caught a wave I wished I hadn’t. Basically, the wave rode me. I was thinking of coming in anyway, when Kelly flagged me out of the water. She had found some turtles feeding on the rocks right next to where I was bodysurfing. It was a religious experience for Kelly. She loves her some turtles, let me tell you.
That night we had dinner just outside Princeville at a nice open-air restaurant. After our drink but before dinner, Kelly started moving her upper torso back and forth, and her arms up and down while chanting “High-uh-ho-uh, high-uh-ho-uh.” It was immediately obvious (to me) that she was doing a rain dance, as Kelly loves the rain and we hadn’t seen any (at sea level) on our trip yet, which is unusual, especially for the north. As soon as she started chanting, it began to rain – I kid you not. Kelly helped alleviate my disbelief when she reminded me that she is, in fact, part Cherokee. We made it past sundown before falling asleep, but not by much.
