As we approach the halfway point in our vacation, I'm a little tanner (for me), a bit bug bitten (more on that later), and trying to maintain vacation chill instead of spinning out about life back home.
We spent most of Monday by the serenity pool. It's serene because cell phones and children are banned. There is a swim up bar in the infinity pool that looks out over the ocean. So what I'm saying is that it's well named.
After we'd had our fill of lounging, we got shaved ice at Ululani's. The line was long and a little slow moving, but it was totally worth it. I used to love shaved ice in high school. All my LDS friends could have it, and it was nonfat (oh the 90s and its crusade against fat). It was always the perfect treat on a scorching hot Phoenix summer day. I was delighted that my flavor combo wasn't mocked (vanilla, strawberry, and grape with the snow cap topping).
After enjoying our shaved ice, we went to a mall to procure shoes for Eddie and our planned trip to Hana. The only tennis shoes he brought are the kind that lack any sort of tread, and we wanted to do some of the hiking and exploring along the road to Hana. So, we found a Famous Footwear in a pretty sad mall and remedied the packing oversight. And, like most places we've visited, I saw some chickens hanging out. When I saw Moana, as much as I enjoyed Hei Hei as comic relief, I didn't really get why she had a chicken hanging out with her. Well, I get it now! Chickens are everywhere here.
After our shopping adventure, we headed to Maui Brewing Company for dinner. I live for good bar food, and MBC did not disappoint. In addition to delicious beers (made using solar energy), we had tasty nachos, ahi tuna tostadas, chicken wings, and one of those baked cookie dessert things that come in a cast iron pan. And of course, we enjoyed this bounty while taking in another incredible sunset.
The next day we set out on the Road to Hana. Or, as one local we encountered called it, "the road to divorce."
Eddie had purchased an audio tour that works with GPS to guide us on our journey, since cell service was going to be spotty. The narrator reminded me of a Hawaiian Casey Kasem most of the time, but he periodically slipped into what I can only describe as Hawaiian hood (e.g., "hang loose, bra."). He was the inspiration for this blog title as he described Hana as "the real Hawaii."
As we learned from our audio tour, the Road to Hana has more than 600 curves, some of them pretty daunting. Thankfully, I am not prone to carsickness, otherwise it would have been a long and miserable day! The tour actually takes you past Hana to the Seven Sacred Pools, but we opted to turn around after reaching Hana to avoid night driving and to make our 7:00 p.m. dinner reservation.
Our first stop was at Twin Falls.
We walked to the close one, took the obligatory photos, and headed on our way. Next up was a small town Keanae Village where we took in amazing views of the ocean crashing into the rocks. Well, I took in the view while Eddie took out our drone. But, he did get some cool shots of the shore.
Then, we stopped at Waikani or Three Bears Falls where there are three falls all clustered together.
By this point, we were starting to get hungry. We took a quick stop at this lava cave that had a super narrow opening, but then opened up into a rather large and spooky structure. According to Hawaiian Casey Kasum, nothing dangerous lives in there, but I was good after about 3 minutes inside. It was dark and damp, and stuff kept dripping on me. Plus, I was terrified Eddie was going to whack his head into some low-hanging rock or root.
We took a quick snack break at the halfway point and opted to save the rest of the stops for the return trip. We reached Hana around 1:00, after leaving our hotel around 8:00 a.m. We grabbed lunch at the Hana Ranch, which I am hoping will be the worst meal we eat here. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't exactly good either. We didn't really spend much time in Hana as there isn't much to see in the "real Hawaii." Apparently, the one bank in town is only open an hour per day. And sometimes the shops and restaurants are closed just cause the folks that work there don't feel like coming in. Hang loose, bra!
On the return trip, we wanted to check out Wainapana state park and its black sand beach. I had only ever visited one black sand beach before. It was on Santorini, and I remembered not enjoying the experience. I thought it was because of the crowds, but as soon as I removed my shoes on this one, I remembered it was also because black sand is PAINFUL on your feet. It's hot and sharp, and it feels like you're walking on glass. Classic case of Instagram versus reality. It looks beautiful and makes nice photos, but it is not pleasant.
We walked around the park a bit where we saw many mongooses (and then debated whether the plural was mongeese - and if my spell check is to be believed, it is not - it is mongooses), and then we got back into the car to continue on our way.
