Maui, Day 3-7

So, it’s been kinda too awesome to spend time at the computer writing about it. 🙂 We are posting photos to our Hawaiian Vacation album on Flickr. Yes, you can be jealous. It is _that_ gorgeous. Everywhere we look, every single view, is like a postcard picture. It is soooooo beautiful.

A quick recap of the past few days. Day 3, Monday, started out early on the beach. A couple hours snorkeling, sunbathing and dozing on the beach. By late morning, we were ready for a second breakfast/early lunch. But back at the apartment, Igor wasn’t feeling well. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was the jet lag, maybe it was lungs full of seawater. Whatever it was, thankfully it passed within the day, but we spent the rest of Monday taking it easy inside.

Tuesday, Day 4, we decided to stay off the beach for a day and instead do some driving/exploring. We set out about 6:30am for the eastern side of the island, to the beginning of the 50ish-mile drive around the south-eastern rim of the lower part of Maui. I didn’t exactly realize it was 50-ish miles just for the tour route, plus another 50 to get to the start and 90 to get back to Lahaina from the end point. 200 miles for a day trip may not sound extreme, but considering a “highway” on Maui means a 1.5 lane road squeezed between a rock and a drop, where the average speed is 25-30 mph, not to mention all the stops to take in the amazing scenery and nature, 200+ miles takes a LONG time. Like 14 hours. Let’s just say, that’s not quite what I was expecting when we set out at 6:30 in the morning. By 2ish, I was really tired, and ready to head home, no matter how awesome the next scenic spot would be. Then I looked at the map and realized we were at the furthest-most point on the island from our apartment. A quick calculation and I realized it would take at least 4 hours to get home. Yikes! So, we refueled (ourselves, not the car since there was no gas station for miles around, good thing we started the day with a near-full tank!), and debated which way to go. The GPS wanted to take us back the way we had come, which was a lovely route but I just couldn’t face that drive again. Ahead, not knowing what to expect? The printed map had a note that parts of the road were unpaved and quite desolate. That doesn’t scare us, we live in Ukraine! So forward we went. The road was as narrow, even narrower in many places, and definitely unpaved and desolate much of the way, but we got to see a completely different eco-system on the island. We went from tropical jungle to black sand beach to dry steppe with sheer cliffs – cattle land, actually. We even got stuck in a cow “traffic jam”, so much like rural Ukraine! 🙂 It was harrowing at times, but stunning views the entire time. We stopped for a quick dinner in the town of Lahaina (no one had any intention of cooking after that hell of a day), and finally got back to the apartment around 8:30pm. Wow! What a day! Waterfalls, tropical jungles, black sand beaches….

On Wednesday, the last thing I wanted to do was get in the car. We did take a quick drive to a nearby farmer’s market for fresh fruit and veggies, and discovered the awesomeness that is papaya! What a difference it makes to have a fruit in its native climate. So delish! And the pineapple! Oh, incredible. The rest of Wednesday was spent on the beach, then grilling, then relaxing on the patio. Perfect day.

Since we again got a bit too much sun on Wednesday, we decided to do some touring again on Thursday. We decided to go to the smaller, nearer volcano, Iao Valley. It was an easy drive, and not quite as exciting as we had anticipated, but lovely. We didn’t get anywhere near the volcano crater, but the Iao State Park was worth the visit. Then we just looked in the GPS for another “attraction” nearby and ended up at Maui Tropical Plantation. It’s a toursity place, but we had a nice time and got some nice gifts and souvenirs. Overpriced, but hey, it’s vacation. We went to Mama’s Fish House for a late lunch, because a friend recommended it. The food was amazing, and the mai tais even better. 🙂 Then we putzed around in Kahului for a bit at various shops. Our underwater camera up and died on Wednesday, which is super sad ’cause underwater is as stunning as above here, and we thought to get a new one. No such luck, not a single underwater camera in stock at the 3 stores where one would expect to find them! Such a bummer. Back to the apartment for a late afternoon swim with the turtles, dinner from the grill and homemade mai tais, and collapse into bed, exhausted, around 8:30. This is a great life.

Today, Friday, was again an early start. Nothing like a 13-hour time difference to make waking up at 4:30am a regular habit! The real benefit is watching the beautiful sunrise around 5/5:30 every morning. The farmer’s market opened at 7, so I made a quick trip for fresh supplies of pineapple, papaya, and veggies for the grill this weekend, then we went to the beach! Amazing snorkeling today, crystal clear water and TONS of colorful and frisky fish! Oh for an underwater camera! We even saw a sea turtle relaxing under the edge of the coral reef. So cool! Back to the apartment around 10:30 for second breakfast/early lunch, and Igor made a new variation on the mai tai theme (’cause he can’t help but “improve” on any recipe) which we dubbed Tropical Bandera (Ukrainians will get the joke). Wow, does his version of the cocktail ever pack a wallop! Not exactly a light lunchtime beverage. We had booked massages for the afternoon, which was exactly what we needed after the long flights, not to mention the 14-hour car day on Tuesday!

Now we are just chilling a bit, relaxing until we go for a luau dinner. The masseuse, a Swede who’s lived on Maui for about 6 years, said we booked at a good place, and she recommended some other good excursions, restaurants and farmers markets. I think I’d happily stay here forever!

