The Road to Hana

After stopping at the cute coastal town of Paia for a quick lunch, I bid adieu to my aunt and uncle and then started out on an afternoon drive. 

 

I decided that the best way to spend my afternoon was on the road to Hana, a small coastal town on the other side of the southern part of Maui.  It was 50 miles away, so I thought it would be a fairly short drive.  I enjoy driving, so this drive was both a dream and a curse.  I loved the winding roads and the beautiful countryside, but the one lane bridges that popped up too often gave me a mini heart attack every time.

The first stop was a lovely lookout point (I love all the handmade signs).

 

I continued further to my second stop, the town of Haiku because after all isn’t that everyone’s favorite poetic form?  The city even had a Kokomo Road.  It was pretty out of control.

Next I visited the Garden of Eden, a botanical garden that featured a duck pond, 

...a peacock, 

 ...pretty flowers,

 ...lots of bamboo and bananas,

 ...a 100 year old mango tree and other leafy plants,

...rainbow eucalyptus,
 

 ...waterfalls,

 ...the opening scene of Jurassic Park 

 ...and more!
 

 

I ventured further to a point that had beautiful rocks jutting into the sea and lots of fishing action going on.

And I took pictures while I drove some more.

I then stopped for a super healthy dinner of vegan coconut ice cream at a semi-sketchy looking roadside stand.  There were handmade signs AND instead of a spoon, they give you a piece of coconut, so I couldn’t resist.

 

By the time I reached Hana, it was close to dusk so I stopped to enjoy Hana Bay and continued on my journey.

Rather than head back the way I came, I thought it would be better to continue around the island since I thought the road might be better that way.  Nope.  It became a one-lane dirt road several miles after Hana and shortly after that it was pitch black and I got to dodge the cattle that were in the roadway.  Luckily, I caught up with a line of cars, so the six or so of us ventured along the Hawaiian coastline back to the more populated part of the island.  What a fun afternoon drive!

Workin' in Hawaii!

On Monday, I was told that I would be working on a client out of another office.  I was hoping for San Francisco, but instead, I was assigned to a job out of the Honolulu office, but was headed to Maui because that’s where the client is located.  How amazing is that?  Sorry Golden Gate Bridge, but I think Hawaiian sunshine and hula skirts win.  My aunt and uncle happened to be vacationing there, so I flew in Friday night to spend the weekend with them.  It could not have been more perfect timing.

Saturday, we got up to go on a snorkeling adventure off of Ka’anapali Beach.  We ventured north to several bays where we were able to swim with turtles, admire the brightly colored tropical fish and stare in awe at the coral reef.  The water was so clear it was incredible!

 

After cleaning off all the ocean salt water, we headed to a luau for the evening on the Lahaina Beach where we were greeted with Mai Tais and shell necklaces.  I have never had so much food in my life (the open bar was also amazing)!  I really liked the structure of the show.  Each style of dance, costumes and course of food represented a different area of the world, so it was interesting to see how each varied from the different Polynesian cultures.  And of course all of this was enjoyed while watching the beautiful sunset.

It was pretty amazing how Hawaiian everything was (which I guess makes sense).  Yes, there were people dressed in hula skirts greeting guests at the airports with leis.  Yes, everyone says aloha and mahalo and yes, hula shirts are considered business casual.  I think I should bring that back to Seattle.  Although I am pretty sure that the locals don’t go to luaus.  The pace of life here is much slower, which has been a pleasant challenge.  I am looking forward to seeing what work will be like since I seem to only be surrounded by tourists now.