Day 9: Our last day in Hawaii

Yesterday was our last day in Hawaii. Since our flight did not leave until 8:50 p.m. and we had to check out of the hotel much earlier, we decided to spend the day around the volcano area. As much as we love snorkeling, we knew we would not be able to shower, so we stayed dry.

The volcano is on the other side of the island from Kona, so we wanted to get an early start. We ate breakfast at the Sheraton, then checked out of the hotel. We left our luggage there so it wouldn't be in the car all day. The drive across the island was beautiful and scenic, and we were constantly reminded of the newness of the island and of its volcanic nature. As the vegetation became more lush and green, it became clear why most of the hotels are on the Kona side of the island, which is much more prone to sunshine.

We stopped on the way at a black sand beach called Punalu'u as we had never seen a truly black sand beach. We saw another beach on Hawaii that was called a black sand beach, but it was more salt and pepper pebbles. This beach was beautiful. The black sand was incredibly sparkly due to the bits of obsidian that make it up. It was so dark that it was hard to tell where the asphalt ended and the sand began. We had read that there would likely be turtles at this beach, and we did indeed see a lot of turtles sticking their heads up out of the water to breathe. Had we put on our snorkel gear, we would have been hard pressed to stay 15 feet away from them, as requested by the sign at the beach.

Next we headed for Kilauea, which is part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We started at the visitor's center, as we had a very small amount of time and wanted to find out what we should do with it. We headed out around the rim of the volcano, stopping at several places for views and photos. At the visitor's center, we read that Kilauea is considered the only active volcano with a drive-through caldera in the world. The lava that is coming out from today's eruptions comes out through rifts in the side, as opposed to out the top.

We stopped at the Thurston Lava Tube, which is no longer active. There is a hiking trail that goes through the forest with unbelievably lush plant growth, and then through the actual lava tube. The contrast of the vibrant green forest against the cold dark lava stone in the tube was breathtaking. There was also a sign showing how the lava tubes work, which we found very interesting. This photo is a view from inside the tube out into the surrounding forest. Below is a photo to show the scale of the plants outside:

After the lava tube, we stopped at a few more lookout points, and at the Jaggar museum, which had a lot of fascinating information about the volcano. The steam vents were very dramatic and unlike anything either of us had seen before. We decided to skip the sulpherous areas of the volcano, as it just didn't seem worth it. After leaving the park, we headed back to Kona. We stopped along the way to get some coffee from one of the small coffee farms we passed. Our intention was to do more shopping in Kona, but to our dismay, we learned that nothing is open on Sunday in Kona.

We had a nice dinner at the Kona Inn Restaurant, and we saw yet another beautiful sunset. We underestimated the time is would take to return the rental car, and we came VERY close to missing our plane. In fact, had the nice family ahead of us not arranged for us to skip ahead by a few familes, we would not have made it. The airline had told us that our luggage might not make it, but we were very relieved to find that it did.

We had a wonderful trip, and although we could have stayed longer, it is nice to be home.

Aloha!

Day 8: Dolphin swim!

We basically came to the big island of Hawai'i just to swim with dolphins. When we began to research it, we saw a lot of opportunities to swim with captive dolphins. Although I'm sure you get physically much closer to them that way, we wanted to swim with wild dolphins. If you think about it, being locked up is the worst punishment we can think of for humans, and the captive dolphins haven't even done anything wrong. What's more, captive dolphins only live about half as long as wild ones.

To our delight, we found a company called Sunlight on Water that took us out on a boat to where the wild dolphins were hanging out, then let us jump into the water with them. At times I was within a foot or two of dolphins! The trip turned out to be everything I had hoped it would. The sounds that the dolphins were making under water were so ethereal, and they move so gracefully. We swam with the dolphins several times, and I will never forget the experience. I see dolphins a lot while walking on the pier back home in Huntington Beach, and swimming with them was a dream come true.

The crew were all very knowledgeable, and clearly were interested in making sure that we had a good time. There was a videographer there, so we ordered a copy of the video. She was really good at staying with the dolphins as they moved, and at one point she took my hand and helped me to get right in the middle of them. We even saw some dolphins mating underwater, and Bill saw a baby nursing. Wow! After several sessions in the water with the dolphins, we all got back into the boat and prepared to return to the dock. As we started back, a huge pod of dolphins was playing and showing off near our boat. They were jumping out of the water and spinning in the air (I guess that's why they call them spinner dolphins.)

