Visiting the Garden Isle: Day 5 Part 2 – Time to Luau!

Want to read more?  Past blog posts:  Day 1, Day 2, Part 1, Day 2 Part 2, Day 3 Part 1, Day 3 Part 2, Day 4, Day 5 Part 1

As mentioned in the previous blog post, for our final big activity of our trip to Kaua’i, we attended the Luau Kalamaku at the Kilohana Plantation, an old sugar plantation on the island.  While Chris has attended a luau in the past (when his high school water polo team played a tournament in Hawaii), in my one previous trip to the islands, it wasn’t something we could fit in financially.  This time, we wanted to make it a priority, and since the Kalamaku Luau ran on Tuesday nights, we figured it was a fitting closure to our time on Kaua’i. 

Since we picked the luau package that included a train ride around the plantation (because history.  Plus: trains!), we were due to check in right at 5pm.  Wanting to give ourselves extra time for unexpected traffic delays, we ended up there early, around 4:15; we also knew the Koloa Rum Company’s tasting room was at the plantation, and they held free tastings each half hour.  Sadly for us, the rum tastings for 4:30 were filled up, but the lady at the counter advised us that the luau had a lull in the action around 6:30; we signed up for that spot and left to see what other trouble we could find before our check in time started. 

The plantation’s old buildings are filled up with shops of all sorts, but they also house Gaylord’s, a lovely restaurant on the grounds.  I’d heard their happy hour was quite good, so we camped out on two barstools for a bit, enjoying the pleasant breezes and even more pleasant specials on mixed drinks and pupus.

Cheers!

Once our check in time rolled around, we joined the throngs of tourists taking pictures, getting lei’d (heh), and wandering around the marketplace, checking out the wares available for sale.

After a bit, the train was ready for boarding, so we headed that way, excited to see the plantation. 

Like, super duper excited.

Trains + feeding animals + several mai tais = this face

On the way out to the plantation, we passed the Roach Coach in our superb parking spot:

The train ride around the plantation was enjoyable and interesting; we saw all sorts of animals (yes, including chickens) and heard commentary on the native plants, including taro.

Taro fields

The plantation’s donkey

One of the highlights of the train ride was when we stopped and fed the feral pigs being raised on the plantation.  Apparently, several years earlier, a family of feral pigs got into the plantation and as opposed to trying to keep them out in the future, the plantation just decided to raise them.  The narrator told us that these are not the same pigs as we’d have later at the luau, but that may not have truly been the case.  Regardless, it was fun to feed them, along with the goats in their pen, and of course, the random assortment of chicken and roosters milling about.

What a pig!  (Sorry)

We happened to see Paul and Abigail again at this point, and after the train ride, it was back to the luau to see things starting to gear up. 

Dancers were heading in…

…the fish at the bar was in fine form…

…and the pig was being pulled from the pit.

As you might imagine,

the smell was outstanding.

Mental note not to stand like this in the future,

as I look pregnant.

At the previously appointed time of 6:30, we skipped out of the luau and headed back over to the Koloa Rum Company for our tasting.  All of the rums we tried were quite delicious, and while we didn’t buy a bottle there, they seem to sell the brand online and at local stores, and we’ll be happy to pick up a bottle the next time we need some.

Award winning, yo.

Next, it was back to the luau proper again, just in time to grab a plate of food before the lights went down and the action started.

Well, this action is always available.
Check out the kids in the background...

Noms!

After last call, the lights went down and the entertainment started.  Instead of having audience participation time (thank goodness), the luau entertainers danced and acted their way through the story of the first people who emigrated to the islands, and it was lovely to watch.  The costuming was great, the dancing was incredible, and the whole performance was the perfect length.

A few shots of the dancers at the luau

The evening ended shortly after the dancing concluded, and we headed back to the hotel to finish packing for our flight the next morning.  As we were parking in our hotel’s garage, however, I had to snap this shot, as it illustrated an amusing memory of our time on Kaua’i:

Just so we’re clear, those are three white Mustangs parked right next to each other, and we added our black one as the fourth in the line.  As we’d been tooling around the island over the past few days, it became increasingly obvious to us that the rental car of choice for tourists was the new Ford Mustang.  Whether hard top (like ours) or convertible, we saw them everywhere, in almost every color imaginable.  It was almost like driving a Mustang was a clear sign to locals that you were a tourist, you had no idea where you were going, and you should be avoided as much as possible.  To express the full extent of this, on our final full day on the island, we counted the Mustangs we saw as we drove around.  Although some of them may have been repeats, we tallied SIXTY-FOUR times we saw a brand new Mustang on the roads in one twelve-hour period.  That’s serious, folks.

Anywhoo, after finishing up our packing, it was off to bed as we had an early start the next morning.  In the next blog, we say a sad aloha to Kaua’i and head home.

Later!

Amy