The blog schedule is a bit behind, so we have a lot to talk about. Three days of action packed activity-filled days to share with you, starting with the Old Lahaina Luau, then a snorkel trip to Molokini, and a road trip around the east side of Maui. And although many other things happened in the last three days, like surfing and sunbathing, these three are probably the highlights worth writing about.
Tuesday evening we went to the Old Lahaina Luau. It was in a nice secluded area of Lahaina, right on the water, with great seating, beautiful sunsets, excellent luau food, and amazing staff to cater to our empty stomachs’ and all-included beverage needs. Let’s not forget the dancers and the show which were of course the reason we all came to the event. It was classy, with some great costumes, a story behind the show, and no corny pull-the-embarrassed-audience-member-on-stage antics that everyone hates. We left with full tummies, wobbly legs, and a lovely smelling fresh purple lei.
From here we “bar-hopped” for a brief bit, as Mardi Gras was supposed to be a big hit at one of the local bars in Kehei. We didn’t stay long to check it out, but it sure wasn’t pumping the roof off anytime soon. The walk back to the hotel was warm and pleasant, although it took about 45 minutes to walk the 14 blocks back to the condo.
Wednesday we had a zodiac snorkel trip to Molokini planned to sneak in some official fish gawking. The “Seafire” was the name of the boat, and the captain and the ladies on board were super friendly and showed us where to go and what to watch for. We were lucky enough to see a white tipped reef shark snoozing down in the sand beyond the reef, plenty of colorful fish amongst the corals, and the coolest “ledge” where the reef dropped off to the sea below from about 10 feet deep to over 250 feet of darkness. We stopped twice more to swim with turtles, and HUGE manta rays, and to see a sunken ship before heading back to the docks three hours later.
And the low-light of the trip for me was when discomfort turned to embarrassment, after I decided to avoid peeing in the ocean and affecting the fish, or polluting fellow snorkel turf. My plan was to lollygag back to the boat and go on my way to the ladder while everyone was safely on the boat, only I felt rushed and jogged by the waves of the open sea and much to my dismay, it didn’t happen. Once back on the boat, the bladder pain was too intense to handle. I was nearly in tears, and asked Josh to have the captain stop so I could wo-man overboard to empty the bladder. For me to do this, you know it was pain overbearing embarrassment. Until, that is, I’m floating at the back of the boat with people hanging over the edge asking me how its going, or try this, or try that. Before I know it, another guy on the boat decides he’s going to join me in the water for a piss. Awesome dude, just what I need. Needless to say, a bad situation turned worse, and with the success of only emptying a fraction of pain inducing fluids, I was able to survive the rest of the time, before booking it it back to the awesome banos near the beach. Phew. And groan.
Wednesday afternoon we cruised around looking for waves, first at Kehei cove, then off towards Lahaina where we stopped at Panuama Beach Park. There wasn’t much there, and it was breaking pretty close to shore, but we drove all that way, so ended up staying to catch a few short rides, accompanied by Mr Turtle poking his head up to see where we were. Joshs’ homemade fish isn’t seeing much action here, except for a floating device between trading boards between the three or four of us. However, we’re watching the news right now, with footage of the earthquake in Japan, and the subsequent tsunami warning for Hawaii. I suppose he could head over to the east coast for a huge 3am wave. Just kidding.
Today, we got up at the crack of dawn hoping for catchable waves sans wind at the cove. It was a slow start, and the waves were pretty teenie but catchable so we stuck around for a couple of hours. It was nice to have the beach to myself to take some photos right off the start, while the sun was coming up behind me shedding the first light on the surfers in front of me. Josh and Jared rode a few in while I warmed up and got ready for the chilly morning paddleif nothing else. Thanks to 77 degree water and rashie’s I got in and was able to work on my pop-up which has been failingly slow.
At 9am sharp we were scheduled to head out on a road trip around the island, only we were delayed slightly due to number of people and slow surfers returning to the condo. It was a long day in the van, cramped with 7 adults, but a scenic drive nontheless. We made a number of photo-op stops at Hookipa to watch surfers, other lookout points, and some waterfalls along the windey road. Some of us enjoyed the nauseating bumps of the rolling hills along the drive. Wee. Eating lunch in the car took some forethought due to the nature of the tight corners, and unpredictable stops to let passing cars through.
Car snoozes were not an option I found out, along the gravel pot-holed road coupled with horribly constructed cattle gates jarring your teeth at random intervals. We managed to plunge through the entire stretch with no one vomiting, after threats from the boys that it would be photographed. My decubitus ulcer (pressure sore on tush) has mostly healed after a few hours of not sitting and letting my bum skin breathe. Also kidding. Please note, vans are made for small childrens’ bums, shoulders, and backs and however convenient, are not comfortable.