After the dolphin trip was over, we went back to the Sheraton and played in the pool, going down the huge waterslide several times. We took a much needed nap, and eventually went out to dinner at a place called "O's Bistro", which was recommended by both the videographer from this morning, and our guide book. The food was phenomenal, and the ambiance of the little restaurant was cozy and warm.

As usual, the view from our balcony is beautiful:

Day 7: On to the Big Island

We bid a sad farewell to Maui today. We were only there a week, but we fell in love. It was a short flight to the big island of Hawaii, which has an even smaller airport than Maui. Coming in on the plane, we could see that the the entire airport is surrounded by and built on lava rock. We had heard that this island was newer than the others, and it's really apparent that there has not been time for erosion. While Maui had normal-looking soil, Hawaii has huge chunks of lava everywhere.

We really enjoyed having a condo while we were in Maui, and we got a lot of use from the kitchen and the washer/dryer. And yet, although the condo was nice, staying at a plush hotel is a different kind of sweet. It's actually a treat to be forced to eat every meal out, at least for a little while. We had reserved a room at the Sheraton for this part of our trip, mostly based on reviews on tripadvisor.com. As soon as we got here, we saw why it was rated so highly. The hotel is elegant and graceful, and it doesn't seem nearly as big as we expected. The landscaping is beautiful, and of course the view of the coast is incredible. It's a nice change to be at a resort. When we were checking in, the woman confirmed that we had reserved a partial ocean view room. Bill commented that if she wanted to upgrade us to a full ocean view at no extra charge, we wouldn't complain. Without a word, she upgraded us to a more deluxe room. Sweet!

The room we got is spacious, comfortable, and has a really nice bed (one of Sheraton's selling points.) In addition to having a beautiful ocean view from a very large balcony, we also have a private lanai that we walk through to get to our door. This private front patio has gorgeous views of the garden, grounds, and mountains in the distance. I have never stayed in any hotel room that included private outside areas on both sides of the room, but I could get used to this. Here is part of the view from our front lanai:

After swimming in the pool at the resort, which wraps around the buildings and includes a lava rock waterfall and a huge slide, we got a recommendation for dinner. We went to a place called Keei Cafe. It was easy to see why the restaurant was so highly regarded. The decor was classy and understated, and the food was fresh and inventive. It looked like about half the people there were locals, and the fish was delicious. We took our waiter's suggestion for all courses, and were not disappointed. They don't take credit cards, so we had to get cash on the way. But yum! It was the best food so far, with the exception of Roy's in Kihei.

Of course, there was a beautiful sunset over the water, which we are becoming accustomed to. I realize that we have sunsets over the water all the time at home, but they have more clouds here, which makes for a more spectacular sunset. Tomorrow is our dolphin swim, which is the whole reason we came to the big island.

Aloha!

Day 6: Turtles and parasailing

We set off this morning hoping to find turtles, and we did. We went to a few beaches just south of our condo in Kihei, and although there were not as many fish as we have seen at some Maui beaches, there were some pretty corals and, of course, the aforementioned turtles. First we saw a juvenile which was about 1/2 the size of the other (presumably adult) turtles we have seen. One of the beaches had the biggest snails either of us has seen. We spent about 30-45 minutes at each beach, and we ended up at Chang's Beach. We could not believe how soft the sand was there - it felt almost like flour, except it didn't stick to us. At Chang's beach we almost immediately saw a very large turtle, the largest we have seen yet. It was in such shallow water that we not only got pictures of the turtle, we got pictures with the turtle.

