Maui

A few weeks ago my mom, my friend Mary and myself went to Maui. It was somewhere I dreamed about going to for many years. Last year I told my mom we were going to go (whether she wanted to or not). She caved. We planned it over a year ago. It was everything I hoped it would be...and more.

Flight there: Ugh...long. Very long. But so worth it. We flew to LAX first. Who knew there was only one restaurant there? Weird. We took our sweet time eating because we had a two hour layover. We then headed over to the gate (the gate number that was on our plane ticket and marquee). I got a funny feeling about the gate and time, so my mom went to double check. Yep, we were at the wrong gate. We ran over to the correct gate and were the last to board! It reminded me of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Needless to say, we made it onto the correct flight. Yay us!

We landed: We got to Maui around 10pm (3 am STL time...) We were pooped. The car rental place took a little long (computers down...stupid technology). We then headed on about a 30 minute drive to our condo. Finally made it and we passed out.

Maui: Beautiful! The weather was absolutely perfect. Sun shines bright and early and NO humidity! We learned that all of the beaches are public. We also noticed there was little to no trash anywhere. That is pretty awesome. We learned from some locals that everyone takes care of the island. They want to keep it beautiful all of the time. Who can blame them. We also met quite a few people who left everything behind and moved there. They have no regrets and are truly happy...I have begun researching jobs in Hawaii....

Beach outside of our condo

Snorkel fun: We went on two snorkel tours. Both were through The Pacific Whale Foundation, which is a really good cause. The first tour we went on was the Monokini and Lanai Snorkel. It was amazing! It was also a small group...about fifteen people and about a seven hour day (don't worry, they provided food). We made about three stops for snorkeling. The water was very choppy on the first stop. The water calmed down at the second and third stop. We saw so many beautiful and interesting fish. Even a little shark. He was afraid of us. We even ran into a group of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins. We learned that they sleep with only half of their brain. Why you ask? Well, they use the other half of their brain to come up for air. They eventually woke up and, you guessed it, jumped out of the water and spun in the air for us! Sadly, I did not get any pictures of their talents.

Monokini



The second tour we went on was much more crowded. Probably fifty or more people. We preferred the smaller crowd from the first trip. This one was lovely too, but basically saw the same things. But hey, a boat ride is always fun!

Helicopter Tour: Let me just say, this is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. I am very afraid of heights, but I didn't get scared at all. It almost feels like a dream. You feel like you're floating and go through clouds. I highly recommend doing a helicopter tour while you're in Hawaii.

Views from the Helicopter

 

Mama's Fish House: Anyone who has been to Maui knows all about Mama's Fish House. It is pretty pricey, but it is well worth it! The area where the restaurant is located is incredible. Most people probably go to dinner here, but we opted for lunch. We ordered a few appetizers, some kind of delicious guacamole and oysters. And we all ordered the same entrée. For dessert we ordered the black pearl and the hana banana macadamia nut crisp. Delicious. Oh yeah, we got Mai Tai's too. Yummmmmm.

Views at Mama's Fish House

Black Pearl and Hana Banana

Hello Mai Tai

Luau: Everyone has to experience a Luau while they are in Hawaii. And we did just that. Good food and good entertainment. What more could you ask for? We went to a traditional Hawaiian Luau. Fun stories, dancing and fire dancers!

Kicking around: We enjoyed laying out by the pool at our condo and we also explored the beaches. It is fun to just hang around and watch the surfers and paddle boarders. I do plan on going back to Hawaii and would love to learn how to surf. We got sushi at a restaurant called Sansei. It was highly recommended by everyone. It was pretty tasty. We found a really cool store called Banana Wind. They sold really unique things, mainly for your home. One thing I really wanted to do, and I am not really sure why, was make my own leis. I found out that there are several lei making and hula dancing classes....which are geared towards kids. Whatever, I want to do it next time I am there! Maui was incredible. Can't wait to see it again.