Comments

I think I need to reply to some of the comments that were left here. They are quite amusing, and I am very grateful for them.

Anyway, yes, Danielle, I believe you are a professional when it comes to blogging. Maybe you should start your own blog, so that I can make comments to you. Also, because my soul sings in tune, unlike yours, I hope that you find a different metaphor to describe your love for the sun.

No, Jeff did not keep the fish, although I think he should have. According to some people I met in the hot tub, grilled Mahi Mahi is delicious.

I'm not sure if an elephant is my favorite animal in general...they are just AMAZING to see up close and personal. They're huge and very prehistoric-looking.

Pu pu is Hawaiian for appetizer.

Reverse Chronological Order

Welcome! I wrote this stuff as the week went by, but wasn't able to post until today. Because it's written like a true blog, you'll have to start at the bottom to read about the trip in the correct order. Enjoy!

Last Day in Hawaii [April 28, 2007]

We had grand plans of driving to the top of Haleakala to watch the sunrise, but neither of us managed to set the alarm clock. So, we spent our final morning lounging in bed, cuddling, and falling in and out of sleep. At about 9 AM we climbed out of bed and made our way to Polo Beach. Jeff didn’t think the waves were as good as they were earlier in the week, but we spent about 5 hours there anyway. I got plenty of sun this week…maybe a little too much. But, I feel great! The sun does wonders for the soul, and after going about 4 months without any sun, my soul is finally singing.

Another Day in Paradise [April 27, 2007]

For me, today represented a true day in paradise. We got up very early so we could drive Jeff to Lahaina Harbor for his fishing expedition. By 5:15 he was on his way to catching a dolphin fish, or as the Hawaiians call it, Mahi Mahi. I’m sure the fishing was fun, but I went back to the condo where I took a little nap. I then went to my massage for some, Hawaiian Bliss, which is what the spa called a combination of Swedish, Lomi Lomi and therapeutic massage. So, for 90 minutes I was in a very blissful state. I followed my massage up with some eggs, pancakes and bacon. Luckily, Paula called me while I eating, so I didn’t feel so alone in the deli.

With a full belly, I headed to the beach and started reading Isabelle Allende’s Zorro. Like all of Allende’s books, this one is full of rich prose, exciting characters and an excellent plot. She is definitely an author who transports me to another world…I could go on and on about her books. Now that I’m thinking of it, I may have to suggest that we read House of Spirits for book club.

After almost three hours at the beach it was time to pick up Jeff at the harbor. He was very excited about his Mahi Mahi and had some great pictures of both the fish and the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. I would have liked to see that sunrise!

We drove back to Kihei and showered up before heading to Lu Lu’s for dinner, where we had a monster plate of nachos, chicken quesadillas and wings. Dinner was good, but it certainly wasn’t the best meal of the week. I finished out the night in the hot tub, and Jeff watched the history channel before we both fell asleep dreaming of Maui.

Snorkeling Molokini and Turtle Town [April 26, 2007]

Today was by far my favorite one for activities. This morning we boarded the Sea Fire with Captain Don for a few hours of snorkeling at Molokini Crater and Turtle Town. The fish were fantastic, the turtles very friendly and I actually got about 4 feet from a white-tipped reef shark. We had delicious pineapple, yummy muffins and good company on the boat…definitely an activity I would do again.

Because it was particularly windy today, instead of going to the beach we spent the afternoon at the Maui Ocean Center, where we saw plenty more fish, sharks, coral and other sea creatures. We finished off the day with dinner at Lahaina Fish Company, and a stroll down Front Street in Lahaina Town. To top off a great day, we made it home just in time for the start of Grey’s Anatomy.

A Day in Oahu [April 25, 2007]

Wow, talk about packing a lot into one day. This is how our day went…drive to the airport in Kahului – fly to Honolulu – visit Pearl Harbor – take a nap on Waikiki Beach -hike to the top of Diamond Head and see some fantastic views – stroll around the Honolulu Zoo – eat at Wendy’s – drive back to the airport and fly back to Kahului – back to the condo for some hot tub & pool time.

Pearl Harbor was a very sobering experience for me. I was completely overcome with emotion as we pulled up to the sunken Arizona. I didn’t even feel like I was thinking about the 1100 soldiers entombed in the ship, but as soon as the boat docked to the Memorial tears sprang into my eyes. I looked around and couldn’t find anybody else crying, so I got things together, wiped my eyes and took a walk around the Memorial.

Diamond Head was full of spectacular views and Waikiki is a pretty nice beach. The Zoo was great, and as usual, my favorite animals were the elephants. Honolulu is a bustling city, so it was a little stressful getting around. I’m really glad we’re spending most of the week on Maui!

More Beach Time [April 24, 2007]

Tuesday was more time at the beach and a dinner at the Pu Pu Grille. We had the Pu Pu Platter for 2, which was served with a Hibachi grill in the middle. The food was delicious, and Jeff had fun playing with the fire! Tonight we’re keeping things low-key because tomorrow’s our big day on Oahu.

