Lodgings - Big League Style

Today was another slow day – of deliberate choice – and mostly revolving around a significant change in venue. Getting up around seven, Archer and I headed north up the street in Kihei to the Kihei Caffe, where we’d failed to eat yesterday. This time we 

beat the massive line that we knew would form (by minutes it seemed). It was a fun atmosphere, with people moving inside to order and grabbing available seats outside. Things moved quickly overall. We both grabbed a coffee, a P.O.G. (passion fruit-orange-guava juice), and each ordered the Loco Moco, which was WAY more food than we needed. This dish was a bowl of fried rice with a local pulled pork, egg, and brown gravy on top. Unsurprisingly, it was delicious! (and as noted – way too much food). So, we grabbed some boxes and took about half of each meal home to eat for one of our coming mornings.

We walked back to our condo, where we took about two hours to slowly work through all of the “business” that needed to be done. First we cleaned – packing up the place, putting our stuff in our bags, and running some loads of dishes and laundry. Meanwhile, we relaxed outside while completing a journal entry of yesterday and taking some time to read in the sun. While not adventurous, it was necessary and still relaxing, which is sometimes nice.

Around 11 we said “Thanks” to the condo and hopped in the car for the 3-mile drive south to Wailea. As I described yesterday, the scenery in the two towns is significantly different, but also what we’d signed up for. We pulled up to The Grand Wailea, and they promptly took over our luggage and car. We headed inside to check in – but only after Archer and I received our leis, Archer's of fresh flowers and mine of a kind of nut (a Kukui Nut apparently). We checked in, and discovered that we’d been promoted to a “deluxe” (though we weren’t sure how much that changed). Check in went smoothly, but our room was (as expected) not ready, so we decided to explore and grab a pool-side drink.

Our walk around was beautiful. We walked through massive gardens and passed elaborate waterfalls. Our first stop was by a small tiki hut next to a koi pond with three magnificent fish. One was calico, one bright yellow, and the third was orange and white. Our walk took us around an on-grounds chapel and through the pools. We saw the “adults only” pool, the two restaurants, the lazy river, the water slides, etc. We looped passed Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, the seafood and steakhouse we would eat at later, and “roughly completed” our lap of the grounds. We headed back to the central bar called Bistro Molokini. This turned into a combined “happy hour” and small lunch. We started out with a Mai Tai and a Hawaiian 

Gentleman (a lemon and bourbon cocktail) and as delicious as the Mai Tai was, the Gentleman was better. Still waiting on the room, we ordered a second round of Hawaiian Gentlemans and a plate of Ahi Poke Nachos. They were – amazing!

Content with our meal, we had a few supplies to restock on, so we headed next door to the “Shops at Wailea” and found a general store. We picked up some new sunscreen and other fundamentals. We walked around some of the other elaborate art stores. We greatly enjoyed a glass-blowing shop, and as beautiful as everything was, the prices were crazy high and out of our range. We were tempted by a blown bottle-in-waves thing, but that too was higher than we were comfortable with. Before much longer, we received notice that our room was ready.

We headed back to the hotel and found our room – just a short sight from the beach, and unobstructed on the third floor. Officially, we were beach-view in the Chapel Wing. Our room overlooked the chapel and its courtyard, as well as the beach and the ocean. The room itself was plenty spacious and we were excited to be spending a few days here.

We quickly unpacked, changed, and headed out to the pools. On the way, we made sure to step into the ocean – because we are making sure to be touch it every day! 

We spent the next few hours in the lazy river system. We started at the top with a long water slide called the Lava Tube, and decided to actually do it twice. Then, many of the pools are connected by short slides. So, we started at the top and worked our way down. Feeling the need to be completionist with the pools and slides, we had to work through the route a few times before we got everything. Even so, there were a few places more crowded than others, so we’d have to finish off our explorations in the days to come. Our day ended with a weird experience. We found the swim-up-bar pool just as it was about to shut down (which was fine – we weren’t looking for a drink). But, as they shut down the slides, they also drain the pool quite a bit, and it was super strange to feel the water level drop as quickly as it does.

After our swim, we got ready for dinner and headed to Humuhumunukunukuapua’a for a nice dinner. We both dressed up a little extra and felt quite special about it all. Our server, Patrick, was awesome and really helped to make the evening a blast. For cocktails, he immediately recommended one with a Bullet Bourbon base and we simply accepted 2 of those. For dinner, we decided to approach it tapas style, and ordered 4 appetizers to share. We had a Tuna Sashimi (safe but delicious), a Pork Belly with char sui sauce (also fairly safe and also delicious), Seared Scallops with peas in a cream sauce (exactly the quantity and quality I like scallops), and a Breadfruit and Nasturtium “Risotto” (the risk but also possibly our favorite thing). This final dish was a pseudo-pasta made from Breadfruit (I didn’t know that was a thing), with a Nasturtium puree sauce and Parmesan. It was, amazing. We ordered a second round of drinks, again both by recommendation. One was described as a rum-based Old Fashioned and the other was the frothiest, creamiest Mai Tai ever. Again, both astoundingly good. While we were ready to go, Patrick brought us 2 desserts on the house. One was a Passion-fruit sorbet with guava-meringue puffs. The other was apparently a beetroot-red-velvet cake, but was presented with a kind of chocolate mousse that trumped any other flavor and was phenomenal. Dinner as a whole was amazing and we left feeling like we’d eaten the exact perfect amount.