Satisfied with our turtle experiences, we went home to shower and change. We had a parasailing reservation at 2, so we headed up to Kaanapali for that. Neither of us had ever been parasailing before, and it was a rush! It's a good thing we wanted to go up together, as Pi didn't weigh enough to go alone (it's been a while since that happened!) It was so quiet and lovely up there. We were on an eight hundred foot line, so we were way up above everything. We did take some pictures with the same reloadable waterproof 35mm camera we used for the turtle pics. We met a really nice couple from Los Alamitos who got married the same day we did, and they were nice enough to take pictures of us while we were parasailing:

After parasailing, we did some shopping, then we tried to go to north to Kapalua to check some beaches between Lahaina and Honolua Bay that we had not yet vistited. On the way there, we saw what was without a doubt the birghtest, widest, and lowest rainbow of our lives. We got some shots, where it literally looks like it is sitting in the treetops or perhaps on the roof of nearby buildings. As it happened, when we got to Kapalua we asked some departing divers about conditions, and were told it was poor, with perhaps five feet visibility. We decided to go somewhere we knew had good fish and potentially turtles...

We went back to Black Rock. When we got there, we decided to change the film in our waterproof camera, as we only had a few shots left. We tried to rewind the film, but apparently the film had broken, so we exposed and destroyed all of the pictures when we opened the camera. We were heartbroken to have lost our "big turtle" pictues from Chang's, so we bought a professional turtle picture to remind us of the day.

We also did some additional shopping in Lahaina and caught another beautiful sunset. After that, it was back home to Kihei for some food and packing.

Day 5: Trip to Lana'i with Trilogy

Today we went on our scheduled trip to Lana'i, a small island (13 miles by 17 miles) off the west coast of Maui. Lana'i was purchased almost entirely by Jim Dole (of Dole Pineapple fame) in the 1920s, and was used to grow pineapple until 1993. Although there is no more pineapple growing there (having moved to Central America), the island is almost completely undeveloped, with only a couple of hotels. It is not as lush and green as the other Hawaiian islands, but it has good snorkeling and diving. We decided to do this trip instead of Molokini, which we have heard is terribly crowded. Trilogy is the only charter company that is allowed to take people onto the island of Lana'i, so it was not at all crowded.

We went out on a large (65') catamaran called the Trilogy I. They served us delicious cinnamon rolls soon after we set out, and wraps (tuna, turkey, or chicken) when we neared Lana'i. We had a very large pod of dolphins with us part of the way, which was exciting for everyone on board. The dolphins seemed really playful, keeping pace with our boat, swimming just off the bow, and coming really close. One even did a flip for us! We see dolphins all the time, living in Huntington Beach, but it was still a treat to see them so close. As with the other tours we've been on, we met some really nice people from all over the place.

We spent the day on Lana'i snorkeling. We decided to skip the van tour of the island, as well as the raft tour of the coast, in favor of more time at the beach. There is an incredibly large reef in the bay we visited. We saw a lot of fish, including what were by far the largest parrotfish we've seen yet. Our captain, who seemed very knowledgable, explained that parrotfish is a delicacy among the Hawaiians, so they spear fish them. Since we were in a preserve, there was no spear fishing permitted, thus the fish are able to grow large without ending up on someone's plate.

Trilogy fed us well and often, and all of the crew members were friendly, helpful and knowledgable. I remember reading about them when I was comparing Molokini trips, and they really lived up to their reputation. Their snorkel gear was of much higher quality than we expected, and we reallly didn't need to bring our flippers or masks. I was glad we had our actual snorkels, as we have the kind that doesn't let water in even when we dive. I was a little afraid that I might get seasick, as I am generally somewhat queasy on boats. In this case I was fine, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. I had put on a scopalamine patch on the way out, and I felt great. The way back was expected to be a lot more bumpy, and since I had worn my patch in the water, I took a Zofran just in case. Thanks to my precautions, I had a wonderful trip, and was able to enjoy the ride. Even had I not been so prepared, Trilogy had various things to help with seasickness.

On the way back, the Trilogy crew turned off the motors so we could sail for as long as there was wind. We had beautiful views of Maui, and we eventually saw a gorgeous sunset. This was the first day we dedicated to a single activity, and we both felt it was a fine way to spend a day. There is a lot more we could say about this trip, and all of it would be positive, but we are really read to call it a day and get some rest.

Day 4: Mostly snorkeling

My back was sore from the zip lines (still totally worth it, though!) so we took it easy today. We slept in, then headed north for more snorkeling.