Eddie really wanted to swim, so we stopped at Pua'a Ka'a Wayside Park where there is a small waterfall that empties into a pond you can swim in. The water was pretty chilly, and the rocks were small and sharp or big and slippery to walk on. I swear it took me 5 minutes to cross a stream that could not have been more than 5 feet across. But, we got in the water to our waists and decided that was good enough. Glad I did it, though it did take a few minutes for feeling to return to my toes (which I guess was good considering how painful the walking in the water was). I have a new respect for all those intrepid and crazy people who go on the TV show Naked and Afraid. Not wearing shoes on tough terrain is awful.
Before hitting the road, I decided to take a quick pee break, and that was a mistake. I went into one of the stalls and didn't notice the puddle that had amassed on the floor. My. Foot. Got. Wet. And I can only guess about the makeup of the water. I shrieked, tried to rinse my feet and flips flops off in the sink, and then immediately used my hand wipes I had in my purse to try to disinfect everything. I am all about the relaxed, island living, but can't we prioritize hygiene over surfing?!
Somewhere along the way I also got a bug bite that is about the size of a quarter. The good news is that it appears to be alone. I'm glad we bought bug spray, and I'm sorry for the deet, environment.
The drive back went much more quickly than the drive there, since Eddie was a bit more comfortable and took the turns a bit quicker. We stopped in Pa'ia to get our daily shaved ice (it's going to be a daily thing if I can help it), and then went back to the hotel for a much-needed shower.
We made it just in time for our dinner reservation at one of the restaurants on property, Duo. It's a steak and seafood joint that does a raw bar on Tuesday nights. I opted for steak, and Eddie courted mercury poisoning at the raw bar. It was a delicious meal that ended with cotton candy - grape-flavored cotton candy. I am the weirdo who lives for artificial grape. I think it's because my sister liked it, and when I was little I idolized my sister. I liked everything she liked - even when I didn't (case in point Apple Jacks are disgusting, yet I requested them for years). But, the artificial grape thing stuck, much to my father's chagrin. It was so good, and our waiter sent us home with an extra in a bag.
We still have much excitement and relaxation on the docket for the rest of the trip. So make sure to check back for another post or two before we say Aloha, Maui!
We spent most of Monday by the serenity pool. It's serene because cell phones and children are banned. There is a swim up bar in the infinity pool that looks out over the ocean. So what I'm saying is that it's well named.
After we'd had our fill of lounging, we got shaved ice at Ululani's. The line was long and a little slow moving, but it was totally worth it. I used to love shaved ice in high school. All my LDS friends could have it, and it was nonfat (oh the 90s and its crusade against fat). It was always the perfect treat on a scorching hot Phoenix summer day. I was delighted that my flavor combo wasn't mocked (vanilla, strawberry, and grape with the snow cap topping).
After enjoying our shaved ice, we went to a mall to procure shoes for Eddie and our planned trip to Hana. The only tennis shoes he brought are the kind that lack any sort of tread, and we wanted to do some of the hiking and exploring along the road to Hana. So, we found a Famous Footwear in a pretty sad mall and remedied the packing oversight. And, like most places we've visited, I saw some chickens hanging out. When I saw Moana, as much as I enjoyed Hei Hei as comic relief, I didn't really get why she had a chicken hanging out with her. Well, I get it now! Chickens are everywhere here.
After our shopping adventure, we headed to Maui Brewing Company for dinner. I live for good bar food, and MBC did not disappoint. In addition to delicious beers (made using solar energy), we had tasty nachos, ahi tuna tostadas, chicken wings, and one of those baked cookie dessert things that come in a cast iron pan. And of course, we enjoyed this bounty while taking in another incredible sunset.
The next day we set out on the Road to Hana. Or, as one local we encountered called it, "the road to divorce."
Eddie had purchased an audio tour that works with GPS to guide us on our journey, since cell service was going to be spotty. The narrator reminded me of a Hawaiian Casey Kasem most of the time, but he periodically slipped into what I can only describe as Hawaiian hood (e.g., "hang loose, bra."). He was the inspiration for this blog title as he described Hana as "the real Hawaii."