Full in the belly and happy in the head, we headed back to the room and crashed to sleep.

Lounging in Kihei

As we’d hoped for, today was the first of a few more relaxing days on the wonderful island of Maui. Feeling good about our last two days of adventure, we were looking forward to a slower day with some local food and more time in the water. Unfortunately, this makes for a less exciting entry by way of photos and stories, but I still hope to offer a few highlights of things to do and places to eat (some of which are taken from recommendations offered to us).

Unsurprisingly, we slept in more than the last few days – making it to a very reasonable seven o’clock. We knew, in how we wanted today to go, that we intended to take the beech walk to the neighboring town of Wailea for some Happy Hour experiences. However, we were not certain where the beech walk was, how long it would be, or what kind of footwear was best. So, as I’d been feeling like running

anyway, I set off down the road towards the Grand Wailea, the resort we would be checking into tomorrow and spending the rest of our time on the island. The resort was about 2.5 miles away by road, and my run there followed the sidewalks accordingly. The run was quite simple, requiring only 1 turn and 1 hill. Interesting, it was clear to see the difference in the two towns. As soon as I passed the sign for Wailea, the area became greener and lusher. The houses and buildings were larger and more extravagant, the vegetation was fuller, more vibrant, and greener, and it was clear the this was the town of the resorts.

As planned, I made my way to the Grand Wailea, but had been looking for a cut-through or road down to the beach. Most routes went through hotels or private property, so I was less confident than I’d hoped to be. However, at the Grand Wailea I asked at the valet desk and a gentleman named Muso (spelling?) offered to walk me through the hotel and down to the beach path. This was a welcome rest and I got a sneak peak at my lodgings for the next few nights. “Oh My God!” It was immediately clear how much fun this place would be. The architecture was lavish and as we walked along outside we passed pools of Koi fish, elaborate river-like “activity pools,” the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (one of the high end dining places) and all of it’s “Tiki-Hut” seating, and more. Since we’ll check in tomorrow, I’m certain this list will grow. Muso walked me down to the cobblestone beach path that ran between the sandy beaches and the resort proper, and could be followed up the coast, along the other resorts on the coast, until I returned to Kihei.

And so, I said “thank you” and began my run back. This was my “research” towards the beach walk we’d take back for some happy Hours this afternoon. The run/path was

gorgeous. For the stretch that spanned the major resorts, the path was paved or cobblestone. The route cut through “golf-green-grass” (grass that is both the green color of well-kept golf grass as well as the short cut of a golf green), through large hedges and between pools and the smooth, sandy beaches. Eventually, as I neared the end of the resorts, the path turned to a loose sand that cut through hedges, and deposited me off on the sandy beach itself. I continued for a ways along the beautiful coast, remembering how much more tiring it was to run on sand than pavement… This beach run took be back to the Kihei Surfside Resort, the last large establishment before the path became slightly less defined. From here, it was maybe another 0.25-0.5 miles along the coast to our hotel, but the route cut through some rocky trails and shrubbery as opposed to the beaches or the more pure coastline. All in all, the route was absolutely worth doing and I was excited to walk this way back in the afternoon.

Once back, Archer and I set out to find a local spot for breakfast and make some plans for the next few days. Initially we headed to the Kihei Caffe, but it was packed and we were not interested in waiting that long. Instead we found Café @ LaPlage, which was a great place to sit inside, and eat some bagel sandwiches. While eating we agreed that we wanted to look into a snorkeling adventure, as well as some more appropriate footwear for our afternoon walk. We finished our food and headed next door to a Boss Frog's. While there we booked a guided ferry to the island of Lanai for some snorkeling on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any footwear that would offer us a bit more support on a beach walk, so we drove back to the “Shops at Wailea”. Here we both picked up a pair of Abeo sandals, which would be great for trekking through the ocean tides, but also offer support on the rocky parts of the walk. We returned to our condo to relax in the pool until about 1, when we got dressed and set out on our walk.

