My kids and I were talking about our trip to Kauai next week and they started asking specific questions about Kamalani playground... Since we%26#39;ll be there a few times, I thought I%26#39;d post them here!
boychild wants to know:
- does the playground have swings? are they for big kids or babies?
- are there monkey bars?
- do lots of kids go there? boys?
- do kids run around and play tag and stuff, because I like that.
girlchild wants to know:
- are there slides?
- can little kids like her climb around all too or is it for big kids?
- do they have mean boys who run around and bump people and don%26#39;t say excuse me, because I don%26#39;t like that.
mom wants to know:
- lots of lovely shady spots where parents can park while the kids rip and roll?
- water fountains at the park, or bring drinks?
- bathrooms convenient to playground?
questions from my kids about Kamalani playground
Boychild: Yes, swings for both big and little kids, a tire to spin around on; a big climbing/exploring structure, lots of kids running around being crazy.
Girlchild: There are slides that even a 2 year-old can go down, not all for big kids, if there are any mean boys tell your brother.
Mom: Lots of trees by the playground, bathrooms and water fountains with tables for eating located right there. You%26#39;ll be across the parking lot from Lydgate.
questions from my kids about Kamalani playground
sounds like the perfect park to us! matter of fact, it sounds almost exactly like my kids%26#39; fave park here... that%26#39;s kinda eery...
and I%26#39;m not sure, but I think brother is one of the boys who doesn%26#39;t say excuse me ... ;o)
may I ask a totally unrelated question? The other night, we went to a new local Hawaiian restaurant so I could introduce the younglings to some of the new food they might try.
Boychild ordered a big ole%26#39; bowl of saimin, expecting that it would be similar to his dearly beloved ramen. He was disappointed for 2 reasons: first, the broth had little flavor without adding shoyu (I agreed with him on this one) and second, they corrupted his precious noodles and broth with STUFF (namely, green onions, some pork dumplings, some tempura, some strips of spam, some fishcake, etc). Now he is thinking he may not like to visit Haimura%26#39;s after all ... here%26#39;s the question: if we go there, can he order saimin without some of the %26#39;stuff%26#39;?
Both Kamalani playgrounds are marvelous for all ages. The original one in Lydgate Park and the brand new one (other end going south, end of Nehe Rd. or formal path in front of the Kaha Lani condo resort, across the campground parking lot, behind the Wailua Golf Course and along a path to the bridge) were fun for this retiree. Local volunteers built the newest two-story wooden climbing structure at that end of the park. Keiki (kids) made the colorful plaster molds of fish and sea creatures that adorn the exterior building housing the showers and bathrooms (very close proximity to ocean, play areas and tables).
The little boys are not so much mean as they are delirious and not too mindful just who is near them as they run, jump and climb. Don%26#39;t remember hearing an ';excuse me'; in their excited states. Good chance to let Little Lady know how nice it is for you to know she has good manners and that she can be a role model for others.
The covered lanai-style gathering places at each site at times have island musicians and dancers, craft lessons and presentations, even small wedding ceremonies and receptions, and various community events. Plenty of shade trees and small lanai-type covered picnic tables with good visibility for ';rip and roll'; activities at the playground and rock protected ';baby'; and ';adult'; natural ocean pools. Your mouth will water as large family groups gather on weekends to BBQ, play and swim. Might be too breezy for kites.
I carry bottled water with me at all times, even if I refill from the tap before I leave. Best bet is a styrofoam chest in the trunk and double or triple bagged ice wrapped in a bath towel(condensation is heavy in the heat and humidity). You will be parked very near your car at Lydgate and the other park to get access to your food and water. Wherever you are in the open you might keep a tie-on hat handy to keep the sun from beating down on your head...that makes me heat up.
Introduce yourselves to folks and families. There is a spirit of Aloha that is welcoming and inclusive.
What have I forgotten? Oh yes, in your added post you mentioned your son%26#39;s experience with saimin. We have a new L%26amp;L Barbeque on the coast in Pacifica. If that is what your son ordered, it is very similar to what he will have at Hamura%26#39;s. You might want to steer him to the menu, as he will say the broth is weak and filled with too much stuff. It is not ramen. I happen to love saimin...just the challenge of wrapping noodles around my chopsticks is fun. I do doctor mine with a few drops of tabasco or red sauce, bite into the pickled chilis, and may add a little soy sauce. You can order something different for him from the menu. There is so much variety that you will hit on some island fare that will please his palate, i.e., loco moco, katsu chicken, sushi, etc.
Wish I was a little fly to watch you all have a really fun time on that beautiful island.
Thanks, bjbert! What a lot of great info! I%26#39;ll be sure to post about our experience! I%26#39;m esp. excited because I can%26#39;t WAIT to see my kids%26#39; reactions to everything! They are SUCH a kick and we have a lot of fun! ... I love saimin with all the %26#39;stuff%26#39; too, but my normally adventurous son wasn%26#39;t having any of it; he does, however, do meat in most forms - katsu, kalua pork or teriaki sticks should satisfy him!
