Kauai

The next stop was two days on the Island of Kauai, the garden island. And, true to its reputation, the first time we tried to disembark from the ship, we got drenched in a warm tropical downpour. We had not gone 20 yards past the gangway and we turned back. Our umbrella was useless as the horizontal rain drenched us in a few minutes. But these showers are as short as they are intense, and after we dried off in the cool dry environment of the ship, we set out again, this time with success.  

We walked 19,000 steps that day and began with a stroll through the Marriot resort less than a Kilometer from the cruise ship terminal. 

This is an older but beautiful resort on a fabulous piece of property. 

From there, we trekked up a very long hill to the sleepy little town of Lihue. It was a Sunday and the only action was a street vendor selling BBQ chicken in an empty parking lot. The town looked depressed with many businesses boarded up. A few businesses nearer the cruise ship terminal were faring much better. 

Of note, in Lihue, were a few historical building and a museum which was closed. Kauai had its own king and queen, memorialized with statues

As you can see by the photos, Kauai is a tropical paradise, as evidenced by the lush and beautiful flora.