If waterfalls are your thing, you would have a great time in Hawaii! In Kailua itself, we saw a couple of them – Opaekaa and the more popular Wailua falls, both easily accessible (just off the road with no hiking required).
Opaekaa being close to our hotel, we first went to see it in the morning. You just have to turn up Kuamoo Road (580) from highway 56, and the falls are a few steps from the parking lot (on the right-hand side).
If you go across the road, you are treated to the majestic views of the Wailua River Valley. We saw a few people Kayaking out there.
You wouldn’t need more than 15 minutes to cover these falls from the parking area. So, we headed to the more popular Wailua Falls (double-tiered falls), which were about 20-minute drive from this location. Just head north from Lihue on Highway 56 and take a left on Maalo Road in Hanamaulu. The falls are at the dead-end.
I especially loved the mist created off of the falls. We’ve had times when the mist hit us in the face at a couple of places on our earlier trips – and the feeling was just enthralling.
If you are running short of time, try to cover the Wailua Falls at least…they are one of the best attractions in Kauai.
The beach is made up of golden sand and is a hot-spot for snorkelling, swimming, and surfing. If you have enough time, you should picnic there. We could see some people arriving during Sunset. Even so, it felt so relaxing out there with hardly any crowd.
The second day I and Saru had plenty of time to enjoy walking and playing in the water. At one time, I even spotted a seal…it actually made its way onto the sand and was greeted by a lot of kids. It spent some time there before venturing back into the water with a few turns on its back. 
If you are looking to stay in Kauai and do not mind staying a bit away from the airport, the resorts around this beach would make for a great choice!
Our check-in was smooth and we were given a room not far from the beach (in the opposite building to the reception). They have a valet parking facility right outside their reception area; they also bring over the car in a matter of minutes in the morning. The room, I must say, was one of the best we have stayed in so far – quite vibrant with shades of green, white, and others hues that go on beach towels. They also had a couple of chairs outside in a small balcony.
I went to their beach each of the 3 nights and mornings we were there. It felt as if nothing else in the world should matter – I just wanted to stay there forever!
Every morning is different, and there isn’t a better way than to experience it at a beach. Being their private beach, there was not much crowd either – the evenings can be noisy though, as the club might have some event going on.
If I were to rate the hotel, I would go with 4.5 stars. If you look over the Internet, they average 4.2 from thousands of ratings.
The lookout gives a glimpse into the heart of the Kalalau Valley. The valley and the coast as such served as the backdrop of numerous films, including the Jurassic Park. You can even get to the beach and into the valley by following an 11-mile grueling trail (mind you, it is not for everybody).
Some people could even see whales from the lookout – the width of the valley at the lookout is at its maximum at two miles. Looking at the whole setting, one can easily make out why it is one of the greatest sights in all of Hawaii!
We had a boat tour reserved for the coast the very next day, so just being able to see what we could look forward to created so much excitement in us.
As we were about the reach Waimea Canyon, an hour away from the airport, I could see the landscapes that resembled the famous Grand Canyon. I thought this was actually a part of that, maybe just separated by miles. I started stopping our car quite often, wondering if this was what the canon was all about.
The road was zig-zag with sharp turns and a steep slope at times – exactly what I love on long drives! There was hardly any traffic after we had taken an exit for the canyon off the main road (around half-way through). No wonder, people don’t even know about this place!
There were many clouds in the view when we reached there, but cleared up while we spent about an hour just at this stop. The crowd must not have been more than 20 folks at any time we were there, and one onlooker pointed at a wild sheep deep down in the canyon. We saw that breed quite close later on during our Hawaii trip.
Our main attraction (that Kauai is famous for) was NaPali Coast, and its Pu’u O Kila lookout was just about 5 miles from the Waimea lookout. So, we were actually covering one main attraction and having a glimpse of an even major one on that day. But that day was primarily for Waimea, so we took our time and saw Waimea from every possible stop that we could make in that 5-mile stretch also.
The other airline we took once (from third to the fourth island) was Mokulele. While they don’t serve anything, they run Piston planes, which was so exciting to be on. The co-pilot himself greeted us. Moreover, I was sitting right besides the pilot/co-pilot…with just a small wooden partition between us. See for yourself…
We even got to see the entire Diamond Head rim (remember my post on it?) as our aircraft passed over Honolulu. You can’t even imagine how amazing the Hawaiian landscapes look from above.
