Maui+2005

For the impatient: Pictures

In June of 2005, the fam and I took off for Maui, HI and here are some of the things we did!

For the impatient: Fullscreen Album and Panoramics

• We watched the sunrise from Mount Haleakala, which is almost 11,000 above sea level. We actually woke up a little late (430am) so the drive up the mountain was hurried, but we made it with a couple minutes to spare. Because the wind was fierce and cold touched the bones, we huddled together in small structure built at the summit, along with a few hundred other tourists. The neat thing about being at such an elevation is this: what would have been a cloudy morning for most on the island, became a truly majestic event for us top-siders. After changing the sky into a million different colors, the sun finally broke through the clouds. It's the stuff you've seen on TV, or in your head, but trust me, it's clearer, crisper, brighter and more glorious in person.
• After watching the uniformed bikers start their ride down the mountain, the visitors center opened and we got to see a view of the inside of the volcano on which we stood. Then it was back to our Kihei condo for naptime.
• We headed out for a traditional touristy luau at the Ka'anapali Marriot which was pretty entertaining. They showcased a bunch of forms of tradtional island hula dancing as well as some flashy fire dancer-eaters-types. We got to see the sunset that day too; the sun went straight into the ocean, presumably to cool off.
• The next day, we chilled out quite a bit. Went for a walk along our shark-filled beach, checked out Maui most recent lava flow (650 years ago) and took a tour of the Grand Wailea Resort. My sister also adamantly claimed she broke her pinky tow after smashing it on a lava rock and dropping a suitcase on it.
• Saturday was all about visiting Molokini. We took a ride on the Pride of Maui out to the little volcano island. My sister and I decided it was time that we inspected the coral reef surrounding the crater and so we Snuba'ed on down there. Second stop was 'turtle town'. Desipte being some form of township for shelled reptiles, there were very few of them. In fact, I only saw one, but from only 10 feet away. It was like watching the discovery channel on mute.
• Sunday featured running around Lahaina through little shops, into the Buddhist Temple and around the 130 year old banyan tree. We made it back to the condo in time to watch the overtime of Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
• Monday's mission was to visit some waterfalls before our afternoon flight. We overshot the twin falls and ended up half way to Hana. We stopped at the "Garden of Eden", which is a privately owned piece of land featuring colorful plants, some waterfalls (mission: accomplished), peakcocks and some beautiful views of the coast. We finally made it to the airport, through "agricultural check", and caught a red-eye back to Sky Harbor.