The route and scenery is as described previously, so I will omit that again for the most part. However, it was super windy! We were grateful for this as, unsurprisingly, it was also very hot. As for wildlife, we saw a couple crabs scurry away from us, but I was not able to get close enough for a picture. Our walk took us back the “Shops at Wailea” (adjacent to the Grand Wailea) where, based on recommendations, we entered a Tommy Bahama’s for Happy Hour. We were not disappointed. Collectively, we enjoyed their Mai Tai, Mojito, Margarita, Fish Tacos, Coconut Shrimp, Pork Sliders, and Seared Scallop Sliders. It was all …

delicious, and quickly blended from just Happy Hour, to also our dinner. Everything was delicious, but our favorite remained the fish tacos. Fun fact – their center pieces were the bud vases from Heath Ceramics, which we enjoyed seeing as that is the new dishware we are acquiring. After dinner we enjoyed a quick visit into their store and bought 2 shirts (a purple and a teal… perfect for us) and a new pair of linen shorts.

With our Happy Hour/Dinner trip finished we took the beach walk back to our lodgings in Kihei. After dropping off our stuff, we headed back out to the ocean, just as we have every night. While it was relaxing at first, we had an unfortunate ending to this swim as we believe Archer was stung by a rogue jellyfish tentacle. We finished our relaxing evening in the jellyfish-free pool at our condo and then headed inside to go to sleep.

The Journey to Hana ... not the Destination to Hana

Today was our second driving intensive day – and we continued to take advantage of our early rising jet lag. Having woken up at 6, we were able to hit the road just before 7. Setting out early, it was clear that we needed sustenance, both liquid and solid. We headed first to Makawao, the town we’d visit for breakfast yesterday. Here we picked up two Maui Blend coffees to go and a box of pastries from the local doughnut shop, Komoda Store and Bakery. This is the same shop that had been recommended to us but was closed on Wednesday. Immediately upon arriving, it was clear that this was a special place, as locals were pouring in and out, buying anywhere from a single pastry to boxes for parties. The most “doughnut-like” pastries are called Maasanas and Archer picked up 2 plain with sugar, 2 with cinnamon-sugar, 2 with a guava fruit filling, 1 powdered sugar with cream called a Long John, 1 chocolate cream puff, and 1 vanilla cream puff. This may sound like a lot for a day, but we ate them slowly spread out as snacks and I will just say this now, they were all AMAZING! If you visit, find these – and eat them. With some food and coffee ready to go, it was time to head to Hana!

If you aren’t aware, the Road to Hana is an outing much more about the journey than

 the destination. The adventure really is the ROAD to Hana. Hana is a small, relatively isolated town, on the eastern side of Maui. The road there, Hana Highway, is a 37 mile stretch of road that is constantly winding, with steep hills, and frequent waterfall sights. Along the drive there are frequent stops with small hikes to swimming holes and waterfalls. They are all so beautiful. Unfortunately, the narrow road with minimal parking offers little opportunity to decide if you want to stop, and sometimes no opportunity even when you know you want to. Below I will describe the stops we made or wish we could have made, but do not be under the impression that we saw anywhere near “everything” that the road has to offer.

Our first stop was a location called Twin Falls, just after mile-marker 2. Mile markers are really the only way to determine somethings location along this route. As the first 

stop on the road, it is unsurprising that it is one of the most crowded and popular. A well established parking lot, with a local food truck, greet the visitors as they take a short walk into the jungle. Only a couple hundred feet in, there is a steep, muddy descent to the swimming pond of the first of two falls. The swimming hole is a wonderful temperature, and a classically lovely fall. My favorite site at this venue were the massive tress who’s roots were visible from the tops of the cliffs, all the way down to the banks of the water we swam in. After some time here, we hiked out, and took a quick look upstream towards the second of the two falls. It was only a little bit further up the path, but looked to offer less swimming opportunities, so we decided to return to the road.

Our second stop we believe was easily our most successful. Somewhere near Mile 9 we were looking for the Waikamoi Ridge Trail. However, we aren’t sure if we found something else, an unofficial entrance, or otherwise. What we did find was a beautiful walk through a bamboo forest to a series of stunning swimming holes. However, the entrance to the trail we found was a true leap of faith, as we entered simply a dark hole in the bamboo wall next to the road. The trail was well formed inside, apparently with many side trails leading back to other places on the road. Turn-offs in the other direction lead to beautiful views over a cliff to an extension of the bamboo forest below. The hike was not 

the easiest walk, and is not necessarily for everyone. There was really only one tough spot with steep and slick rocks, leading into a narrow wood-plank bridge. It was only a few steps across but definitely made some people uncomfortable. Before long the hike opened into a wide stream with massive rocks to hop along, either to cross or to head down/up stream. Only another few hundred feet brought us to the first waterfall and a wonderful swimming pond. We hopped in (hopped is generous, more like indelicately slid/waded) and spent 5-10 minutes floating along by ourselves. While we were alone in the water, people were constantly passing on their way uphill to a further pond.

We too headed out soon to ascent the hill to the next swimming hole. The immediate incline was the only challenge, needing the help of a rope as a necessary handhold. 