There are too many breathtaking pictures to put up all here, so I normally post them on my Instagram account over the course of time.
We’ve been to countless beaches across countries and seeing Hanauma Bay from above didn’t really excite us that much to spend on the entry fees for it (read notes), so we just loitered around and gave it a miss. I made sure to capture it from the top, though.
Notes:
The center of attraction is the Royal Hawaiian Center, a 310,000 square feet shopping area, making it one of the largest shopping malls in entire Hawaii. One can go crazy buying luxury items there and still not get tired of it.
Not to forget, there is a long stretch of the famous beach you can head to. It is just so amazing the sit by the ocean, or walk on the beach itself. We saw kids dabbling in the water even late in the night. There are a few artworks to enjoy too if you are fond of them.
We decided to give the beach a visit when we had some time left in the day. I spent a long time walking across it in the night as well (and will cover separately, for its beauty was just unparalleled then). What gives this 2-mile-long beach high rating is that its white sand and calm turquoise blue ocean water is fringed by towering high-rises and boutique resorts. You name a luxury brand, and it would be there! No wonder, the area was a playground for the Hawaiian royalty in the 1800s.
My only regret is that the day we visited the beach was pretty dull, so the pictures can’t do justice to the stunning beauty of the area. You never know when it would rain in Hawaii!
Parking is definitely an issue there. But if you are staying in one of the numerous hotels/resorts around, you can just walk over. I chose to go further up the Kalakaua Avenue and park in the large parking area just opposite Starbucks. The benefit was that is it free and the beach is also pretty close, but the most happening area is about a kilometer away.
This was the location that caught our fancy, and we visited it thrice over the 3 days we spent on the trip. There were long batches of tulips of almost every color and variety.
The tulips were marked with their names, some were fancy too – like The Princess. The kids and adults alike were having the time of their lives. We were no different!
There was information too on the history of the festival and how Britain still contributes every year with a generous gift of Tulips.
The park is right alongside the Rideau Canal (202 kilometers long), another major attraction there. We started heading further up in the park with just a road separating us and the canal. There were people jogging and running by the canal, and we spotted kayakers too the next day.
Our presumption was we would see hordes of tulips as far as we could see them, but that was not the case here. There were tulips, but only at certain places in patches. Anyway, the walk was quite a good one to keep was occupied. In fact, there was spring beauty all around, which just made our day!
We had paid for the parking for only an hour, as there have been instances in the past when we paid for more than an hour just to come back within the hour. So, in about 40 minutes, we started walking back after seeing a bunch of other-colored tulips.
The market area is quite a good one to spend some time socializing. If you have to admire the canal or kayak through it, there is a much better place, one that also had the kind of display of tulips we were expecting to see. I will cover that in a dedicated post.
But the thrill of all you’ve gone through reaches another high once you reach the summit. You are looking at the entire rim of a volcanic crater (of extinct volcano Diamond Head)…actually, you are standing on it!
Depending on which way you look, the summit provides you with majestic views. The city of Honolulu looks quite a spectacle. If you look closely, you can see a section of the world-famous Waikiki beach.
It was so amazing being out there that I couldn’t control myself from taking a selfie 🙂
The views looking from the other sides were no less. I especially loved this one…
Looking at the Pacific ocean was mesmerizing in its own right. A bonus was this Diamond Head Lighthouse built in 1899 (not open to the public). It spreads light nearly 18 miles out into the ocean and its Fresnel lens burns at 60,000 candlepower.
I would rate it as one of the best attractions in entire Hawaii, one you should not miss if you are in Oahu. No wonder, I was not intent on leaving it even after spending more than a couple of hours up there!
I suggest reading my earlier post first as I had given a lot of details there comparing it to its upper counterpart.
If you love photography, these slot canyons will be a delight to capture at every step of the way. Many people go for dedicated photography tours, as those will give you inputs on prominent locations/settings.
Just imagine that all these views were created off of volcanic eruptions over millions of years. Even today, the Big Island (the one we covered last) is still adding more space to it because of active volcanic eruptions.
The land all through Hawaii is also amazingly fertile – the famous plantations of Coconuts, Pineapples, Lychee, Bananas, and many others are a testimony to that. We loved having smoothies, shave ice, and fresh juices almost every day!