As we learned from our audio tour, the Road to Hana has more than 600 curves, some of them pretty daunting. Thankfully, I am not prone to carsickness, otherwise it would have been a long and miserable day! The tour actually takes you past Hana to the Seven Sacred Pools, but we opted to turn around after reaching Hana to avoid night driving and to make our 7:00 p.m. dinner reservation.
Our first stop was at Twin Falls.
We walked to the close one, took the obligatory photos, and headed on our way. Next up was a small town Keanae Village where we took in amazing views of the ocean crashing into the rocks. Well, I took in the view while Eddie took out our drone. But, he did get some cool shots of the shore.
Then, we stopped at Waikani or Three Bears Falls where there are three falls all clustered together.
By this point, we were starting to get hungry. We took a quick stop at this lava cave that had a super narrow opening, but then opened up into a rather large and spooky structure. According to Hawaiian Casey Kasum, nothing dangerous lives in there, but I was good after about 3 minutes inside. It was dark and damp, and stuff kept dripping on me. Plus, I was terrified Eddie was going to whack his head into some low-hanging rock or root.
We took a quick snack break at the halfway point and opted to save the rest of the stops for the return trip. We reached Hana around 1:00, after leaving our hotel around 8:00 a.m. We grabbed lunch at the Hana Ranch, which I am hoping will be the worst meal we eat here. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't exactly good either. We didn't really spend much time in Hana as there isn't much to see in the "real Hawaii." Apparently, the one bank in town is only open an hour per day. And sometimes the shops and restaurants are closed just cause the folks that work there don't feel like coming in. Hang loose, bra!
On the return trip, we wanted to check out Wainapana state park and its black sand beach. I had only ever visited one black sand beach before. It was on Santorini, and I remembered not enjoying the experience. I thought it was because of the crowds, but as soon as I removed my shoes on this one, I remembered it was also because black sand is PAINFUL on your feet. It's hot and sharp, and it feels like you're walking on glass. Classic case of Instagram versus reality. It looks beautiful and makes nice photos, but it is not pleasant.
We walked around the park a bit where we saw many mongooses (and then debated whether the plural was mongeese - and if my spell check is to be believed, it is not - it is mongooses), and then we got back into the car to continue on our way.
Eddie really wanted to swim, so we stopped at Pua'a Ka'a Wayside Park where there is a small waterfall that empties into a pond you can swim in. The water was pretty chilly, and the rocks were small and sharp or big and slippery to walk on. I swear it took me 5 minutes to cross a stream that could not have been more than 5 feet across. But, we got in the water to our waists and decided that was good enough. Glad I did it, though it did take a few minutes for feeling to return to my toes (which I guess was good considering how painful the walking in the water was). I have a new respect for all those intrepid and crazy people who go on the TV show Naked and Afraid. Not wearing shoes on tough terrain is awful.
Before hitting the road, I decided to take a quick pee break, and that was a mistake. I went into one of the stalls and didn't notice the puddle that had amassed on the floor. My. Foot. Got. Wet. And I can only guess about the makeup of the water. I shrieked, tried to rinse my feet and flips flops off in the sink, and then immediately used my hand wipes I had in my purse to try to disinfect everything. I am all about the relaxed, island living, but can't we prioritize hygiene over surfing?!
Somewhere along the way I also got a bug bite that is about the size of a quarter. The good news is that it appears to be alone. I'm glad we bought bug spray, and I'm sorry for the deet, environment.
The drive back went much more quickly than the drive there, since Eddie was a bit more comfortable and took the turns a bit quicker. We stopped in Pa'ia to get our daily shaved ice (it's going to be a daily thing if I can help it), and then went back to the hotel for a much-needed shower.
We made it just in time for our dinner reservation at one of the restaurants on property, Duo. It's a steak and seafood joint that does a raw bar on Tuesday nights. I opted for steak, and Eddie courted mercury poisoning at the raw bar. It was a delicious meal that ended with cotton candy - grape-flavored cotton candy. I am the weirdo who lives for artificial grape. I think it's because my sister liked it, and when I was little I idolized my sister. I liked everything she liked - even when I didn't (case in point Apple Jacks are disgusting, yet I requested them for years). But, the artificial grape thing stuck, much to my father's chagrin. It was so good, and our waiter sent us home with an extra in a bag.
We still have much excitement and relaxation on the docket for the rest of the trip. So make sure to check back for another post or two before we say Aloha, Maui!
No comments:
Post a Comment