But, once on top the walk was short and flat to the largest swimming hole we saw all day. It was the largest, and deepest pond with one of the largest waterfalls we saw (on a hike - there were some massive ones along the road). One side of the pond was easy to climb and had a rope for swinging mounted on it. After swimming for a bit, we each climbed up and took a swing. On the far side of the swimming hole was the waterfall, with enough handholds. footings, and levels, that we could climb up and walk around. There were many little circular puddles within the waterfall itself and in one we saw 3 large crayfish! It was amazing, and a great place to dive back into the water. Rumor was that there were up to seven waterfalls and ponds further along this route, but we were not equipped to hike further, so we turned around and headed back to the car. This stop is certainly worth making!

Our next stop was an easy one. Around Mile 12 we stopped at Kaumahina State WaysidePark. This was a great, but simple, road-stop with restrooms, picnic

tables and a phenomenal view. Looking out across the road and down the coast of the island, we were able to look over black sand beeches, crashing waves, and see some coastal towns like Ke’anae. We ate our lunch and got back on the road. A few miles later (around Mile 14) we pulled over to pursue a half mile walk down to the coast. It turns out it was possible to drive, but at that point we were committed. At the coast we found a rocky black-sand beech, all to ourselves with waves constantly crashing against the shore. Given the privacy, rockiness, and strength of the waves, we chose to not actually swim, but the breeze, the waves, and the sounds were all wonderful to experience.

After Mile 16 we stopped at the Ke’anae Arboretum. This was a small excursion with 

a short hike (about 1 mile to the end). The path was a steady downhill (in this direction) but walked along a ravine with beautiful flowers, tall fruit trees (Mountain Apples we later discovered), and lush bird-life. When we entered the arboretum proper, the trees were stunning. Some were massively tall, while others seemed like massive combinations of networked, smaller trees. Some provided lush canopies while others were tall and spindly. My favorites were the grove of Eucalyptus trees. Their bark seemed to contain iridescent and almost neon colors, while they stretched seemingly impossibly high with amazingly straight trunks. The smell they created was amazing! A bit further ahead there was a garden of Taro, a kind of corn-like tuber that provides a great source of food as well as helping local irrigation. We also spotted our first Gecko of the trip – cute little green lizard guy!

From here our trip to Hana became much more streamlined. After Mile 22 we passed the Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside Park. This was another series of waterfalls and ponds, immediately on the side of the road, but it was over crowded and we chose to continue heading onward. Much later, just outside Hana (Mile 31) we’d hoped to visit Waianapanapa State Park. Unfortunately, we instead witnessed an active protest as locals had blocked off the road to make a statement about various developments on the island. It is apparently a gorgeous black-sand beech and comes highly recommended. Instead, we headed into town and stopped at Hana Bay for a quick dip. The sand here too was black and super smooth. We experienced some of the most fun waves of our trip so far and the temperature was perfect. The cool waves and the wind was incredibly soothing after the long drive. Having now arrived in Hana, despite only having been about 35 miles, it was about 3 in the afternoon, so about 7 hours into our journey.

We found our way to a local food truck stop to buy dinner. We split a plate of Guava Chicken Quesedilla and an order of Drunken Noodles with pork. While here, we’d been considering returning to our condo in Kihei via the southern route and continuing our way around the island. However, we asked some of the truck owners about the road and they suggested it would take about twice as long. The road was apparently less well traveled, more narrow, and more curvy. We chose to return the way we came, and once the rain started we were increasingly grateful.

The drive back went smoothly, and we looked to make significantly fewer stops which saved us a lot of time. As it had begun raining, we joined a sort of caravan, which 

made visibility easier and the whole thing more relaxing. Between the rain forest setting, the rain itself, and the fact that we were following a jeep – it felt like a scene out of Jurassic Park. Along the way we saw one nook that we were interested to explore. It turns out we’d found a network of lava caves. Given the rain and our seclusion, we again decided not to adventure but they were cool to see. We also found a great and prominent waterfall at one of the switchbacks the road often makes. Many turns along the Road to Hana require narrow 1-lane bridges that cut across gorges, and they were always crowded on the way in. Now, given the hour and the rain – it was empty. We parked, got out, and took a private dip. Again, awesome and refreshing! Finally, we’d hoped to visit Poohokama Falls, between miles 10 and 11. We’d missed it on the way in because we were told it was a bit later, and to get there you need to go into the entrance of the “Garden of Eden”. Unfortunately, this location had closed at 4 so we missed it, but it is reportedly one of the most beautiful waterfalls along the drive.

And then we drove home. Never has a straight road with a speed limit of 30 miles an hour felt so fast! The drive home was another 35 minutes or so, but compared to the past few hours it was basically relaxation! We went straight home, and decided some time in the heated pool would be refreshing – and we were right! We swam around in the clean water for about 30 minutes, before heading inside, grabbing a nightcap, and going to sleep.