I am a fan of stopping every few minutes, and I have never regretted spending time at the places I’ve admired. Why else would one take a road trip otherwise?
The last one is my favorite, and it was not even an attraction we were chasing – we were on an afternoon drive further up along the highway from Sandy Beach park we covered the very first morning in Hawaii.
My two cents based on my experiences – don’t just go to famous places. You would be amazed to explore the beauty at offbeat sites. Most of my fabulous clicks are from places you would’ve never heard of, and they are not even mentioned anywhere on the Internet.
The water temperatures there are normally between 24-26 degree Celsius, perfect for any time of the year. What especially makes the beach popular among photographers is the two islands in the background, called Na Mokulua or “mokes.”
The only issue there is the parking, as there is limited public parking space. If you are headed there on a weekend, be ready to wait for the parking slot (the violation is strictly enforced). Since we went there on a weekday, we were lucky to spend a relaxing couple of hours.
The grounds are (properly landscaped) lush green, with a large reflecting pond, which has hundreds of Japanese koi carp.
You can walk around the temple and see small waterfalls, sparrows, and wild peacocks. One thing we especially loved in Hawaii was that we were woken up by the sounds of birds every single day!
The main temple has a two-ton nine-foot seated Amida statue (the Buddha of the Western Paradise). It is covered in gold and lacquer.
Around 7.30 or so we made our way back to the inn for breakfast. We had an interesting attraction coming up after that…something that is quite unique by any parameter.
As you make your way through the canyon, you can only marvel at all kinds of patterns formed by the natural processes. Add too it the numerous colors you are entertained to, and you are transported to another world! Just imagine how the force of water sculpted each section of the canyon.
As you walk through, you will have to climb stairs to make your way out of the canyon.
For my record, it was my 59th flight today.
During my social interactions, I found many people to be unhappy with their jobs, mostly their managers or the work they were doing. In spite of the grin, I never understood why they stayed at their jobs for that long…if you are unhappy with something for long, shouldn’t you be parting with it? Even otherwise, I feel it is good to change jobs every few years. Let me explain the reasons:
So, this time, we made sure to spend the afternoon there after we took the aerial tramway up the Cannon Mountain earlier in the day. The resort is just about a half-hour drive from the Hillwinds Lodge where we were put up in Franconia.
Being the peak of winters this time, the sun was setting down just behind the resort. The white and red colors of the resort added another layer of beauty to the colors in the sky. Since the mountains are quite far away from the spot and there is no point in showing a large blanket of snow, you would have to use the zoom.
Though the sunset was not as dramatic as we witnessed earlier, I was still feeling quite ecstatic all the time – not many get to go (back) to their dream location in spite of all the money they might have.
Though the views all around were covered in snow, the sun appeared to lit-up some sections of the frames. I must say I did enjoy the 180-degree views, including the fun of some skiers going down the slope underneath the tramway path. I don’t just go crazy with clicking shots, I have formed a habit of enjoying myself first.
When we reached the top, Saru had to immediately rush into the covered area (houses a warm and cozy ski lodge offering a variety of food, and has restrooms), just because it was too much of a cold to bear. I, on the other hand, warmed myself up and ventured out to explore a bit. Though there are a plenty of trails one could take at the top, it was not the day to even look out for them! I just had to be content with seeing some adults and kids enjoying what they were there for.
I couldn’t spend a lot of time there – the temperatures are hard to imagine even for me now. I had read about a couple of small lakes around, one of them being Echo Lake just a couple of kilometers away (another one being Profile Lake), and I quickly made my way to it. If you’ve read me for long, you would know I don’t miss lakes, for they provide stunning reflections of subjects around – here they were the mountains. By that time, the activity of people arriving for their work had started. I asked for the Echo Lake and was told it just a walkable distance but that it is all frozen, so no point of going there. I have heard such arguments earlier also, they don’t matter for me now – I like to take my own call!
Well, I was standing by the Echo Lake (the entire frozen section in above shot) in no time. And guess what, I have no regrets! It might not look to be a setting that would keep in you awe, but you can’t ask for the best every time. I am still thankful to have been there and done that because I was the only one around fighting the tough conditions. On my walk back from the Echo Lake, I did see a few skiers just starting off their day.
