Surprise gift for Martin

Martin always receives something from me as a surprise gift after an ironman. This time it was a kayak excursion along the Wailua River with a subsequent hike through the rainforest to the Uluwehi Secret Falls (waterfall).

Up to the point when Martin turned into the kayak provider's parking lot, he had absolutely no idea what to expect. Leigh was our guide and she did an amazing job. We paddled (initially in zigzags 😂) up the Wailua River in our 3-person kayak, about 2.5 miles. It was magnificent! Such nature!! We loved it so much! Then we continued on foot, about another 2 miles. At first, the trail was fairly well maintained. But then 🙂 it got muddy, really muddy! We were standing ankle-deep in mud and at times imagined it was dinosaur-..., well, you know. After all, Jurassic Park was filmed on Kauai. So the thought wasn't far off. We had a lot of fun. Our sneakers were covered inside and out with brown mud. And our clothes were no longer the cleanest 😂 We knew it beforehand, so it wasn't a surprise for us. However, it was also quite slippery and we had to be very careful not to slip and fall. Leigh told us about the flora and fauna along the way, and we tried some flowers and fruits. Java Plum. A small fruit with a pit that looks like a black olive but tastes sweet. It does, however, completely dry out your mouth and your tongue stops at the roof of your mouth. The feeling is totally funny! We crossed two small streams and one big river. We waded in water up to our thighs and held onto a rope to cross it. The current wasn't particularly strong. It was an awesome experience. Then we reached our destination and saw an amazing waterfall. About 30 meters high with a swimming pond in front of it!! 😲 Magnificent. Absolutely beautiful. There weren't many people there. We were lucky. We swam and felt the tremendous power of the waterfall as we got closer. Gigantic! We washed off all the mud and had a small snack. Our clean legs didn't stay that way for long 🙂 Barely back in the mud, on the way back, we looked the same as before 🙂 After the kayak ride, we were luckily able to shower and change clothes at the organizer's garden shower. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and Martin was absolutely thrilled with this gift 😁

PS: Many pictures were taken with the action camera. Occasionally, there was water or moisture in front of the lens...