Jet-Lagging up Mt. Haleakala

Our plan for Day 2 (should I say so myself) was a good one and was designed to take advantage of our jet-lagged impulse to wake up early. One activity that came highly recommended was to ascend the Haleakala Volcano to view the sunrise. Unfortunately (though we realized before we tried to set out or make plans), to enter the Park between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. (necessary for the viewing) you need reservations in advance. We decided to avoid the stress of trying to “get there in time” and just headed out when we were ready. In the end, we left our condo a bit after 6. On our walk to the car, we saw many small lizards scurrying around - and began to call them TLFs (Tiny Lizard Friends). Calling them out became a fun "game" through the day and the rest of our trip.

Our first stop was in Makawao, a small town on the way to the volcano. There is a small doughnut shop there, Komoda Store and Bakery, that we were excited to try out. Unfortunately, they were closed on Wednesdays (this was the biggest let-down of the day, and who knew?!). For reference, we heard from locals that sometimes they “just sell out,” so if you want to go, earlier is better – and not on Wednesdays. Instead we dinned at a small coffee shop, Sip Me, down the street. The food was fine and the coffee was good, but overall it was mostly just convenient.

From here our real drive towards Haleakala began. The 10,000-foot ascent pretty much began and just didn’t stop. Switchbacks were constant and necessary and the turns were tight. Most of this drive was between 15 and 25 miles per hour, but the speed and directional changes were constant. I cannot emphasize enough that you consider who is driving, who is riding, and who has the potential to get car sick. The opportunities to stop are limited and the road demands focus. Meanwhile, you should be prepared for frequent bike tours descending down the other side of the road. All that said, the drive takes you through some phenomenal scenery. The view over the rest of Maui was constantly growing, the path led through frequent dense clusters of Eucalyptus forests, and eventually through gathering cloud layers. The total climb to the summit took about an hour.

The summit of the volcano sits at a height of 10,023 feet. The view could not be beat. Hawaii’s big island was silhouetted in the distance and the entirety of Maui was laid out beneath you. The red and brown volcanic rock looked endless as you looked downwards into the massive crater before dropping off into the nothingness of the white clouds. It was easy to imagine that before technology, Hawaiians could easily think that these islands were all there was on Earth. Here at the summit one particular sight truly stood out: the plant 'Ahinahina (Haleakala Silverswords). We had the good fortune to see 3 of them in bloom, one short, one tall, and one huge. These beautiful, formerly endangered, plants live for decades but only bloom for only a single year. They were truly magnificent. It was also fun to look at the nearby observatory, a collaboration between the U.S. government and the University of Hawaii. Apparently (and unsurprisingly) this is one of the best astrological viewing locations in the world.

After the summit we considered (and got advice on) some hiking options. Of note, if you come here to hike be sure to bring lots of water, good footwear, and warm clothes. Our choices were medium in all cases accept the water – of which we had plenty. The most popular hike into the crater, Keonehe'ehe'e (Sliding Sands Trail), descends about 3000 feet in the first hour or two. Seeing as we only wanted to hike for a few hours, this felt a bit extreme. Instead we headed down to the Halemau'u Trailhead, which sat just below 8000 feet, and hiked down a popular camping trail. The terrain was much more lush, and we were on the wet side of the mountain. We expected about a mile of easy descent before hitting some more aggressive switchbacks, and things went mostly to plan.

As we set out, it did not take us long to simply enter a cloud, and we just never left. The constant mist was refreshing, and eventually grew into a light rain. The trail was flanked by lush plant-life. Beautiful ferns, flowers, and shrubs surrounded us at all times. The colors were stunning and the plants that had died seemed to age into a beautiful and haunting white, rather than just decay. But, none of this is why we felt most lucky. About a mile into our hike we stopped to look over a rock outcropping and into the seemingly endless fall into cliffs, forest, and clouds, when we spotted a cluster of four Nene, the Hawaiian national bird! They were incredibly calm and stunningly gorgeous geese (not how I usually describe geese). Only a few cutbacks after that, we saw two more that were even more exposed for posing! We considered ourselves quite lucky. After hiking for just over an hour downhill, we decided to turn back, but were surprised to make just about equal time on the ascent out as the descent in.

We suddenly realized how hungry we were and were grateful we ended our hike because the closest town with food was back in Makawao, nearly an hour away. The drive down was much the same as up – it’s the same road – so still be slow and be careful. In town, we went to Polli's Mexican for some over-sized burritos. The food was wonderfully tasty and before long I was regretting overeating. The Super Burrito was in fact… a SUPER burrito. To stretch our legs before getting back in the car we wandered the town. It was mostly souvenir shops and art galleries, but my favorite find was a glass blowing gallery. The items were more expensive than I’m used to seeing, but the craftsmanship was breathtaking. If you have the time, its worth a stop.