I love going the extra mile to find views that make for killer shots. On my drive back to the hotel, I saw a long patch of icicles along the road, and I was quick enough to take turn and park in a safe spot. As you can make out, some seemed to have brought down quite a lot of dirt!
Being early morning, the traffic was calm, and I went to a bridge close by that provided for an unobstructed view of the skiing runways. I now consider the below frame to be one of the best that I would ever see!
Later that day, we took the tramway up the Cannon mountain and then watched the sunset at Omni resort, where we had a gem of a time in the fall of 2016 (you should not miss both those posts).
These are just a handful of reasons why you should never give up on laughing.
The immigration was smooth and easy. Since I spent quite a lot of time working in the US, the questions were primarily on what I did back then and why I left the US. We were asked to collect our I94 cards from the building next to the gates (there is a small parking area there). It must have taken about 15 minutes overall before we were again on the road…our hotel in Franconia, New Hampshire was still about 1.5 hours away.
Just after we hit the road, a bit of snow had started falling…but that’s why we were in New Hampshire (NH) in the first place! We’ve always liked NH, so much so that this was our third time there. We had kept aside 1.5 days in Franconia to visit the famous Omni Resort in Bretton Woods where we had a fantastic time in the fall of 2016.
The weather was so much to my liking that I stopped and got off the car at multiple places (we just had to make sure to switch on the parking lights). The traffic was quite calm and we had enough time to enjoy the views alongside. The entire way was flanked by Mountains and the climate added its own charm to the mesmerizing beauty.
One thing I especially loved was the icicles, they were at quite many places and I had never seen them earlier. In fact, I spent a long time admiring them next morning during my quest for Sunrise captures.
We had chosen to stay with the Hillwinds Lodge in Franconia because of their good ratings. Another reason was their close proximity to the resort where we had planned to go the next day afternoon, and you must see that post of mine in a few weeks 🙂
We reached hotel quite late in the evening, but the journey was every bit enjoyable. I would still classify it as a day when we did a lot of sightseeing!
How do you incorporate Vitamin E in your daily routine? If you have some mouth-watering recipes, please share with me. I promise I will try them. My wife will cook, though 🙂
I am always excited to see the first rays of sun from an elevation, and that day was no different. This in spite of the temperature being much below normal and the wind hitting my face because of the open area all around. No wonder, I was all alone thinking who else could be crazy to join me in such frigid conditions! But, as the sun was about to make its majestic appearance, few more folks joined me. The area is know for hiking, and I also saw a lady doing what looked like her morning run.
I have been to locations where some people clapped in the anticipation of another blissful day. Here, a couple of couples got cozy…I would never have such a luxury (Saru is not a morning person). Anyway, I was glad I added one more place to my list of places I have explored that time of the day. Somehow, I have started to enjoy extreme temperatures – it makes me feel I am really vacationing 🙂
I asked a guy around as to where the lookout (just opposite to the chalet) is. He advised me to head further up and that it is just about 500 meters. However, I kept going ahead without realizing there is a small road to the right, which takes you to the lookout in just about 5 minutes. I realized this only after I completed my adventure and was heading back to the car. However, I did enjoy the long trail I had inadvertently taken!
I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally saw the chalet (structure below) after walking for about half-an-hour. I quickly went inside to explore it – it has restrooms, souvenir shop, food outlet, and a set of chairs to enjoy the outside view. Not many people were inside, but I can imagine it being a hot-spot in summers.
I didn’t spend much time exploring the inside (remember, Saru was still in the car). The outside was all covered in snow, even the views of downtown!
It was not quite the sights I had expected, but quite unique nonetheless. Since I had to return there for Sunrise/Sunset, I soon returned to the car and saw Saru enjoying reading one of the books she had downloaded onto her iPad with the car heating on. Owing to frigid conditions, we soon decided to call it a day in the morning itself. Well, we still had 2 more days 🙂
Even though our stay in Franconia city was for only a day, I did make the most of my outing even though it was colder there as compared to Montreal. While Saru was fast asleep, I captured a pretty sunrise in the mountains covered with snow – NH is mostly about mountains, lakes, and picturesque landscapes! Later that day, we were lucky to witness another aspect of White Mountains and capture Sunset next to the Omni Mount Washington Resort (seen in the above shot).
