Good Morning Seattle, Aloha Hawaii

After a rather delayed six hour coach journey down from Vancouver, we arrived, a little exhausted, into Seattle. However, we were both very keen to watch England play New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup Semi Final and The Kangaroo & Kiwi bar nearby(unsuprisingly comprising mostly of All Blacks supporters) was thankfully showing it live – till 3amour time. As it turned out it was an epic game, well worth staying up for and we will definitely be cheering on England from Hawaii in the final next week!

This was my second time in Seattle, a city I remembered as one of my favourites from my last travelling trip, and it has certainly also lived up to that the second time around. It’s probably one of only a handful of cities I have ever been to which I could see myself living in- although nothing tops London life, don’t worry Mum! It is a beautifully laid out city, with amazing skyscrapers rising up in front of various bays of water and lots of open green space. It also has a vibrant energy to it, and benefits from a range of different international influences leading to some great restaurants from all over the world, alongside lots of independent coffee shops (along with the original Starbucks) and bars.

We had a great long weekend in Seattle taking in the sights of the city. On our first day we had a wander through the Fremont area, seeing the Fremont Troll statue under the bridge and going to the Gas Works Park, before enjoying the CSz comedy night next door to our Hostel. The next day we went shopping, on a mission to replace my dwindling supply of trousers… I have somehow managed to split holes in both the pairs of chinos I brought- both in the crotch area… Not quite sure how, but they were getting a little draughty! Wardrobe malfunction corrected, we headed through the colourful and lively Pike Place Market, eating some delicious fresh salmon for lunch. We then sauntered back along the side of the pretty Lake Union with sailing boats cruising along its shores and through the park, home.

On our final day, we booked onto a free walking tour of downtown Seattle, taking in a few of its major sights and giving us a flavour of Seattle’s history. We ended our time here going up the 605 ft Space Needle to catch the end of a lovely sunset with panoramic views over the city.

The next leg of our trip took us to the stunning, tropical Hawaiian island of Kauai, after a 6 hour flight across the Pacific Ocean from Seattle. You could immediately feel the moisture in the air as we stepped off the plane and o our first afternoon this turned into a pretty heavy rainstorm- something you have to get used to on this island (given it’s the wettest place in the USA), but this is also responsible for its amazing lush landscape.

The weather is very changeable, so despite this wet start, we woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and spent it lounging by the pool and taking a stroll on Kalapaki beach.

We have been staying in Lihue, but on Thursday, ventured up to the northern tip of the island to go on the incredible Kalalua Trail. This has to go down as our favourite hike of the whole trip! A stunning rainforest walk, it winds its way along the coast, and boasts breathtaking views out along the northern shore. We had lunch on the pretty Hanakapi ‘ ai Beach, before returning home via the Kilalauea lighthouse where we spotted the national bird of Hawaii – the Nene.

Our last few days in Hawaii were centred around Kapa’a on the eastern side of the island. We had a delicious Tuna Poke bowl and seared Mahi Mahi fish dinner at the Coconut Cafe, before going on to the Smith Family Garden Laua show. This was an impressive and diverse show with dancing and singing from Hawaii’s different cultural roots, including traditional routines from Hawaii itself, Polynesia, New Zealand and Japan. We did stay up to watch the Rugby Final, which was a bit of a disappointment, but hopefully it can bring on bigger things in South Africa.

On our final day we hiked the Sleeping Giant Trail in the centre of the island, which had some epic views at the top. In true Hawaiian style, what was a sunny, clear morning changed rapidly, and we were caught in a torrential rainstorm on the way down, though managed to get back unscathed (if not a bit muddy!) I have also had my first haircut of the trip, done by Zo, which if a little stressful, I think is a pretty decent effort.

We fly off to Japan tomorrow, a country which was top of both of our bucket lists when planning the trip. We are very excited to be there for the next month 🙂

Over and out

Chris