I am sitting at the patio table on a lanai that adjoins our Airbnb condo in Kihei, Maui. The time is 8:41 pm. Let me tell you that Maui did not disappoint. I have been to the Big Island of Hawaii, Kauai, and now Maui. Maui definitely takes the prize for beautiful beaches. From our condo in Kihei, we are within 15 minutes drive to at least 10 white sand beaches. Today, we made our third visit to my personal favourite, Makena Beach. You know, when you wake up at six in the morning, you can pack a lot into a day and believe me, we have packed many experiences into the last 12 days.
Some of the highlights have been:
1. We traveled the famous Road to Hana, approximately 45 miles of narrow highway along the east coast of Maui. The road features dozens of switchbacks, one lane bridges, waterfalls, lush rainforest, sandy beaches, and steep cliffs. This is an all day journey because maximum speed is 15mph and there are many interesting places to stop along the way at view points, waterfalls, food stands, and beaches.
2. We drove to the northwest end of the island past the cities of Lahaina and Kapalua. There are two impressive blow holes on the north coast. The road is very steep and requires "white knuckle " driving, but the scenery is magnificent.
3. Today, we had a tour that started in Paia, at sea level, where we parked our car and hopped in a van that delivered his to 6000 foot elevation point on Haleakala Crater, Maui's highest mountain/crater. The tour company provided us with special bikes with drum brakes. We coasted down switchbacks and mountain highways back to our car in Paia. It took us about two hours to descend the mountain. Almost no pedalling was needed.
4. One day we rented bikes in Kihei and biked about 20 miles to the southwest corner of Maui. We stopped at beaches along the coast and saw the huge lava flows south of Makena Beach. We were totally bagged (but happy) after the journey because there were some steep hills to ascend.
5. Another thrill was traveling to Ho'okipa Beach on the north east coast. Ho'okipa Beach is where some of the best surfers in the world display their skills. There are usually high winds in the area so one area of the beach is occupied by windsurfers who reach some insane speeds on their boards. Remarkably, there are people of all ages surfing. We met a young lady in the parking lot who looked no older than 12. She was out on the massive waves with the rest of the surfers.
Most of our times was spent reading, sunbathing, picnicking, snorkeling, and swimming at various beaches.
Some observations of Maui are as follows:
1. Prices are ridiculously high. Beef is 24$ US per pound. Gas is $5.15/Gallon. Restaurant meals are expensive even when you are only ordering pub food or food truck meals. Fortunately, there is a Costco so we indulged in the good old $5 rotisserie chicken more than once. The one thing that is reasonably priced is booze.
2. There are chickens everywhere. Our friend Rusty the Rooster started crowing around 5 am everyday.
3. Most of the people we have met are Canadians, usually from Vancouver and Victoria.
4. The vegetation here is phenomenal. There is incredible variety. Even the weeds and the brambles have beautiful flowers.
5. The two main craters/mountains on the island are always shrouded in clouds.
6. The neigbouring islands such as Lanai and Molokai are easily viewed from the western coast. Lanai is only a nine mile ferry ride from Lahaina on the western shore of Maui.
7. The temperature was 30-32 degrees Celsius every day. Mornings were calm in Kihei. Winds would pick up by noon and usually abated around 7 pm. No need for pants, long sleeve shirts, socks, or jackets on this trip.
But alas, we only have two days left on Maui. We have heard the reports of winter storms in Saskatchewan and we know that the forecast for our day of return is a high of minus 14 degrees Celsius. We realize how privileged we are to have wonderful adventures in beautiful places like Maui and we are thankful. We look forward to seeing our family and friends and getting back to routine. Life is good.
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