The official language of Montréal is French and it was but obvious that even the hour-long prayer was in the language that half of its population speaks (largest-speaking for any city after Paris). Even though I couldn’t get much of it, I paid my respects the best I could. Just so you know, I have deep admiration for the Christian community as my schooling was from the St Paul’s and St Joseph’s.
The church is highly decorated in multi-colored settings. The wooden carvings are intricate and there are many religious statues. In spite of being amply spacious and harsh weather outside, the church was jam-packed today. As the melodious voices did their job with finesse, the sounds from Casavant Frères pipe organ dating back to 1891 only added further to the thrilling experience (you can see the instrument in below shot).
There is no fee for offering prayer or attending the mass. However, visitors have to pay an entry fees of $6 for adults ($4 for 7-17 years of age; free for below 7) for touring the sanctuary (with or without guide). The access was free today from 1-4pm on account of Christmas Eve.
You can also light candles through token donations starting at $1. The collection goes in maintaining the structure.
I must say I had a great time enjoying the blessings of God, and I am closing off my 2017 on a high 🙂
It was so cold even with the layers of clothes we were wearing that Saru had to head indoors (just adjacent to the falls – there are a few shops to grab souvenirs and eat as well). However, if you are adventurous and more inclined towards spending your time outside (like me), you can take a walk along the falls from Horseshoe to American and even further till the Rainbow Bridge (connecting Canada and United States). The 
Once it was dark (around 5pm), we picked up our car and started driving towards the Dufferin islands, home to Festival’s Canadian Wildlife Displays, including some three-dimensional ones also. Considering that a lot of people are visiting just to see the lights, be ready to encounter traffic, but it is also an opportunity to admire the displays along the road. Since there are 2 lanes each way most of the time, you can stop at non-crowded places (be sure to switch on the parking lights) and click a few shots. Once in dufferin islands, there are designated parking slots for you to get down and go close to the illuminations. 
We spent a couple of hours in the islands before heading back towards the falls. I stopped at a few places on the other side of the road now to take some shots (my favorite is that of the flag – it alternated between Canadian and American one).
Notes:
I owe Thanks to You, and also to those who are not around anymore for whatever reason. It is because of your comments that I have been able to deliver. I also want to mention about numerous strangers who took time to add their experiences on the places I’ve visited or just motivate me otherwise…some inputs were quite touching. There is nothing more satisfying that getting a thoughtful comment appreciating the hard work you’ve put in.
I am not a fan of Donald Trump, so I really hated myself when I chose to talk about why we should love him! But it is good to take a contrarian view sometimes. So, here are my thoughts on why he needs a bit of sympathy:
Located adjacent to the Flamingo hotel and casino, The Linq is hard to pass by. We spent a few hours window shopping there. It is also close to Bally’s hotel where we were put up. In fact, our hotel room gave us a good view of the Ferris wheel. We could see the 2,000 LEDs glow late into the night on the wheel! Spellbound by its beauty and statistics, we booked a ride one night to experience its beauty from inside and also of Vegas from high above.
Now imagine being in one of the 28 sturdy cabins that adorn the high roller and being taken on a slow ride of 30 minutes – you have enough time to enjoy the interiors (equipped with eight flat-screen televisions and an iPod dock) or just enjoy the nightlife of Vegas through the glass. You could even get lucky with seeing the show of Bellagio Fountains from above (just a couple of blocks from there) if timing is right. I had enough time to even click some pictures. Though there were quite a few reflections from lighting all around (even of the LEDs on the wheel) and even the outer glass was thick, I was able to get a few decent shots.
If you are looking to buy tickets for the high roller, check various options on the Internet as you might get lucky with a deal, else you can directly buy on Caesars official site 
LV has many theme-based resort hotels and casinos, and you can cover almost all of them just by walking. Based on where you are put up on the strip (and I strongly suggest staying where most of the action is), some might feel a bit further away (the length of the strip is 6.8 kilometers or 4.2 miles), so you can take a bus to reach them. There are a few free trams also, but they cover only certain hotels on the west side. Our rental car allowed us to explore with ease…we just had to take our car out once and park at the New York Hotel and Casino, that allowed us access to the furthest end of the strip on the south (Mandalay Bay casino). The North end leads to the Fremont Street, which is a spectacle in itself (we visited it one evening – we parked at the roadside paid slots)!
