Just returned for a 5-day sojourn on the lovely island of Maui, and I have to say it definitely rates as one of my BEST.TRIPS.EVER.
Despite the fact that I'm still jet-lagged and also seem to have contracted a raging case of tanorexia while abroad (If one more coworker says, "Where'd you get that tan!?" I'm running to the dermatologist), the Aloha Spirit is still coursing through my mai tai-drenched veins.
Last year we went to Kauai, which, while wild and jungly and beautiful, wasn't really the sun, surf and sandy beaches I had envisioned. Maui, however, fit the bill perfectly. It also didn't hurt that we lucked out and got upgraded to a much pricier condo than we could have afforded -- it was the off season and I think our resort had rooms to spare. In fact, the "room" (really more of a condo which included a deck and kitchen) was so nice that we didn't feel much of a need to go out and spend a lot of money at night. We mostly just hung out, pet the feral kitty who suckered us into daily helpings of fresh fish, listened to music, and watched a bunch of YouTube videos (oh yeah, we're that dorky).
I've had some requests for highlights, so here they are, in pretty much random order:
- Snorkeling off the coast of Molokini and seeing a bunch of sea turtles, including one that came up for a breath about 2 feet away from us
- A condo on the beach
- mai tais and lava flows
- sleeping late on the king sized bed
- swimming, swimming, swimming
- the weather - it was perfect
- the beaches - it was like the Hawaii you imagine as a kid
...And a couple of lowlights:
- The fuckin' road to Hana. Half the waterfalls didn't have any water and I felt sick for hours on the windy road.
- Hana itself - what a sad, bedraggled little town. I had the lamest veggie "sandwich" I'd ever had in my life, which consisted of a hamburger bun, half a slice of cheese and some mustard. I wish I'd taken a picture.