It was about 2:00 in the afternoon and we were pretty close to the coastal town of Paia, known for having Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles pop up on their shores. Excited to see the graceful sea creatures we headed over. We stopped at frankly the first beach we found, hopped out, and started walking down the coast. We were both feeling pretty pessimistic about it when up ahead we saw a rock… no wait… did that rock just move?!? There it was, a turtle, working its way onto the bank for some sun bathing. Turtles are awesome. Feeling more inspired (and having reached the end of the current 

beach) we headed back to the car and looked up the recommended location, Ho'okipa Beach. So, we headed the 10 minute drive to that beach which was PACKED! We almost turned around, but decided we should check it out. After parking and a brief look around, we’d actually decided to bail when we realized that an entire abandoned corner of the beach was not abandoned at all. Rather, it had simply formed into a dense sea turtle sun-basking refuge! It was amazing. We worked our way down to get a better look. We couldn’t count the number of turtles! We even got to see a few leave the water to join the sun-bathers and a few from further up the shore climb over their friends to return to the water. It was cute and awesome all at the same time.

The rest of the day played out much like the day before. The drive home was an uneventful 30 minutes, stopping for some groceries along the way. Once home, we changed into our bathing suits and went swimming again! This time we hung out in the water longer, enjoying our first viewing of the sun setting into the water in the distance. I’m always amazed by how fast the final minute of the sunset truly is, but its always fun to watch when you can truly see the horizon. Frankly still feeling full for lunch, we returned to the condo to eat a small salad for dinner and call it a night.

Hawaii > Maui > Kihei

Before I begin, for anyone who hasn’t read how I’ve done these before, the following entries are journal reflections from a recent trip to Hawaii, specifically my honeymoon with my wonderful wife Archer. However, I do these write-ups more as “travel guides” than personal stories, so while there are certainly some opinions, you’ll notice I refer to us by name very rarely. It is simply how I prefer to compose these but thought you should be prepared. Not every day has the same number of photos, but hopefully that is understandable. I invite you to look through just the pictures we took and have been selected to be shared here, or to read about our travels.

Travel from Baltimore has its easy parts, and its challenges. BWI is a fantastic airport for us; a short commute with minimal traffic. Unfortunately, the hours of flights we often need are not ideal. We awoke at 4:00, fed the cats, prepped the house, loaded the car, and hit the road. The trip to the airport was smooth, but the check-in and security lines were long and slow. Fortunately, we had time to grab a bagel breakfast and coffee just before boarding our plane.

Our first plane flew us from Baltimore, Maryland to Dallas, Texas. It was a simple flight, a bit over two hours. Despite having just finished some food and a large cup of coffee, sleep came easily, and the flight went smoothly. Before long, we’d arrived. In Dallas we quickly debarked from our plane and changed terminals. We had just shy of two hours during the layover, so we found a Japanese restaurant with a bar next to our terminal (mostly because we knew we had access to a charging outlet there). We enjoyed some blood orange margaritas and pork steamed buns. They were each fantastic! Before long, it was time to board the next plane to Hawaii, Maui specifically. This flight was much longer, breaking the six-hour mark. Fortunately, the in-flight entertainment offered some movies we both enjoyed (Aquaman and the Lego Movie 2). There were a few patches of turbulence, but we arrived safely and on time.

The steps after arrival were straightforward and went smoothly. We got our luggage from baggage claim and rented a car from Hertz. Having already eaten 2-3 meals today (we got food on the flight), we decided to head straight to Kihei, the town we were staying in. Our lodgings were wonderful! It was a small condo, just across the street from a public beech. We could walk into town to have dinner or buy groceries, and the ocean was maybe a minute away. We got in, unpacked, and yes – celebrated with a small glass of bourbon.

We were fortunate to have a flood of recommendations from various friends and family. In the late afternoon, we set off to hike south down the coast towards the bigger resorts and some recommended happy hours. Unfortunately, our footwear was not chosen well, and the path was less consistent than our quick adjustments allowed for. Furthermore, we feared that we set out too late to even make the happy hours! Instead, we returned to the condo, changed for the beach, and went across the street for a swim. The water was wonderful! It had a great temperature and the tide was just right for engaging but easy waves. We spent close to an hour bobbing along, before heading home to shower off.

For dinner we headed north up the road into the heart of Kihei. We’d agreed that we were in the mood for some Thai food, based on the options recommended to us, so we found our way to Maui Thai (the clear play on Mai Tai was a strong encouragement). We each had a wonderful cocktail to start and the food was amazing. Between us we ordered and shared a plate of lightly fried white rice, a pineapple curry with shrimp, and a “drunken platter” with chicken. If you’re not familiar (and as their menu further explained), “drunken” does not mean alcoholic, but rather just very spicy. I repeat the food was amazing! With full bellies, warm from the spice, we walked home.