Caesars Palace: Visit to enjoy tryst with the roman architecture, fall of atlantis show, and luxury shopping.
Though we were in LV for 3 days, I would suggest keeping a week if you want to explore each resort thoroughly and indulge in some serious shopping too – you can spend as much as you want to as all the luxury brands are present there! Even if you just like long walks, your eyes won’t get tired of admiring the hotels from the outside – day or night!
One last thing we did in Las Vegas was to take the High Roller ride, currently the world’s tallest ferris wheel. More on that in the next post…
I left the United States after completing 6 years in May this year, having entered on L1B in April 2011 and going through multiple H1Bs during my stay there (because of either a job change or stamping required in India when I went on vacation). It sounded a pretty daunting and nerve-racking task during my first 2 interviews, but now I have gotten used to it.
If you’ve followed me for long, you might know that I won the Area 34 
I moved to Canada from the US in May this year after exhausting my H1B there. I worked for the Financial clients in Boston, New York, and New Jersey during the 6 years that I was there. The move to Canada was not a preferred choice for me – I declined GC request from my firm 2 years back in the hope of moving close to India, with Europe being my preferred destination. In the end, it didn’t work out, and I was left with only one choice – continue with the same project in Toronto area. I had never imagined Canada would be so costly, else I wouldn’t have taken it up in the first place! You can’t blame me for not doing my homework either since the prices have shot up here very recently. Consider this – Canada Immigration is extending PR offer to more than 5,000 people every month, and most of them end up settling down in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Don’t be fooled by the free medical in Canada, which many speak of first. Unless you have to be in the hospital every other day, you won’t really be making good use of it! As for the education, you don’t pay for public schools in the US.
We followed the Bruce Trail (which goes along the edge) and there is a Grotto Cave just a few meters away. I would imagine had it been a swimmable day, I wouldn’t even have found a suitable platform to snap it!
Just a few meters further up is the Grotto, one which takes a lot of effort to reach as there is no defined pathway leading to it. The folks in the shot below had to find their way down through the rocks that you see in the view (same was on my side too).
The park is too vast to enjoy fully in a 4-hour window but we did go further to explore a couple of more vistas. If you have time, do go to the Boulder Beach and the Overhanging Point. I wouldn’t say they are as magnificent as the Grotto but would give you some unique views nonetheless.
The next was to hike up to the Overhanging Point (all the way up in the thick blanket of green in the above shot), but it takes some strenuous hiking for about a kilometer to reach that point. Being the last attraction for us (before we were to head back to the parking), we didn’t want to leave it.
As is apparent, the rock has gone through erosion over centuries and now is a spectacular semic circle hanging off the edge.
Thunder Hole: A small crack in the cave along the shoreline where waves crash into the hole. The ideal time to witness the road of air and water is when the tide is midway between high and low. Since you can’t time it perfectly, just enjoy whenever you are there!
Otter Cliff: There are many cliffs in there…Otter cliff is a famous one! I went further up on a few ledges to enjoy the sound of waves and inhale in the pristine surroundings.
Even if you keep driving along, there are many viewpoints where you could just park the car along the road and enjoy the beauty of nature. I especially liked the views of the Frenchman Bay in the distance!
After that, we headed to the Dunks Bay and were in awe looking at the clarity of the water. I could even count stones deep into the turquoise waters…I felt the clarity to be even better than that of Lake Tahoe in California that we saw in April last year!
We got so excited about the prospect of what is coming up next that the 3 hours at those 2 small sites seemed to pass by in a jiffy!
The best part about this beach is that you can drive right up to the water (see the car on right in above shot). Moreover, that parking is free! If the parking is full, you can park on the road as well (that is paid, but reasonable). I must also add that the beach is quite clean and, luckily, there were very few people around when we visited.
I don’t swim, but that never deters me from just being in the water and listening to the sound of waves. There were a few kids and a surfer further into the lake, enjoying their heart out 😀
We spent a couple of hours (even had our dinner in the car while looking at the lake from a few feet). It must have been around 9pm when the waves increased, so we had to back-up the vehicle a bit.
After a long time, I witnessed a perfect Sunset. Also, this is one place Saru didn’t want to leave…so she didn’t have to drag me off either 🙂
The Learning Curve 