5 Things I Bet You Didn't Know About Kauai

Oh, you mean we're still not done talking about Hawaii?  No.  We're not.  Sorry I'm not sorry?  Kauai was surprising in several aspects.  You may or may not be surprised about these things, but I sure was:

1)  There are a freaking ton of chickens here.  It’s weird.  Where do they all come from?  Some say it’s because the 1992 hurricane wiped out a chicken farm – essentially setting a ton of chickens free.  Another theory involves the fact that the other islands have mongooses which keep the chicken population in check, but for some reason there are no mongooses on Kauai (sorry Rikki-Tikki-Tavi). 

It's also confusing to me why all the birds seem to be roosters.  Seriously, a very large proportion of the chickens seem to be male.  Unless my reasoning is wrong... HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?  

2)  It rains.  A LOT.  I knew it must rain I guess.  I mean, Kauai is “the garden isle” after all.  But I figured the summer would still be the dry season.  Nope.  It rained Every-Single-Day we were there.  Seriously.  Every day.  It was fine- it was sprinkle or POUR for 5 minutes and then the sun would come back out.  But it was definitely a constant.  

And somehow amongst all that rain and sunshine I never saw a single rainbow.  And I said this entire week until the. very. last. day!  And then there it was!

3)  It's MUDDY.  Oh wait, is this the same as #2?  Well it really is muddy.  Bring hiking boots if you have them.  If you don't, bring the shoes that have the most traction (which I definitely didn't).  Also, forget all those "cute" clothes - leave them at home.  Instead bring extra sports bras, tanks, shorts, and socks that can get muddy.  Because you're not getting more than one wear out of any of your clothes like you normally might. 

You know you've had a good time when your suitcase is a disgusting mess of sandy, dirty, muddy, and sweaty clothes, right?! 

My poor Brooks PureConnects.  Guess I'll have to get the PureFlows to make up for them.

4)  Kauai not only really IS the garden isle but it is also surprisingly mountainous.  Yes I knew it was called "the garden isle" but it really is SO green EVERYWHERE.  And SO mountainous EVERYWHERE.  Not just one mountain, but many!  

5) It's expensive!  Duh, right?  But did you think it might cost NINE DOLLARS for a gallon of milk???  I didn't think so. 

Were you surprised?  Probably not.  But I sure was.  And now I want to go back.  Like right now.