While we had big dreams to watch some TV at this point, the fatigue of travel and jet-lag caught us, and we were asleep almost instantly (just a different kind of “big dreams”).

A Final Sighting

Day 16 - True Date 6/21/13

Another early day and this one was structured differently than many of our others. We got up at 5:30 for packing and a warm cup of coffee. The warmth from the coffee was refreshing as this was the coldest morning we'd had in a very long time and it was also a cloudy mist. We then loaded up into the jeep at 6:00 where we said goodbye to Ari and our cooks. From our campsite we drove along the high ridge to the entrance of the Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is a protected wildlife area and seems to behave much like its own self-contained-mini-savanna.

The weather today had some firsts for the group for the trip. As briefly described before, the morning was quite cold and very wet as we found ourselves navigating thick fog banks. As we spent time in the crater the it remained cloudy and cold but otherwise fine. When we left the crater the skies opened a bit into our first rain of the trip. Luckily, it cleared by the afternoon and we were able to end the day in the warmth of the sun.

Returning to the Ngorongoro Crater we saw much the usual collection of animals after the long drive to the base. The wildebeest and zebras continued to be abundant and apparently have a self-contained migration inside the crater itself. We saw no giraffe during our time there, which is not to say there are none, and only the occasional elephant in the distance. There were lots of birds, including ostrich, and many scavengers. Among the scavengers we saw a couple pairs of jackals and at least two packs of hyenas.

Omitted from the list above was the last of the African "big five"; the black rhino. When we finally found him (yes, it was a him), he remained about 70 (ish) yards away and kept low to the ground in the tall grass. He began by facing us and it was difficult to get a good view of him. Fortunately, he turned and rose his head to give us a full profile view. There are apparently only a handful of them left in the crater, but it remains one of the places in the world most likely to see one of them. It was very exciting to finish off our list of animals we wished to see.

A little before 10 we began the long drive back to Arusha. The drive is normally expected to be about 3 and a half hours but weather pushed it to be over 4. When we first returned to Arusha we did not go to our hotel but rather a local school (unfortunately I do not recall the name). This visit began a bit awkwardly but became very fun. First, we introduced ourselves to the students and faculty and then they did the same for us. This took a while as every student said their name, their favorite subjects and what they hoped to become. While there were only about 60 students this process was still lengthy. After introductions the students did a bit of singing and the donations we brought were brought out. We were asked to give a few words and show some of what we brought, which was the most awkward part of the visit. Afterwards we signed the guest book, and upon Archer's request, were invited to play sports with the students. Their coach picked their 11 best and made a team against us as a group. The field was dusty with many tiny thorn things (yay bare feet!), as well as uneven but we had a lot of fun. We ended up winning 3-2 but still had a penalty kick shootout, just for fun. After the game we loaded back up and headed to the hotel but it was sad to leave.

We left the school at 4 and I think were all surprised at how much we had enjoyed ourselves. We returned to the usual Ilboro Safari Lodge for the night. We all had another nice shower, once again, must appreciated after the week on the plain and met for dinner at 5:45. From there we called it an early night so that we could get up and leave the hotel at 3am (eww...)

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There is technically one more day to the trip but I do not feel like treating it as its own entry. On the 22nd we loaded a jeep and left the hotel at 3am a to return to Kilimanjaro Airport. From there we flew to Kenya, boarded another flight to Amsterdam and then a final plane back to JFK. We had no trouble in the airports, had no delays and no lost baggage. We were through U.S. customs by about 8:00 pm and said our good-byes to each other after 2 great weeks.

Practically Cheeting

Day 15 - True Date 6/20/13

Since I'm sure you can guess what breakfast is like at this point in the trip I will try to keep this brief. We met to eat at 7:00. We then had a few minutes to finish packing before heading out. We had to pack because we would again be moving campsites by the evening. We were on the road again just as 8 o'clock rolled around. We'd now seen most of the animals on our list of "hope to sees" and were now focusing on finding a male lion, cheetahs and the elusive rhino.

It did not take us long to begin checking "items" off of this list. Perhaps 45 minutes into the day we arrived at a "crowded" section of trail. That is, there was a large

I realize this is a hyena not a lion... I
could not get a picture of the lion and
we saw the hyena this morning though
I did not choose to write about it.

collection of jeeps that had congregated together in this section. While here we were able to see a pair of lions, one of whom was female and the other a male! We were limited in how close we could get due to both the other jeeps as well as this being an area where we were not allowed to drive off of the roads. That said, we were able to get great views of the male and his magnificent mane through a couple sets of binoculars. This was definitely a highlight for Archer who had been excited to see a lion with a mane all trip. Unfortunately, he'd also hoped to get a close-up look at the cat's paws but we were unable to achieve that view.

