Joe and Judy Baumgartner  Nawiliwili. That’s a name that deserves to stand-alone. Lets all say it together. Nuh-willy-willy. P.S. You’ve got to say it real fast to say it right. Yep, that’s where we tied up on Kauai. It’s located just outside of Lihue. Kauai is often referred to as the most beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands. I don’t know about that, given the awesome beauty found throughout the island chain, but there are astounding visionary spectacles to behold on this, the oldest of the islands. With extraordinary skill, care, and a boatload of thrusters, the Captain maneuvered the ship through a small opening into the harbor, and tied up to the pier in the place I said above. I dare you to say it again. Our visit on Kauai was a relatively short eight hours. Even though we had reserved a car, her royal person and I decided to forgo the pleasure of getting it, and turning it back in. We had planned to drive up the coast and do the Wailua River and Fern Grotto tour. Instead, we asked one of the cab drivers at the pier how much. He said 16 bucks. We said OK. We got in, and away we went. A short ride north of Lihue brought us to the River tour office and restaurant. Anyone who spends time watching movies rather than working will recognize this place. Let’s see, Donovan’s Reef, Blue Hawaii, and Jurassic Park to name just a few. We bought our tickets and waited for the time to board the really big river barge for the two and a half mile trip up the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto. Once aboard we set sail for the leisurely cruise. The barge had a small band to do band stuff, and hula ladies to do hula stuff on our way up. They were really good considering the number of times they do this trip day in and day out. A half hour trip brought us to the docking area for the grotto. Upon reaching the grotto dock, we walked on a concrete path for about 10 minutes through the jungle. Don’t fret; Hawaii has never, ever had snakes. The grotto suddenly opened up through the thick foliage. It’s a truly beautiful place with giant ferns overhanging the cliffs and grotto. We were invited to walk into the grotto. Once there, the crew sang the “Hawaiian Wedding Song”. Remember Elvis. And yes, they really do perform a ton of weddings here. After that we loaded onboard the barge and headed back to the tour dock. On this trip, the pilot gave a great talk about what we saw on the boat ride. O.K. it may sound a little hokey, but we loved it. Once ashore, we called our cab company and had them take us to downtown Lihue. The town was putting on their part of the annual Aloha Festival. This festival is held all across the islands. The festival was set up in the town square. We spent a few hours here rummaging through the crafts, watching the entertainment, and eating hot dogs. This was a case of a small town, good time. Rather than spend money on another cab, we walked a few blocks to Hilo Hattie’s and took the free bus back to the ship. Interested in becoming a travel agent? Follow this link to find out more. Home Based Travel Agent