We wanted to go to a meeting at noon, so we decided to try snorkeling at the little beach (Hanakao'o) just north of where the meeting would be. We were the only people at the beach, so we were alone in the water with many fish. As we explored the coral-covered lava rock, we saw a turtle in the shallow water. As we approached, we realized that there was another, even larger turtle as well. The larger one was at least twice the size of the one we saw yesterday. We were so excited to have them all to ourselves, but I scared them away by getting too close. Bill did manage to snap some pictures, but we won't have those until we get the film developed from our waterproof camera. In the interim, here is what those beautiful creatures look like (not our photo):




We caught our meeting on the beach (a lot like home at H2, but not on the sand... closer to the water though!) and met a really great group of people. After that, we headed to the strip mall where we met for the zip line tour (from Monday) and parked the car to catch a shuttle down to Black Rock again. This time, we entered through the premises of the Sheraton, pretending (to ourselves only) to be guests. This time we went out futher along and around the point, and were rewarded with a lot of fish, but sadly no more turtles. As we headed back, we found a Jamba Juice cup floating in the water (!) so we made sure to grab it and take it out with us. We used the hotel shower to rinse off, headed back to the strip mall for lunch (same place that catered the zip line tour) before going north to take some pictures of Honolua.

Here is some more about Honolua Bay: It is a little way down from the road, and the path winds through a lush, green jungle. When we went on Monday, we were a little behind a couple of people when heading down, and when we were almost there, the man was walking back complaning that he was not allowed to go spear fishing! Honolua is part of one of only two ecological preserves on the entire island, and is a well known site for snorkeling, so we were shocked that he had brought a spear with him. We were glad that he had been straightened out, though.

Today, after taking some pictures of the jungle surrounding the path to the bay, we headed home, stopping at a couple of lookout points to take photos along the way. It's incredible how many picture-perfect spots there are here in Maui. Seeing how blue the ocean is here really makes us aware of how dirty and grey the water is in southern California. After a shower and (in Bill's case) a nap, we went to dinner at Roy's, which was sublime. The food there is really great, whether you're at the Roy's in Newport Beach or in Kihei. Somehow, it seems to fit a little better in Hawaii. The waitress took a picture of us:

We're looking forward to tomorrow, when we have a charter trip to Lana'i.

Day 3: Fish, Zips, and Shaking Hips

We knew we needed to be in Kaanapali at 11 for our zip line trip, and since that is quite a distance from our place in Kihei, we decided that it would be a good time to hit some of the snorkeling beaches in that area before they got crowded. We started today with an early trip to Honolua, which seems to be widely regarded as one of, if not the, best snorkel spots on the island. We did, indeed, see a lot of fish, both in variety and numbers. At several points we saw a whole huge school of fish, and once we got close enough for one to bite me (Pi). Honolua doesn't have a sandy beach, and it is tricky getting over the slippery rocks and into the water. Pi went in on her butt, while Bill walked very very carefully. Honolua has no showers, so we drove to another beach to rinse off before our zip line trip.


They almost didn't let us go on the zip line trip because of the cane, as they were afraid that I couldn't do the walk. We talked them into it, and we are both so glad we did. While we were waiting to start our trip, we got to know the other participants. There were three honeymoon couples, including us, and a pair of sisters, with two young women who were the daughter of one of them. The women were all from Texas, and all of us got along great. The drive up was extremely bumpy, and that was before they loaded us into the six-wheel-drive German army vehicle for the last leg. Our guides were experience, energetic, and hilarious. The first zip line had me ever-so-slightly terrified, but Bill went first out of the whole group, which reassured me enough to go next.


The zip lines were FUN!! The eight lines ranged from 450-1000 feet long, and all of them were high above forested land, with beautiful views of the ocean. It was such a rush. Suffice it to say that we strongly recommend this activity for anyone who has the chance. If you don't have the chance, you should try to make it possible, as this is a must and should be on everyone's list of things to do before they die. We took some videos, but only one turned out really neat, although it's obviously my very first time shooting a video with our new camera. We have uploaded the video of Bill on a zip line to YouTube:



Everybody involved in our zip line trip was great, from the employees to the other zippers. It was said more than once that we felt like a big family, and we were talking constantly. The man who drove us back, Carlos, said that he had never seen a group with that much energy on the way back. Maybe he says that to everyone, but we did have really good rapport. Pi's back was pretty sore after that trip. The actual zip lines weren't especially hard, but the extremely bumpy nature of the ride up and back were tough. Even today, it's more sore than it has been on the rest of the trip, but yesterday was fun enough to be totally worth it. It just means that parasailing will have to wait until Thursday instead of tomorrow, which will be more focused on snorkeling and other low-impact activities.