From here we hit, in my opinion, the most exciting part of the day. Over the next 2 (ish) hours we had I believe 4 cheetah spottings! Three of these were each very different from each other and had amazing views. The first spotting occurred when Ayubu spotted a cat lounging in the shade of a bush, likely 50 feet(?) from the road. We watched the cat for a while with binoculars before realizing that a second cheetah was present in the tall grass not too far off, clearly eating a recent kill. The cheetah who was eating finished its meal and joined its pal in the shade

where we saw them take a minute or so to clean each other's face. At this point the vultures and jackals arrived to take what was left of the kill. This clearly upset the cheetahs who tried to chase off the scavengers. Unfortunately, the racket attracted a pack of hyenas who the cheetahs are unwilling to fight. While it was disappointing to see the cheetahs lose what was left of their kill It was fortunate that they'd already eaten their fill. Over the course of this event the cheetahs came spectacularly close (much like the leopard yesterday) and we saw one give a short chase to one of the jackals.

The next two great sightings were just as good, in some ways better, but definitely had fewer steps to describe. The first was a group of three we found feasting on a

fresh kill of a Thompson's Gazelle. Here, we were able to drive off road and approach the cats very close. When we got near one of the cheetahs left the kill and hid behind the bush they were eating by. The other two continued to eat as we got within a few yards of them and got some great shots. After a while the second left and when we started the jeep to leave the third got startled as well. When we pulled away they'd all left the kill but it was unclear if they would return as soon as we were gone or if they had finished all together.

A good while later we found our third good cheetah photo opt. Here it was a part of the Serengeti that again lived up to the name of "endless plane". In an area that

seemed entirely flat we could see a mound in the distance with a group of figured upon it. When we got closer we found 3 cheetahs, apparently a mother and her two cubs, standing on what had to be the highest point for miles around (yet only a few feet high). We were able to get close and drive the whole circle around the cats (slowly). As we did they sat looking out the plane, smelled the ground around them, and did minor bathings for each other. It was very cute and we hoped (and expected) they would get their days meal soon. Luckily the plane around seemed quite populated with gazelle so I think they'd fair alright.

The last cheetah sighting I mentioned was merely a head in the tall grass where we could not approach. Given our success so far we did not linger long and moved ahead with our day. Throughout our drives we saw more elephants and

giraffes (because that's just what you do on a daily basis). This brought us to our lunch destination which was a "local" ranger station on the edge of Lake Manyara (where we had gone a few days earlier to see the flamingos). With the ranger we walked around and headed down to the beech where we could now walk right up to the water's edge. Unfortunately, none of the flamingos stayed close to where we were so our views were only marginally better than before. During the walk we also saw two dung beetles on the sand. That was new but they were sadly not rolling any dung balls around which is always fun to see.

We finished the day with two non-animal adventures.Our first was a stop to the Oldurai Gorge Historical Site. This is one of the dig sites that is currently being

used to map the progression of human evolution. It has helped by finding skulls of primate evolution at different stages as well as fossilized footprints. We were given a short description of these findings and what occurred in which of the geological layers present. The site also had a 3 room museum. The first room was credited to an explorer who did a trip around the world though I am reluctant to admit I do not have his name recorded nor can I find it online. The other two rooms were for local fossils, including many extinct animals and a progression of footprints. It was a quick museum but pretty cool.

Our last stop of the day was a local Massai Village. We were greeted by a

"welcoming song" and then went through the entrance "gate" and saw a series of dances. The dance involved the men jumping in a competition for height and the women singing and playing music with a set of charms/instruments that they bounced with their shoulders. Archer, Harrison, Liesje and Kelly all participated. We were then broken into pairs with guides from the tribe who spoke English to see the insides of the Massai homes. The houses were small, low (about 5 feet) domes made from sticks, mud and hay. The inside was a single room somewhat divided into 3 parts for cooking, eating and sleeping. We were

then taken back outside where we saw a lot of beaded work that they have for sale. The footprint of the village was a doughnut. The inner ring was for herding animals and had a wall of Acacia branches. There was then a ring for walking about, an outer ring of houses followed by an outermost wall of again, acacia branches. We learned that the Massai diet is 2 meals a day of lamb milk mixed with lamb blood. We then saw their school which was a single room building with young children of varied ages. They were learning the alphabet and numbers. After that we got back in the car and called it a day.

We got to our night's camp at about 5:00. Here we were staying on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater. It was much colder than any of our recent nights. Dinner was served again at 7:00 and was clearly a "celebration" since it would be our last night with the crew who had been serving us for two weeks now. They first brought us a pepper and leak soup which was on par with their usual soups. They then presented us with the main course of rice with vegetable curry and a huge leg of lamb that they had grilled. It was absolutely delicious! After dinner everyone called it a night and headed to the tents to escape the cold.

This picture was entirely spontaneous and an idea by Ayubu.
He was awesome...