Relaxing Activities in Princeville...

     After a long rigorous hike on the Kalalau Trail yesterday, we took the passing rain showers throughout the day as a sign to relax.  So what did we do?  We signed up for some arts & craft through our Wyndham Resort and made an appointment for a couples massage.  Oh yea, and we sat in on a timeshare spiel to get some added 30% discounts on excursions with the Aloha Privileges Card (APC).
     Art and crafting has always been my thing.  Not saying that I'm the best at it, but I definitely have the passion for it.  Matt, on the other hand, is a good sport and will indulge my interests.  Cheers to man who knows how to keep his wife happy!  So we both signed up for the Ti Leaf Lei Making and the Coconut Basket Weaving class.  The teacher, Eugene, was the concierge that we worked with at the resort and with his personality alone, I knew it was going to be a fun class.  Too bad it started at 8am!

Ti Leaf Plant - Used for hulas, leis, food wrapping, roofs, you name it!

Matt working hard at his Ti Leaf Lei

      We showed up at the Wyndham Shearwater Clubhouse bright and early.  They've got a nice pool behind the Clubhouse that overlooks the ocean.  As it turns out, Matt and I were the only ones who woke up early enough to attend the Ti Leaf Making session.  So after Eugene made coffee, the two of us were ready to put our artistic skills to test.  First, Eugene dried the Ti leaves and microwaved them for 10-15s.  This helps to soften the leaves and make it flexible.  After wiping away any sap, he showed up how to strip them down the main vein to get 2 halves.  The mechanics of it was easy enough.  Twist two individual halves and then twist them together, one step at a time.  It keeps it from unwinding.  And you keep adding leaves on each side until the Ti leaf rope is long enough.  We added a shell lei and some fresh flowers for color.  Eugene told us that him and his family had made hundreds of these for a wedding favor and sometimes he'll sell them as a fundraiser.  Pretty cool, huh?  We were told that putting them in the fridge occasionally as it dries helps it to main its color.

Ti Leaf Lei made by Matt

Our teacher, Eugene

     The next class was the Coconut Basket Weaving, where another boy joined us.  Working with coconut leaves proved to be more challenging.  The key was to work with the leaves and be very careful not to break the rib while you are weaving.  Eugene would once again demonstrate a portion and then have us make our baskets.  Every so often I would stop and snap few shots of Matt weaving.  I also decided that the basket would make a very nice hat, almost like a military helmet!  Once completed, Eugene took some extra Ti leaves and made roses to decorate our baskets.  Turned out very nice!  We were very proud of our accomplishments this morning.
 

Kauai Beach Resort

      After the timeshare spiel, we head out towards Lihue for our couples massage appointment with the Hawaiian Rainforest Spa at the Kauai Beach Resort.  We had decided on a 50-minute Lomi Lomi Massage.  They say it's a Hawaiian technique that uses continuous flowing motion and the forearm to massage and bring your body back into balance.  They started with some lavender aromatherapy and then from there I'm not sure what happened!  Either way I came out very peaceful and relaxed.  Compared to Matt's rigorous pre-wedding massage beating in NYC Chinatown, I think I prefer the Hawaiian way much better.

 

Coconut Basket made helmet

      After the Ti Leaf class, Eugene had told us other uses the Hawaiians used the Ti Leaf, including for cooking.  Then in 2 secs flat he whip the leaves together to make the following package.  Traditionally, it is a dish called "LauLau," where roast pork wrapped in Ti leaf and  slow cooked in an "Imu," or underground oven.