Maui Trip 2008 Checklist as of 5/29/08

OK, what have we done on this trip? Let's see...

• Golf at Makena South Golf Course (check)



• Spend time at the condo pool reading and relaxing (check)



• Explore Kihei, Wailea, and Makena on the southside (check)



• Luis did the Heleakala sunrise bike ride (check)



• Full day snorkel trip with stops a Molokini and "shark fin" off Lanai (check)



• Dinner at Mama's Fish House (check)



• See and investigate lava tubes (check)



• Road to Hana trip with hike up to falls through Bamboo forest (check)



• See beautiful waterfalls and black sand beaches (check)


• Swim in a pristine secluded tropical pool that we had virtually to ourselves (check)



• Watch the sunset from the beach while enjoying the view and discussing our future together (check)



• Play 18 holes at the Planation Course in Kapalua (check)



• More pool time at the Ritz Carlton (check)



• Cool Luau dinner and show in Lahaina (check)



• Spa treatments at the Ritz (pending)



• Plans to find a little island home for Luby, preferably in Hana (pending)

Stay tuned...

Old Lahaina Luau

Aren't we cute? Spent the morning working on our laptops (yuck!), but rallied by lunch to go down to the pool. Luis brought his laptop an continued to work, but I turned mine off. The weather in Kapalua is definitely different on this part of the island. The wind hasn't stopped blowing since we got here. All in all, Kapalua is beautiful, but I've never been a big wind fan. With some sun by the pool and a few drinks, it still didn't suck.

This evening we went to the "Best Luau on Maui" according to our guide books and have to say we really enjoyed it. It was low on the cheesy factor, the food was pretty good considering the number they had to serve and the show was great. It wasn't your typical... here's the pretty girls dancing and now let's get some of the other yahoos up here to join them and look stupid. This show actually told about Hawaiian history with their dance and was entertaining and informative. Very glad we booked this one. The location is Maui is nice and the sunset was beautiful.

Hike to Waimuku Falls

On Memorial Day we took the hike to Waimuku Falls in the Haleakala National Park. This trail takes you from the ‘Ohe‘o Gulch (aka Seven Sacred Pools) up the Pipiwai trail to this 400 ft waterfall.

So while hiking to a waterfall is cool - it's not exactly a once in a lifetime experience (think Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc.). However, along the way we passed through three bamboo forests. With clouds passing overhead, the trail was almost dark due to the density of the bamboo. Now we're talking once in a lifetime. Also, if bamboo is really as eco-friendly as we hope (?) then we're converts.

On the way down, we swam in one of the pools formed by the waterfall stream (sorry no pics). Also, one for the memory book.

Hana - Luella's idea of Heaven

Once we got to Hana, we found the Bamboo Inn. It was rated pretty well in the guidebooks, so we took the chance. It's a small place with only 3 rooms available to rent. One is a hotel-type room with a bed and small lanai. The other is a small suite that has a separate bedroom and living area, all on ground level. The one they had available for us was the one bedroom, two-story suite with kitchenette. The price was right, so we hoped for the best.

When we drove up no one was around, but there was a notice board with an "ARRIVALS" area. In an envelope were directions to the Naia Suite and the keys. We let ourselves in and within about a minute I decided that this is what heaven will be like when I die. Look at the video and see what I mean. This was exactly what I had hoped all of Maui would be like - comfortable island decor, soft island breezes, the sound of the waves on the beach right outside my door, no noisy traffic, tourists or TV's. We went off to the two stores in all of Hana to pick up supplies for dinner - just the basic necessities: some wine and cheese for happy hour and steaks for grilling later.

I told Luis that if I ever ran away from home, this is where I'd be. A little later I changed it to "when" I run away from home. He exchanged emails with our host, John, just in case he has to track me down some day.

The Road to Hana

After Mass at St. Theresa's, we packed up enough for our overnight trip to Hana. We decided to follow the advice of our many guidebooks and not try to do the trip in one day. I totally agree now that we've done it. Getting there is most of the adventure! We put the top down on the Mustang and headed out - Luis driving and me navigating via mile markers and guidebook maps. The view from pretty much everywhere is amazingly beautiful - whether you looking at the coast and beaches or driving through the tropical countryside. One town (Kahiku) was described in the guidebooks as "plant heaven" or where plants go when they die. Everything is so colorful and lush, you can "almost hear the plants giggling with joy."

There hasn't been enough rainfall this year, so the waterfalls were either underwhelming or nonexistant except for a few, but it didn't put a damper on the journey. At one black rock beach I was totally mesmerized by the sound the rocks made when the waves receded. The water clicked them together and it sounded like they were singing. I just sat their on the beach listening while Luis went exploring.

Luis had me join him in a lava tube (scary for us claustrophobes), but only the entrance was small and dark. It was actually very cool, once we got inside. There was actually a couple inside eating a picnic lunch, so they took this picture.

Oh yeah... and the pulled pork tacos at a roadside stand along the way - the best ever! We stopped there again the next day on our way back to Kihei.

First Communion - Hawaiian Style

Sunday morning we joined the community of St. Theresa's in Kihea for 9:00am Mass. Luis really loved the the island-style Jesus on the crucifix. I loved the children making their first communion along with the rest of the community. Definitely a packed house, but they did a great job. Even with the Hawaiian liturgical dance at the end, Mass was still over by 10:10am.

It was the feast of Corpus Christi and although the pastor wasn't the best public speaker, his message was great. He summed it all up in one word, "potluck." That's what we do - we all come together for a meal and we all bring something special. I loved that!

Haleakela Bike Ride

There are few things that are worth getting up at 1:30 AM. Seeing the sunrise on top of 10,000 ft Haleakela is one of them. The van picked me up at 2:10 AM and I was on the summit by 5:30 AM with Haleakela Bike Tours. After the sunrise, the van took us down to 6,800 ft level and we rode bikes down to sea level (27 miles). This particular tour company lets everyone ride down at their own pace. So in some parts it was screaming downhill and yet I was able to stop for coffee too. Very cool and lots of fun.

Drive for show

There's nothing like a new, hi-tech, oversize driver to improve your drives and enjoyment of golf. That's what happened to Luby. She loved her new TaylorMade driver and boy was she smacking some beautiful drives when we played at the Makena Golf - South Course. The course and the day were spectacular.

Despite our best efforts to goof it up . . .

. . . we made it to Maui. We left late for the airport, didn't allow enough time for traffic, and stopped at Starbucks anyway. The killer, though, was that United Airlines has a separate, long, slow-moving, line for those unlucky saps with paper tickets. "Paper?!?", you ask. "When did you buy the tickets? 1982?" No. We bought the tickets after Aloha Airlines took our money and declared bankruptcy! In the aloha Aloha Airlines rush, all we could get was a 2-stop, multiple airline, fare. And airlines that don't play nice together still issue paper tickets for multi-airline trips. The paper line alone took 60 minutes and it we weren't even close.

Good thing that Luella had the grace to ask Fr. O'Gorman for a blessing before leaving. Because United was able to book us on a direct flight to Maui that arrived more or less at the same time as our original flight. Whew!

So we're here. Condo is nice. Instead of a weather update I will tell you about WiFi coverage - Not too expensive $40/week but they've clearly limited upload speed. Essentially, you can read your email but not reply easily. Ah, the trials of 2008, can't really disconnect, vacationer.

More posts to follow. Aloha. Luis