Koloa Town-- Kauai

Koloa was the town closest to where we stayed in Kauai. It's very small and there is really nothing new there. At one time a local sugar mill was the primary employer. These days, there is no sugar cane at all growing in the area and without tourists, the town would probably be gone. Of course, there are many chickens...

This is the main drag in Koloa. Almost all the businesses were on the other side of the street. I only posted this pic because I liked the tree.

Ditto for this tree. It's really pretty (enlarge to prove me right).

One of the few non-tourist related businesses in town is the Koloa Fish Market. It's been there for many years and is known as serving some of the best food in the entire state. No credit cards accepted and the doors close at 6:00 P.M.

Around the corner from the fish market, on a side street, was my favorite meal on the island. The Chalupas food truck served GREAT Mexican food. The owner, cook and only employee is a guy named Miguel. He's from Vera Cruz, Mexico, via Sacramento, California. Some day, he hopes to open his own restaurant on the island. Based on how delicious his food is, I hope his dream comes true. In case you were wondering, I know his name because most conversations I have with strangers, end up sounding like an interview.  He was a good guy and I hope he makes it big.

Here is the sugar mill that employed most of the folks around Koloa. We were surprised to find out that this town was first settled by Japanese. This sugar mill and a good portion of the island was owned (much still is) by the McBryde family. In another of the amazing coincidences that make up my life. The receptionist at our dentist is one of the great nieces of the man who owned it all.

The mill isn't open for tourists so we had to do some snooping around. I really wish I could have gotten onto the property. We saw three of these huge sugar mills (all wrecked) on different parts of the island.

enlarge this one to see the "gardener" behind the gate.

Savage Shrimp! Although we didn't eat there, this truck is also a long time famous place to eat. It may not look too good, but there are positive reviews all over the Internet.

Sorry, but I just had to include at least one more photo of our friend "Roosty." He was such a handsome boy!  Enlarge this one to fully enjoy his good looks...

I'll finish the Kauai posts up soon. We're going on a road trip this week, so new material is on it's way.

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