I did not get my fill of swimming with turtles during my
last snorkel trip, so I went on another snorkeling trip Saturday morning that launched
from a beach just south of where I was staying.
Our first stop was the Molokini Crater, an uninhabited island
that is still continuing to form from new lava.
There were plenty of colorful fish and an abundance of beautiful coral
reef.
Next up was an area that has a lot of underwater caves and
an abundance of turtle activity. It is
fondly referred to as Turtle Town. What
a dream!
I then took a drive to the southern most part of the area
where there were many black lava fields and of course, more lovely ocean access
(although the beach here was a bit rocky).
On my way back, there was a man selling fruit out of his
truck (pretty sketch situation…my favorite!), so of course, I had to buy a
coconut because I miss them from my days in Thailand. He wanted a ridiculous $10-$15 (depending on
size), I told him I only had $5 cash (which was true) and asked if I could get
one anyways. I landed myself a large one for my
drinking enjoyment. Even that seemed a
bit steep, but I really wanted it and I understood his market was really
limited due to his poor location (forever thinking about the business side of things). It didn’t quite fit in the cup holder, but it
made me more happy than you can imagine.
In the afternoon, I headed to a plantation to learn about
some of the native plants that grow on the island. It was so awesome to see all these tropical
fruits and flowers thriving in their natural habitat!
Some of my favorites were orchids,
Bird-of-Paradise,
sugar cane,
pineapples,
jackfruit (one of the largest fruits in the world),
coffee (obviously a favorite),
and mangoes.
Inside their store, they even had a really amazing display
of hand coffee grinders along the top perimeter of the building. It was a great reminder of home!
I was spending my weekend in the cute town of Lahaina, so I
finished my day with a walk around the main street (with shave ice in hand), staring off into the sunset
and exploring the super large and in charge Banyan tree that occupies the lawn
outside the City Hall.