After the zip lines, which included lunch in the middle, we were filthy. Since we had tickets to a luau at the Royal Lahaina Hotel, and it would be too far to go home and shower and change, we needed to rinse the dust off. We went to Black Rock, which was much touted on tripadvisor.com for snorkeling. We saw fish almost immediately, even though the water was pretty crowded. The whole side of the beach was rocky and covered with coral, which attracted a lot of fish. As we swam out, we saw a green sea turtle. It was one of the most amazing, graceful creatures either of us had ever seen. We were both able to get close enough to touch it, and it hung out for a some time. There were quite a few people around, including a number of children, but it was a enjoyable and memorable nevertheless. Green sea turtles are protected by the state of Hawaii, and we might have gone our whole trip without seeing one in the wild. It's easy to see why everyone was so excited about swimming with the turtle - seeing one moving through the water was unlike anything else.


We showered and made it to the luau on time. We had won a free ticket for one of us at the Pleasant Hawaiian orientation, and we were glad we only had to pay for one ticket. The food was utterly forgettable, although the show was fairly engaging. We did get to enjoy a glorious sunset, as we were right by the beach. There was a nice honeymoon couple from Toronto sitting across from us, and we spent the dinner time talking to them. Aidan, the man, got some video of Bill learning to hula dance, so we're hoping he sends us a copy when they get back home. They have a sixteen day honeymoon and are doing three islands, so we won't know for a while.


We had one nice little surprise today: we had tried this weekend to cancel our trip to Molokini, which was set for tomorrow, but couldn't get a return call within the cancellation time frame. We had already scheduled a trip to Lana'i for Wednesday that we thought would be better, but we had resigned ourselves to doing both. We got a call this morning from the charter company, who said that our trip to Molokini was being cancelled because their boat had broken. Sometimes, things just work out.

Day 2 - Haleakala & Hana

We got up well before dawn this morning at 3 a.m. Even being still adjusted to California time, this was hard, as we were not in bed early last night. Bill made french toast (a good example of why I married him) and we had this amazing low acid pineapple that I wish we could get at home. We dressed in our very warmest gear (still not very warm) and headed out. The road was incredibly twisty and turny, and tricky in the dark. I had half a notion that we would be among the first to arrive at the top, but we got the very last parking spot in the secondary lot. As we approached, the rim of the volcano was already filled with the outlines of the people already there waiting, so we asked a nice couple if we could sit down in front of them. They were very nice about it, and we were able to return the favor by loaning them one of the blankets we had brought from our condo. It was blanket-around-my-head-and-body cold, but Bill seemed ok. He did sit close and keep me warm.

We didn't have long to wait before the first hints of light started to illuminate the clouds filling the sky beyond the rim of the crater. It looked surreal, with little pools of mist falling through into the edge of the crater. The sky was turning beautiful shades of orange and pink beyond the clouds, and soon the clouds straight ahead of us began to glow orange on the top edge. Slowly the glow became brighter and more orange, spreading along the blanket of clouds below us. I guess I should stop here, as words really can't do it justice. I'm not sure pictures can either, at least not amatuer pictures. Suffice it to say that although I am not a morning person, I still considered the two hour (each way) three a.m. trek and the freezing cold to be worth it.

We had the brilliant idea to do the road to Hana the same day as the sunrise, as we were already halfway to the beginning of the road to Hana. What we didn't count on was our desperate need of a nap. We started heading toward Hana, and were in good shape as we were way ahead of the crowds. We stopped at the first site that sounded neat, which was Twin Falls. I didn't read the guide book carefully enough to realize that it was a 20-30 minute hike over rough, hilly terrain. We also had to walk over a few very narrow bridges (maybe a foot.) That was fairly tricky with a cane, though Bill held my hand to steady me. Toward the end, we had to climb over a bunch of randomly shaped, large, slippery boulders. We made it, and the waterfalls were beautiful.