Regarding the restaurant, we have an L%26amp;L near here too, but that%26#39;s not where we went. There%26#39;s a brand new place in Benicia, the Hula Hut, that is run by a couple of transplanted Islanders - nicely decorated place, service was a little muddled %26amp; slow - it was almost like they were overwhelmed with the number of customers, but the food was decent. It was so cute to see a family come in all dressed in aloha gear! 8 days to go for us!
Jolynda,
You can get the saimin at Hamura%26#39;s pretty much plain with some spam and a few green onions that you can flick out. You%26#39;ll be sitting elbow-to-elbow on stools at the counter, so watch where you flick! We first gave it to our oldest daughter when she was just 1 year old and she loves it. You can also get the BBQ sticks to go along with the saimin. Save room for lilikoi pie or shave ice (if they%26#39;re serving it that day....).
Was it you that just went to Kauai in the past few months, or is my feeble brain thinking of somebody else? Or....did you join around the time a couple went to Kauai and had a little difficulty with some rude people and comments?
kwils, we haven%26#39;t been yet; we%26#39;re headed out next week.
And yeah, I discovered TA right about the time a couple had returned and shared their some unfortunate experience with some other visitors (though not with residents). So I asked for a bit more detail, given that my kids are %26#39;hapa%26#39;.
I figure that we will draw attention in any case, given that I am fairer than my offspring - you should see the stares (glares?) we get when we go to So. Oregon! Wow! And I used to live there! But I%26#39;m not gonna sweat it. I really don%26#39;t care what others think of me - as long as they steer clear of my kids.
playground. beach. vacation. relaxation. fun. That%26#39;s what our focus is gonna be!
we%26#39;re gonna try Haimura%26#39;s anyway and I%26#39;ll just ask them to do some saimin for my kids that is light on the %26#39;stuff%26#39; - maybe we%26#39;ll get a large and share %26amp; I can pick out the %26#39;stuff%26#39; for me! I like %26#39;stuff%26#39;!
so is lilikoi pie REALLY all that? everyone keeps talking about it.
Aloha...you might enjoy:
1. spotlighthawaii.com and then click on ';Kauai Gold'; to
see ads and activities. Colorful maps of each region.
2. kauaiworld.com for the ';Garden Island News';...click on
';calendar'; to see what is scheduled your week and
weather. Other articles are available, but full text
requires a subscription.
Aloha Jolynda :)
How happy you must be to be soooo close to being in Kauai!!
I know you and your kids will love Lydgate and the playground as much as my munchins did :) And the bathrooms, youwill be glad to hear are close to both the playground and the protected swimming areas! You can see my son playing in the sand there with a newfound friend on my photo album. You have probably seen it before, but if not you can at http://www.need2go.myphotoalbum.com and some of the fishies I saw while I snorkeld! :-)
Wish I was back to Kauai with ya! Your northerly neighbor
Aloha :-)
Dan
Thank, Dan! I did see your pics and showed them to my kids. It%26#39;s gonna be a good time, I know. We were in SF the other day and saw a catamaran cruiser; pointed it out to the kids as similar to what we%26#39;ll be riding with Liko%26#39;s (thanks for the recommendation!). I%26#39;m slowly trying to pull things together here so we are ready to go on Saturday. We will be checking 2 small suitcases, one duffel with our beach gear, and carrying on one bag each, so I don%26#39;t think we%26#39;ll be overwhelmed with stuff. I have 2 ride offers to get to the airport; now I just need to figure out how we will be getting home again from SFO!
I used to teach up at the JC in Sta Rosa. Nice community - I like it up there! I appreciate all your insights and advice, by the way! I tend to be a bit of an overplanner, but as a lone parent travelling with 2 young kids, I don%26#39;t want any surprises; I will have plenty on my hands! But we have a lot of fun together, and this should be a great adventure for us! Thanks again!
Aloha Jolynda :)
I%26#39;m so glad to hear that your kids liked seeing my pictures! They will have memories to last a lifetime I am sure! The Liko cruise will be a great adventure for them too! I hope that you are able to do something like I was able to with my son and tow him around on one of those boogie boards with the porthole in them so that they can see all the fish and coral, etc! My son thought that was the greatest! It suprised me becuase when we were at Lydgate the first day the fish scared him...not so on the cruise though! And he is always asking if there are sharks (even in streams and lakes LOL), so that was an even bigger suprise because he knows they are out there! Not that there is a real danger of being bitten, but it is something that concerns him :) The beauty musta overcome his fear!
It sounds like you have packed well for your stay there and souldn%26#39;t have any problems with baggage issues. The one thing I should tell you that got my wife hung up at the inspection table is not to pack your makeup stuff in your carry-ons. She had to unpack hers and throw away a little pair (although not cheap) of cuticle sissors! Then wait while they re-scanned the bag again. Also, the new regulations don%26#39;t even allow you to have a lighter in your luggage (but matches were ok when we went, but were told that those wouldn%26#39;t be allowed soon!)
Be sure and let us know how everything was when you get back to Vallejo! :)
PS, do they have something like an AIRPORT EXPRESS that goes to Vallejo? There is a company like that here in Santa Rosa, but I%26#39;m not sure about Vallejo, but it seems like there should be if we have one out here in the sticks LOL :-) They are pretty cheap if you don%26#39;t have a friend or relative that can come and pick you up. Just a thought :)
Aloha :-)
Dan
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