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I bring you another post a bit after the trip (May 17 - 28).

Travel & Arrival
I had a smooth plane trip and a decent amount of sleep since Kelly was my pillow. Don’t think she slept much. We checked into The Beachside Hostel which wasn’t the most glamorous place I’ve stayed in but it got the job done.

Day 1 - Thursday - Honolulu
Bad breakfast, Pearl Harbor, Submarine, Battleship
Based on some high recommendations from the hostel workers we ventured out to get breakfast. The first seemed a bit run down and didn’t have the buffet that was promised. After waiting 20 minutes for our server and 45 minutes to be served cold and rubbery eggs and pancakes I was a little perturbed.

Our next stop was Pearl Harbor where we had a great experience. We saw the USS Arizona Memorial which is built on top of the water over the sunken USS Arizona Battleship. 1000+ soldiers are still trapped in the massive tomb. Pretty powerful to see and a very well done memorial. We also did tours of the functional, but out of commission I think, USS Bowfin submarine, and USS Missouri battleship.

On the way back we walked along the beach and saw part of a hula show. A perfect way to watch the sun set.

Day 2 - Friday - Off to Maui
First thing, we took off to the airport to catch a quick flight to Maui. We moved into our temporary place, a cottage belonging to a friend of a friend, as soon as we arrived. Next we picked up a friends car that we used during our trip. A little food, grocery shopping, then more food and it was off to bed.

Day 3 - Saturday - Lahaina
We took a pretty long drive to an area called Lahaina. It’s a beach area with some nicer touristy shops. We soaked up some sun and walked around a bit. They were having some sort of boat carving festival so the air smelled of sawdust. Dinner consisted of a brie cheese-apple-avocado crepe and nutella-banana crepe for dessert… yummy

Day 4 - Sunday - Kihei
We did the Kiehi area and beach for a lot of sun (oops). Dinner consisted of waiting an hour an a half in line outside Sansei Sushi to get the 1/2 off sushi special. Good sushi but not worth waiting that long in a line. I’m not amused in such situations - next time I’ll walk in during non-special hours and pay the extra. The night topped off with Da Vinci Code the movie which I quite enjoyed. I thought it was pretty true to the book.

Day 5 - Monday - Work
Monday was a work day. Kelly took off and left me to do my own thing. I did e-mails and some other business things I needed to get done. My personal chef fixed another wonderful dinner that evening and we watched a movie on the couch.

Day 6 - Tuesday - Waihe’e Valley Trail
Greeted by a sweet woman in a little shack, baby on hip, we’re offered bug-spray and pay to walk on the Waihe’e Valley Trail. It’s full of enormous plants, bamboo forests, hanging bridges, and ended with a man-modified waterfall. We jumped in and both agreed it was invigorating (freakin’ cold). On the way home we stopped by Avis to rent a car for the next day. Another dinner at Cafe de Amis where I had the exact same crepes - again they were fantastic. Before bed was Hero, a movie we watched curled up in bed.

Day 7 - Wednesday - Haleakala Crater
It’s a long and windy road to get 10,000 feet up to the top of Haleakala Crater - the main crater and center of Maui. We didn’t think our friends car would make it so that’s what the rental was for. It’s a gorgeous drive if you can stand the tourist slowing down every 15 seconds to look at the scenery below. We did a pretty strenuous walk into the crater - 1 hour down and about 2 hours straight up (seemed much longer). The colors are incredible - greens, oranges, reds, blacks, grays - everywhere you turn the earth is a different color and texture. Sometimes you thought you were looking at the landscape of Mars and other times as if we were in North Carolina on a dirt filled construction site. We drove back down through drizzly clouds, had some dinner and returned the car. Again we concluded the evening with a movie in bed.

Day 8 - Thursday - Road to Hana
The Road to Hana is one of the most spectacular things we did the entire trip. It’s about 45 miles from the official start of the windy (and I mean driving 10 miles per hour windy) portion to the town named Hana. The span of road has random places to stop where water falls, gorgeous shorelines, and bamboo forests are hidden. Fortunately, our guide book contained an extensive section describing where to stop and trails to walk (as in, stop 0.4 miles after mile marker 9 where you’ll see a bit of dirt and a phone pole).

Our first and most exciting adventure was the four falls of Na’ili’ili-Haele. We had to boulder hop, walk through slippery mud, and navigate large stretches of bamboo to get to the falls. The first 2 falls were quite easy to find and both spectacular. Fall three required us to use ropes to climb a slippery rock cliff to get a peak. Fall four is where we seemed to get off track. After another rope climb we noticed a path to the left leading straight up hill and to the right were lots of boulders in the water. Kelly wanted left and I wanted right but knowing that I should always listen to the woman we went left (if she’s wrong I can always say told you so). We climbed up and up using roots of plants to get footing. No waterfalls in sight at the top but the view was gorgeous. We decided to follow the cow and horse foot prints in the ankle-high mud in hopes of finding an easier way back to the car. Instead we were greeted with a cow quickly heading towards us and moo-ing loudly. Maybe the cow thought dinner was being severed or maybe it was saying “get off my turf.” In any case, I wasn’t brave enough to take time to find out which one it was. So, we sucked it up and headed back down the same steep slope. After standing in the water to wash off our feet and legs we headed back for the car.

Another short stop at the Lower Puohokamao falls and we were off to the Ke’anae Peninsula where we enjoyed locally made banana bread, fresh fruit smoothies, pineapple, and coconut. All of this was enjoyed under a coconut tree while watching the waves crash against the black volcanic rock a short distance away.

Next stop Wai’anapanapa State Park where we, literally, jumped in a frigid water hole inside a lava tube. A local legend says that Princess Wai’anapanapa hid from her evil husband in the caves, and was eventually found and murdered there. Every year seasonal red shrimp fill the cave turning the water red which is said to be her blood. A short walk to the Black Sand Beach were we took a quick nap and marveled at the bright green plants contrasting the dark black rock.

I drove us home and tried to make Kelly car-sick.

Day 9 - Friday - Sunset Cruise
Friday was Lahaina Beach day where we had powerful waves and beautiful white sands. That evening we took a sunset cruise on a sail boat. The captain, 2 deck hands, and about 25 crazy people with alcohol made for an interesting trip. The sunset was spectacular and a perfect way to finish up the trip.

Day 10 - Saturday - Saved a Goat
I woke up to a goat making the most horrendous noise and the Kelly screeching and running outside (couldn’t tell the two sounds apart). Next to the cottage is a goat farm and one of the goats got its head stuck in the fence. We both hopped the fence and did our best to free the goat but it wasn’t too happy. Fortunately, our neighbor brought us some wire cutters and the goat rejoined the other puzzled looking group.

Then it was off to the airport for my trip home. Kelly’s in HI and enjoying her extended stay!