Monday, Monday [April 23, 2007]

Today we drove to the Haleakala area of Maui where we participated in one of the coolest little adventure tours on the planet. Okay, so I haven’t done all that many adventure tours, but this one has to rank near the top. Skyline Eco Adventures provide a hike through the crater area of Haleakala, give lessons on the rare birds of Maui, and have 5 ziplines that swing you across gullies. I could try and describe this, but the website probably does a better job…

A Day at the Beach [April 22, 2007]

Well, the six hour time difference has certainly got me messed up. My body clock can’t even handle daylights savings time, so you can imagine what six hours does to me. Anyway, even though I went to bed exhausted last night at about 10 pm Maui time, I was still up before 3 am, thinking that it was around 9. I’ve been up ever since, and fortunately, I still feel pretty good. Jeff is asleep already, but he isn’t the least bit affected by things like jet lag. He’s pretty good at sleeping whenever, wherever.

So, after Jeff finally woke up around 6 am this morning, we ate some breakfast and took a long walk on the beach. Maui mornings are perfect for walks…it’s not too hot and not too cold. We were hungry again when we got back from our walk, so I made some sandwiches and we had a very early lunch. We then took off for Snorkel Bob’s, where we booked a snorkel trip to Molokini for Thursday and received a free boogie board rental for the week. The boogie board turned out to be great fun, mostly for Jeffy. He spent just about all day at the beach riding the waves. He’s a little bit sunburned and has a big welt on his knee, but he had a great time nonetheless. I also enjoyed Polo Beach (Wailea area), and I also did a little boogie boarding….but mostly I lounged in the sun and finished, Running with Scissors (this month’s book club choice). The book was fantastic, the sun was perfect and now I officially have my first tan lines of the season.

I got some restaurant recommendations from the women I met in the hot tub (last night), and the first one turned out to be great. We arrived early for the buy one entrée get one free special. Jeff had the blue marlin, and I enjoyed the crab stuffed snapper. We ate outside and reveled in the special ambience that is created by just being on a tropical island in the Pacific. Everybody should get to do this at least once.

Mostly Travel [April 20 & 21, 2007]

I’m calling our first travel day, which involved a drive to Cleveland and a stay at the Ramada, Day Zero. I always hope that travel days are uneventful, and thankfully, Day Zero was just fine.

Day One, which went on for 30 long hours (six hour time difference between Hawaii and PA), was also rather uneventful. Our flights were smooth, and for the most part, on time. Thrifty had our yellow soft top Wrangler waiting for us, and the condo is great. We have a small kitchen with granite counters, a living and dining area, a bedroom, and a newly tiled shower with separate vanity area.

After check-in, we drove the length of South Kihei Road and found a little pup called, Moose McGillycuddy’s. Jeff had the prime rib and I the shrimp scampi. Because we were eating an early (Maui time) dinner, we got very good prices. Everything was good, but by about 9 PM, Jeff was hungry again. Go figure.

Our trip to Foodland got us beer, wine, pop, and an assortment of foods to dine on for the week. We’ll probably eat most of our dinners out, but breakfast and lunch will be at the condo or from the cooler at the beach.

We ended the night with a visit to the Hot Tub. Jeff lasted about 5 minutes, but I spent about an hour getting to know some interesting women from the West Coast. I love vacations!

To Tan or Not to Tan

I love the sun, so while I'm in Maui, I want to bask in it! So, I think I'm going to buy a tanning package at the gym I've been attending. This will do a couple of things for me....1) It will ensure that I go to the gym, at least on the days that I'm scheduled to tan and 2) It will get me a nice base so the warm Hawaiian sun doesn't burn me (Duh!).

Hmmm...I just sent in my final payment for the condo. Yay! I love vacations.

Deposit Made

I sent my $200 deposit last week, and received confirmation from the owners this week. Our condo can be seen at the following site:

http://www.vrbo.com/621

So far, the owners have been attentive and quick to answer my questions. The only thing left to do is send the balance of my payment some time before March 21st. I think I'll be sending it mid-February, in case there are any problems with snail-mail.

January Planning

I've just had the most incredible week of vacation planning. I hope that doesn't sound too weird to everybody, but I love planning vacations. Maybe I should have been a travel agent. Anywho, for the past couple of weeks I've been searching the net for bargain flights and nice-looking condos, and I think I've booked some pretty good deals.

We're flying US Air into Maui (OGG) from Cleveland (CLE) with one stop in Phoenix before arriving in Maui. Rountrip cost is $550 + tax per person. Excellent price considering most of the flights from PA/NY/OH area are around $800.

Our condo is in North Kihei at the Kauhale Makai, or Village by the Sea. I struggled with this one a bit...I wanted to make sure we got a price I was comfortable with, but also a condo in which I was comfortable. After e-mailing back and forth with lots of condo owners, I choose a couple who live on the island and do the condo-upkeep themselves. Total price w/ tax for 7 nights is $825. The husband is a contractor who renovates condos for a living, so I think I picked a winner. We'll find out in April.

During our week-long stay in Maui, we'll be taking one inter-island flight to Oahu. Jeff is a history buff, so we can't miss Pearl Harbor. I also figured out the less expensive way to accomplish a side trip. There are many tour companies in Maui that charge upwards of $250 pp to take a day-trip to Oahu to visit Pearl Harbor. Instead of going this route, I booked two round-trip flights and a rental car for the day for a total of $220.

Oh, I also have a Jeep for the week ($399 includes all taxes) in Maui, and have our park and fly booked in Cleveland (Radisson West) for $69 + tax.

All this anticipation has me giddy.