The ocean was serene as a nun in prayer as we paddled upstream, away from it and the few remaining beachgoers and campers. Past the first curve in the river we paddled into a realm of incredible beauty where we were the only humans, but not the only animals.
The hau trees were so thick they lay in the water on each bank. Papyrus formed large clumps here and there, making me think of the Nile (a very small Nile). The mountains rose up round us casting dark shadows in the setting sun.
My second pleasant discovery was: KAYAKS ARE EASY TO PADDLE. It takes very little effort to glide along on top of the water. Even people with the upper body strength of a mollusk can do this!
Coming around a gentle curve in the stream, we beheld a lone tree alive with egrets perched there. It was quite an impressive sight but a little farther upstream we understood that the lone tree was only a reststop on the way to the "egret hotel". The stand of guava on the river's edge was so big and so thick, it easily housed 100 or more egrets, each noisily finding its place for the night and oblivious to the kayakers paddling by.
From the canopy of green above us came unfamiliar bird calls; one reminscent of monkies ...the stuff of jungle fantasies. And there ahead in the river was a 10 foot alligator! Wait - this is Kauai where the scariest beast is a centipede;no snakes, no alligators, no piranha. The alligator turned out to be a partially submerged tree trunk, completely safe and still good fantasy material.
My jungle experience ended as we came to the place where the water cascades over rocks big enough to signal it was time to turn back. It was dark by the time the campfires on Kalihiwai Beach welcomed our return to civilization.
The next day the muscles in my arms did not even hurt from all that paddling ... my third pleasant discovery about Kayaking on Kauai.
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