Head Tale

We’re a couple days into our trip and finally over our jet lag and the time change (four hours earlier than home) though Shea and I still find ourselves going to bed around 8pm (midnight at home) and getting up at 4am (8am at home) so far.  We’re on Kauai’s east side so that’s okay since we get to watch the sun rise every day (and we’d probably be up anyhow!)

Everything I read about Kauai said that if you do one thing, a helicopter trip, though expensive (~$200/person for an hour) is the way to go.  It’s a great way to see the majority of the island which is otherwise inaccessible and, if you do it early enough in your trip, a good way to help orientate yourself as well.

We went yesterday and it was definitely a great choice for my first time in a helicopter (I’m talking “Top Ten Experiences of My Life” good!)  The pilot was a local so in addition to pointing out the usual tourist factoids, he was able to speak about growing up on the island.  (A couple passenger questions – one about whether he got his flight training in the military and one about the movie stars who have mansions on the north shore, also hinted at some strongly held political opinions as well!)

When we asked how kids tended to do, the lady who checked us in said “To be honest, most kids are wide-eyed for the first few minutes then they tend to fall asleep. I’ve only know a few kids who stayed awake for the whole thing in the past few years.”  She was right about the first part – Pace had a giant smile for the first fifteen or twenty minutes but then was pretty bored after that.  But luckily he didn’t fall asleep – when we got back, she confided that the employees jokingly call the helicopter ride “The most expensive nap your kid will ever have” when parents bring their kids along! ;- )