Our next stop was one I had been looking forward to for some time - the Garden of Eden Botanical Garden. We were so exhausted that we parked the car in a shady spot and took a nap before we started exploring. They had a lot of really interesting tropical plants, as well as gorgeous views of the ocean below. We spent a couple hours exploring, and we got some amazing photos of plants and flowers.

From one point in the garden, we could look down on a beautiful waterfall. After we left, we went in for a closer look. Puohokamoa Falls looks like a postcard, and the pool below it was cool and refreshing. It was a bit dicey getting out to the pool, but it was worth it.

From there we went on looking for the black sand beach mentioned in our guide book. We did find a beach with dark sand, but it really wasn't black. At this point I was so tired I didn't even want to go explore the beach, so after Bill went down and took some photos, we headed back toward home.

Bill is going to finish this entry..

Pi was, indeed, tired. The term we use is "nappy" as in "prone to napping". We were only 12 miles or so down the road to Hana, so I anticipated a quick, uneventful drive either home or perhaps to stop for lunch. As we crested a rise, I saw a group of four young women, no older than their 20s, with two standing right at the roadside giving the "hitchhikers sign" quite clearly. My first thought was that their clothes and dress reminded me strongly of my wife when we had run into each other again, over 12 years ago.

I commented to Pi that perhaps we should give them a ride as far as we might have a common path. She said she thought they were joking about wanting a ride, and I was inclined to agree, but I mouthed "do you need a ride?" and they nodded affirmatively. I pulled off and asked them if they in fact needed a lift and in what we would later agree were "very cute French accents" they accepted. I cleared our stuff from the back seats of the rental car, and they discussed with the other two in their group who would go with us in the available seats. The two thumbers ended up getting in, and answered my query about their destination with "Pa'ia". We ended up driving them all the way to the beach to which they were going, apparently to enjoy a free concert.

[Pi inserts: When I saw them, I thought that, in the event they turned out to be the kind of hitchhikers my mom always warned me about, it would be fine, as Bill and I could certainly take them.]

Over the course of the various small talk (they were fluent in English, which is more than I can say of our French skills) we found out these details:

• One was from the French Alps, the other from the south of France near Nice
• Both were on holiday from school for the summer, presumably from university
• They had been here roughly two months so far, and both were returning home in less than two weeks
• They had been working at an "Organic Farm" near where we picked them up and living in tents (!) below the farm, which was apparently owned by a French expatriate who had lived in Maui for twenty years and had numerous French youth come and work for him at the farm in exchange for lodging and perhaps some pay
• They had no cars because it was far too expensive (being under 26, not citizens, etc) but hitched successfully and with regularity

We got them to their destination and let them out. I asked Pi to pose for a picture with them, but she was not up to it at the time. Sadly, we did not get their names nor tell them ours, so they shall remain nameless herein.

From Pa'ia we drove an interesting backroute through cane fields to Kahului and down to Kehei. It was lovely and a road we would certainly not have seen had we not picked up the hitchhikers. Nice how things seem to work out here...

After a short stop at our home base, we got dressed up (at least by Maui standards) and went to dinner at Sarento's, a highly rated restaurant that was recommended to us by a friend from HB (thanks K - Pi). We made reservations to be there at sunset because it has a great view. When we arrived we got a nice booth, which gave an elevated vantage point where we could see over the crowds. As the sun came down and we enjoyed our salad and entrees, we realized the sun would be setting behind Lana'i, amid light clouds clustered near the island. The sunset was lovely, and I was glad we had brought along the camera once again. We also had our waiter snap a photo of us in our finery. In any case, the food, service, and atmosphere at Sarento's was top-notch. We recommend it if you are in the mood for a fine dining experience.

-Bill (and Pi!)

