Hi! We got up and out early to head to Hana on the other side of the island. We were told that going to Hana is all about 'the road to Hana'.. the trip and not the destination. Since we were up early, we figured we'd get an early start to beat traffic. Ha! Ok, so tourism is the top business on Maui, so the idea of beating traffic is pretty funny, actually.
We stopped at the Shell gas station at the Hana road turnoff to get snacks and the CD that points out things to see on the trip. We set off, and drove through Paia town, which I described yesterday as the surfing capital here, and home of the hippies. On a sign on the way into town, there is a sticker that says 'please don't feed the hippies'.. it's pretty obscured with other stickers, but we saw it! We drove a while then stopped at a road stand for our first lookout point and some fresh fruit smoothies. Yum! When we went down to the lookout, we found 'dogface', a cute boxer/pit dog who was quite shy. Lorrayne got a piece of banana bread (think: HUGE!) and dogface sat there staring at her. She even said 'oh, I don't think you'll like this..' and the girl who worked at the stand laughed. So I, of course, fed him a piece, that he gobbled down, then he continued to do his best 'sad puppy' face for more (which he got, of course!)
The view was very nice of the greenery and the ocean in the far distance. We then set off. When this road is described as windy, well, that doesn't give it justice. There were several hairpin turns where the speed limit is 10 mph. This would have been SO much fun to drive in my car! There are also a lot of areas that are only one car-width, especially over the small bridges that run by streams and waterfalls. There are supposed to be 600 turns in the road, and 40 bridges, though the guy on the CD said he's unsure if that's been validated! Sounds about right, though.
It drizzled much of the day which, given that we were in the rainforest wasn't a big surprise. The waterfalls had plenty of water rushing through them, which was beautiful. We saw the ocean off in the distance for a good bit of the trip. Stopped at a little state park for a hike-- which we thought might lead to another waterfall but nope! It was a nice hike anyways. We meandered over the winding road past many waterfalls, and rose until we got really majestic views of beaches and cliffs, all covered with thick and lush green vegetation.
The drive takes 2 and-a-half to three hours and offers some of the most breathtaking views I've seen. When we got to Hana the skies opened with a major deluge, which made it hard to drive. We drove a bit further but realized that our time in Hana was being washed out, so we decided to turn around to head back. We'll have to wait for a black sand beach on the big island!
We stopped at a roadside stand as we were tempted by a sign with fish tacos, but they weren't open. We snacked on some toasted coconut then headed back. When we got to Paia, we took our guide from yesterday, Kate's, recommendation to try the Paia Fish Market. Not what we expected, it was absolutely packed and had a counter where you order, and crammed tables and benches. We each got two of the yummiest fish tacos, then walked around the town a bit to check out the stores.
We decided to head back then and sat out by the pool for a bit, before showering to get ready for dinner.
we got a dinner recommendation from out hotel and headed out to lahaina. We drove through the town, which is a Mecca of tourism and found the place. Right on the water, the location was perfect. And there was a luau at the place next door called the fires of pele. The women wore two-foot high headresses which were impressive! Dinner was really god. Lorrayne got mahi mahi with local greens, avocado, onion, goat cheese and macadamia nuts. I got seared ahi with daikon, mushrooms and greens. Both were good and my ahi melted in your mouth, but my dish was incredibly salty.
We stopped in a shop and got a few things. I got my magnet- I seriously wonder if this one will take down my fridge!! Headed back to the hotel. I got a Mai tai and sat by the pool for a bit and watched the beautiful and graceful hula dancer. We met her a couple of days ago. In her sixties, she looked twenty years younger. Her hair went past her butt, and she is slim and graceful. She shared how much she loves her job and that she has been doing it for over 25 years.
Lorrayne was up today before five. I tried so hard to stay asleep but no luck. We head over to Lahaina harbor at 6:30 to Catch a raft to our snorkeling. We're both excited for that. I've never swam with dolphins, and we were told that they are common on this trip. Just hoping the wind dies down a bit so it's not too choppy!
Cheers!
Sam
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