Hiking, Honu, and Hula: Day 2 in Maui.

 Day 1 in Maui kicked off with a phenomenal breakfast courtesy of the wonderful staff at our Bed and Breakfast. Each meal began with a fruit appetizer, complimented by fresh tropical fruit juice and coffee. On pancake day, there was also coconut syrup for your pancake to relax in during its final moments.
  Stuffed on a delightful breakfast, we first made our way up to the Iao (pronounced eee-owe) needle, the site of the battle where Maui's warriors made their last bid for independence against the Chief of the Big Island. Unfortunately, they were massacred here. Perhaps making your last stand while completely surrounded by impassable cliff walls wasn't the best idea, but the Big Islanders had an ace up their sleeve courtesy of a cannon borrowed from the British that they nicknamed "Roger."

We parked at the trailhead then made the short walk up to the overlook. The steep mountains surrounding the narrow valley gave you vertigo even though you were only looking up at them. 

We then walked down to the creek bed, past some weird people quietly zen'ing out during a vision quest, so we could dip our feet in the water and have a natural photo shoot. 

Kendra got me AQUASOCKS for the trip and I have never loved her more than when I unboxed them. The AQUASOCKS and I would be inseparable during the trip. Their convenience all-terrain comfort proving to be an invaluable ally across stream, beach, and boardwalk. 

 We then walked through a lower area which had the outlines of buidlings from an ancient ceremonial site where human sacrifice was conducted. Our at least that's what Daddio opined, turns out they were irrigation channels. We had a good laugh.

After talking in the fresh air, we drove down a bit to a nature gardens area for a Daddio sponsored picnic of pita chips, hummus, and cheese. We chilled out in a Korean veranda, apparently there's a substantial population of various Asian ethnicities in Hawaii (Chinese, Korean, and Japanese). 

We then drove over to find a beach to soak in some sun. In typing up this blog entry, I'd forgotten the name of it, so I googled "hippy Kite surfer town in Maui" and Paia immediately came up! 

Apparently it's quite the spot for kite and wind surfing, and it was really cool to see all of the different sails flying around over the break while we guiltlessly laid down in the soft sand. Kendra and I took a walk down the beach, soaking in the sun while our feet sunk deep into the sandy beach with each step. 

Reaching the end of the beach, Kendra flipped out when she spotted a TURTLE just off shore! The mighty Honu was floating about in the waves just 10 feet off shore. 

                                  

It was surreal to see such a large reptile floating about right in the water, and we rushed back to tell Dad only to find him staring at two! I waded into the water to join him and they were just 10-20 feet away. Little did we know we'd practically be tripping over Honu for the entirety of the trip. 

After another photoshoot, we drove down to rent snorkel gear and go to a local's only spot to snorkel. Taking advantage of the sunshine was a priority for us, and we grabbed some gear from Snorkel Bob's. Then we drove to a secluded beach near Lahaina, threw on our Honu snorkeling shirts that Dad got us, and went into the water in search of Honu.

  Dad had recon'd this snorkel spot and we were primed to track down sea turtles. Despite some moderate surf from the wind, the water was quite clear, warm, and tropical fish abounded! We saw brilliantly colored parrotfish, lolo (yellow-tail wrasse), and kihi kihi (the moorish idol). I was on constant lookout for tiger sharks,  mostly so that I could try to keep Kendra from instantly drowning herself upon sight of one rather than to get a jump on fleeing from the shark. We snorkeled around the 15 foot deep water above elaborate coral-covered boulders, and suddenly, there in the distance, approached a Honu! We were overjoyed, and floated near enough to watch but not disturb the Honu looking for some seaweed to munch on. Then all of a sudden there were two more, we were thrilled! Then there was another one, and we were moderately entertained, then there were like 15 more and we were simply one with the Honu. It was a lot of fun to float alongside them, see them resting down at the bottom among the coral, and follow their antics as they bounced around the rocks trying to get the best buffet spot. We did two long trips in the water and had a blast.  

 We then rushed back to the B&B to get dressed in our nice clothes for an amazing Luau over in Lahaina. We stopped at a scenic overlook on the road to Lahaina and saw whales swimming about in the distance. 

I was very excited to be wearing the linen pants that I received for my birthday. 

Arriving at the Luau, I was thrilled to learn there were free drinks! Beautiful Hawaiin hosts would check in with you on the gorgeous luau grounds and cracked some hilarious jokes during the ceremonial un-Earthing of the Pig. After taking in the sunset over the water, we headed back to our table and met the nice adjoining Canadian family before we settled in to watch a really thrilling performance. 

Beautiful Hawaiian men and women danced athletically onstage in different outfits representing various phases that Hula went through during history. From the indigenous grass skirts to the comparably repressed clothing "suggested" by missionaries later on, it was an exciting tour through Hula's history. The food was also incredible, with a variety of Hawaiian dishes of all sorts. If you every want to feel bad about yourself, just go to a Hawaiian Luau and gorge yourself on food while attractive, scantily clad Hawaiian people dance on stage. It was awesome to say the least. 

Maui Wow-ie : Maui Day 1

"Hey... do you think we're in first class? Our tickets say 2A and 2C...." I asked Kendra.

"First Class? Umm, maybe it's a small plane."

Such was our innocence at the thought of being on a first class trip to Maui, but our suspicions proved true and we were welcomed into the sheer luxury of the first class cabin. Surrounded by so much space, we sipped on our pre-takeoff wine while the peasants boarded the cabin behind us. If only we hadn't gorged ourselves on Vietnamese food at Pho 79, we wouldn't have felt so guilty when we continued to gorge ourselves on the flight! "Hot cookies for you sir? Another Diet Coke?" I ignored Kendra's criticism of my choice of beverage as we flew to Washington. Kendra's observations became less frequent as her personal wine tour of Alaska Airlines took effect. It was a great flight.

We landed in Washington and Meo picked us up. Our one day layover in Washington would allow us to have a delightful conversation with Meo, see Lauren texting, have drinks with TheRhys, Bourne-style ambush Ben Drum while dining on donuts with Aaron Seo while Kendra takes a table for 1 at Portage Bay, have Middle Eastern food at Mamnoon restaurant with the Khorsands (and see Rain Wilson ), then have coffee with the Mitchells (which now means you're talking about 3 people). The layover was a phenomenal trip in its own right, but we were shortly off to Maui on, oh yes, another first class flight to Maui.

The decadence. The elitist comfort. People catering to your every whim, things simply falling into place. It's the closest I'll ever get to realizing what it feels like to be Ian Hamilton.

Anyway we land completely refreshed, as far as 6 hour flights go, in the rater tiny and almost developing country-esque airport on Maui to the world's coolest and most enthusiastic welcome party. Daddio brought us leis, which Kendra would enthusiastically wear during the entirety of the trip, as well as the car he rented for us! Man, this trip is going to be off the hook.

He gave us the lay of the land as we drove to our residence in Wailuku. He agonized over his choice of residence for us in Maui... and knocked it out of the park! We stayed in an absolutely charming, colonial Bed and Breakfast run by local Janice. We were immediately enthralled with the decor, particularly Kendra who decided we would have to move there. We stayed in the expansive _____ room, which was bigger than the apartments Kendra and I had for the first three years of our marriage. It also included an imperial level bathroom with a tub with a jacuzzi tub.

One of the best moments of the trip then happened, when, despite our jet lag, we joined Daddio on the garden veranda for some wine and fun conversation. It was priceless time together and a great way to begin the trip.