Maui, Day 2

Rainbows!! Enormous rainbows!

Day 2 was about 3 and a half days long. Jet lag and the 13-hour time difference from Kyiv really got the best of both of us today. We were awake at 3am, watched the stars, tried to sleep some more, got up when the birds starting rousing and watched the sunrise around 5:00/5:30. Had breakfast of pineapple and cherries (YUM), Kona coffee (YUM) and were on the beach by 7:00. The water was a bit rougher this morning, and thus cloudier from sand swirling in the water. We could see lots of fish, but the photos didn’t turn out so great. Looks like late afternoon is the best time for good underwater photography, when the sea turtles come in for dinner and the water is calmer. Note to self!

Our beach is in a nice cove, so the water in general is calmer and the waves not very big. Some guys are surfing here, but I think they are beginners and using the quiet water to learn and practice. It’s pretty cool to watch them standing on those thin boards and paddling out to sea! One guy was practicing turning around on the board today, hopping a quick 180, reminded me of a ballet dancer spinning in the air. 🙂

After about an hour in the water, I was feeling pretty tired. Although the waves are not hard, there is definitely a constant current that keeps you working. The water is not very deep, we can see the bottom all the time, but you do have to work all the time to stay in place or to not drift too far. It is more tiring work than I expected.

By 8:30 I was ready for a more substantial breakfast than just fruit. So I left Igor at the beach and drove 1/2 mile to the local grocery store. I putzed around, got some different salads from the deli, steak for Igor, salad fixins and general supplies for 2-3 days, in hopes of being able to stay put in our little slice of heaven for a few days. Back in the apartment by 9:30, fridge stocked and just starting to wonder if I should go get Igor – lo and behold he shows up on the patio! Looking happy but whipped. We had some lunch (breakfast?) and by 10:30 I was ready for a nap. We’d already put in a full day, and the day was just starting! Igor laughed at me, but within an hour he was deep asleep, too.

I got up around 2pm, sat on the patio – oh how I never tire of that beautiful sound of the waves rolling in, the birds chirping, the breeze caressing the palm trees. I enjoyed the quiet peacefulness for a few hours by myself. Our apartment is on the first line, 10 feet from a small ridge that drops about 10 feet down to the rocky shore. Nothing between us and the view. Heaven.

Finally at 5pm I nudged Igor awake. We had a delicious dinner of salmon fillets from the deli (in a super tasty local sauce, gotta get a recipe!), a big salad, sourdough bread (my favorite!!!) and fresh fruit for dessert. Then off to the beach for an evening swim with the turtles! I forgot my camera this time, so no photos, but something tells me we’ll have lots of photos in the 11 days to come. After about an hour, we came back to the apartment, cleaned up, and had a drink in our “backyard”. We pulled the chaise lounge chairs right up to the edge of the ridge above the rock beach and watched the sunset. Gorgeous!!

The days are about 14 hours long, I mean there is sunlight from about 5/5:30 in the morning until about 7/7:30 at night. Quite a difference from the super long days we have in Kyiv this time of year, when the sun comes up around 4/4:30am and sets around 10/10:30pm. But it seems just right here. 🙂

After it was dark, we went for a walk around our complex. It’s not a very big complex, we purposefully picked a smaller place because we didn’t want to be around hordes of people. And it’s still early in the season, so only about half of the units are even occupied, which is even better from our perspective! The apartment buildings are 2 floors, with up and down units, everyone has a patio (first floor) or balcony (second floor). Other than the building right on the ocean front, the rest are built around a lovely green yard with lots of aromatic and colorful flowering trees and bushes. Every unit’s patio or balcony opens to this lovely, quiet space. We enjoyed the walk around, and appreciated the beauty of the complex, but have no regrets we splurged for the ocean view! There are also two small swimming pools in the complex, and one has an adjacent hot tub. There are also 2 grill stations available for residents, with 3 gas grills at each station. Igor’s going to try his hand at it one of these evenings! He’s always grilled on wood or charcoal, but I’m sure he’ll master the gas grill with his usual cooking prowess.

Back at the apartment by 8:30, I was ready for a bite to eat. We sat under the stars on the lounge chairs, sipped our drinks and nibbled on snacks. I laid my chair down flat and marveled at the sky. Big Dipper, Little Dipper and Orion are the only constellations I can easily pick out, and I quickly found the first two among the billions of pin pricks of light in the black velvety sky. The thin sliver of the new moon impressed us with its bright light – incredible how much natural light there is at night when there is so little artificial light interfering with your eyes! The moonlight made a bright and clear path along the ocean surface, so beautiful!

We feel asleep in our lounge chairs, lulled by the gentle ocean. At some point Igor nudged me awake to go inside, it was drizzling (more like misting, hardly noticeable). He was up again at 3am, and I heard him get a snack and go to sit on the patio under the stars again. I slept more-or-less through the night, finally go up at 6 to make coffee and sit on the patio with the breakfasting birds. Day 3 is beginning. It’s going to be a good day.

Maui, Day 1

Oh my god, it’s utterly amazing. It’s exactly like I dreamed, but didn’t believe it could be real.

We swam with sea turtles this afternoon.

We watched the sunset behind the next island.

We woke up at 3:00am and laid under the stars. Stars like I have never seen before.