Beginning of our Hawaiian honeymoon

We arrived in Maui from Huntington Beach yesterday. It couldn't be more beautiful here, and we are really happy with the condo that we rented in Kihei. Instead of the many large apartment-style buildings, we have a little one bedroom self-contained pad with a kitchen, washer-dryer, and many amenities of home. There are some really neat birds around the condo, including some small striped birds that look like doves, and based on their presence in parking lots everywhere, they appear to be the Hawaiian equivalent of pigeons (which we haven't seen yet.)

We booked our flight and car through Pleasant Hawaiian using AAA Travel Agency, which saved us a lot of money, and included nice pluses like a flower lei greeting. Of course, nothing says "I'm a tourist" like an orchid lei around your neck. If we were to do it again, we would change to a different car rental place, as Dollar was very slow in picking us up from the airport, and their GPS units are sub-standard. Also, United's planes are the most crowded seats we had ever seen. You could not get out from the window without the other two passengers getting completely into the aisle. Two drinks and a bag of pretzels for a 5 hour flight is also not exactly "showing any love" to your customers.

We started today (our first full day on the island) with an orientation and welcome breakfast from Pleasant Hawaiian. I thought that this would be a waste of time, but they gave us a nice overview of various activity options, and they had discounts on most of them. Because we booked through AAA, we also had two coupons for $30 off an activity. We had a couple of activities already booked, as we had heard that the ziplines and the Molokini trips sell out. We were glad we had done that, as some nice people we met at the orientation tried to book the same zipline trip we were on but it was full. That being said, they were a very nice couple (we did another activity with them today and will likely do others). We did add a few activities this morning through Pleasant Hawaiian, including a trip to Lanai with Trilogy, which is very well reviewed on tripadvisor.com.

After the orientation, we went snorkeling in Wailea beach, which had lots of fish in a protected cove. We brought a book on snorkeling in Maui (Snorkel Maui and Lana'i by Judy and Mel Malinoswski), which has all kinds of information about the best snorkel spots, so we were able to find a good one right near our place. So far, the guidance from this book seems spot on, and we really like the detailed maps and directions to the out of the way locations.

After a shower and lunch, we met our new friends (from the orientation) for the Atlantis submarine cruise. That looked like it could be really fun, but we were very disappointed. I realize that they can't control how many fish you see, but they must know that there really aren't any good fish anywhere unless there is reef or at least rocks on the bottom. My main problem with that trip is that they don't tell you how much time you will spend in a boat - on the way out to the submarine, then waiting for the people on the submarine to disembark, then getting everyone on the sub and waiting to submerge. All they would need to do is say, "people who get seasick might want to take something." But they give no warning, so several of us were feeling a little queasy (or a lot). Once the sub goes under, it's smooth, but there is quite a bit of time before and after that are shaky. Luckily, we were the last trip of the day, so the end was not too bad as we did not have to wait to unload the next group onto the sub while we left. All in all, it just didn't seem worth the money. Parking in Lahaina can also be tricky, as several "public parking" areas are not free, and have strange pricing structures. There is ample free parking to be found, but you will need to look, and check all posted signs as most free parking has a three hour limit. The only redeeming thing about the sub trip was the amazing rainbow we saw strectched across the mountain while we were on the boat waiting for the sub to surface:





After the sub trip, we walked around Lahaina, which has the largest Banyan tree in the Hawaiian islands. Late in the day, the tree is filled with what sounds like a thousand birds all chirping to create a cacophony. Next to the Banyan tree is the Old Lahaina courthouse, which we really wanted to see, as we received an original drawing of it from a friend who used to live in Maui as a wedding gift. There are also a ton of shops, which I enjoyed browsing, despite the fact that Bill really doesn't like shopping. There are also some really amazing galleries, which we had fun looking around in and dreaming about being rich enough to afford.

This was only the first day, and we can't wait to explore more. We were planning to do the sunrise at the top of Haleakala on Thursday, but it was suggested to us that we should do it sooner in the trip, while we're still on California time. Because we need to leave two and a half hours before sunrise to do that, we thought it would be best to do it when 3:35 a.m still feels like 6:35, so tomorrow is sunrise at Haleakala and then the road to Hana. We have heard that will be an ambitious day, but since this is our first real vacation together in 12 years, we're up for anything. If we have the energy, we'll post again tomorrow night.

Aloha!