Abhishek, Alex, Divya, little Arya and I vacationed in Maui, Hawaii over Christmas break. After all our (Divya and my) planning, anticipation and numerous reruns of "Hawa Hawaii" by Sridevi, our trip was finally here! Going over the packing list: swimsuits - check, sunscreen - check, Arya's three page packing list - check, Abhishek's party hat (we only party when the party hat is on) - check, and it was time to Hawa Hawaii.
Our itinerary was:
Day 1: Grand Wailea Luau Show
Day 2: Haleakala National Park
Day 3: Snorkeling at Lahaina, Kapalua, Kanapali
Day 4: Road to Hana
Day 5: Whale Watching and Snorkeling at Molokini
Day 6: Iao Valley, return home
Our itinerary was:
Day 1: Grand Wailea Luau Show
Day 2: Haleakala National Park
Day 3: Snorkeling at Lahaina, Kapalua, Kanapali
Day 4: Road to Hana
Day 5: Whale Watching and Snorkeling at Molokini
Day 6: Iao Valley, return home
Luau Show
We arrived in Maui around noon, after a tumultuous start to the day. We had an early morning flight and amidst rain, wind, cold and jumping over the parking barricade to get to the terminal, we finally made it to our flight, and a sleepy 6 hours later we landed in Kahului.
At airports, especially in tourist destinations, you can easily distinguish between the people arriving and those leaving. We, and the rest of our flight, arrived in heavy jackets, looking sleepy and frazzled, and generally giving the impression that hey, we need this, ok. The people leaving were in shorts and colorful clothes, with overstuffed luggage, carrying last minute shopping bags and generally looking relaxed and beaming around. We were ready to take in the chill effect too!
We were renting a condo by the beach in Kihei. On our way from the airport to the condo we wanted to make a quick stop at Costco for some essential supplies. When we entered Costco, we saw rows of beach gear, Hawaiian shirts, skirts etc. Thankfully in all this random shopping we didn't forget to buy milk! Anyhoo, we made it to our condo an hour or so later laden with a lots of new luggage.
Our condo was right on the beach in a cute little community. The whole area was quite nice, and not very crowded. Abhishek, Divya, Alex and Arya headed for a little walk along the beach.
At airports, especially in tourist destinations, you can easily distinguish between the people arriving and those leaving. We, and the rest of our flight, arrived in heavy jackets, looking sleepy and frazzled, and generally giving the impression that hey, we need this, ok. The people leaving were in shorts and colorful clothes, with overstuffed luggage, carrying last minute shopping bags and generally looking relaxed and beaming around. We were ready to take in the chill effect too!
We were renting a condo by the beach in Kihei. On our way from the airport to the condo we wanted to make a quick stop at Costco for some essential supplies. When we entered Costco, we saw rows of beach gear, Hawaiian shirts, skirts etc. Thankfully in all this random shopping we didn't forget to buy milk! Anyhoo, we made it to our condo an hour or so later laden with a lots of new luggage.
Our condo was right on the beach in a cute little community. The whole area was quite nice, and not very crowded. Abhishek, Divya, Alex and Arya headed for a little walk along the beach.
That evening we headed for the Grand Wailea Luau. A Luau is an evening of dinner and entertainment, showcasing traditional Hawaiian song and dance. The location was very picturesque - the show was held on a wide grassy lawn, with the beach and the setting sun behind us, and the immaculately landscaped resort with pools and waterfalls in front of us.
Luau's typically feature Kalua cooking, which is cooking in an underground oven. Food, usually meat, is cooked slowly over a period of 4-6 hours in a shallow pit lined with a layer of rocks enclosed by a lining of banana leaves.
A pig cooked in Kalua style at our Luau, along with colorful jewelry on display:
A pig cooked in Kalua style at our Luau, along with colorful jewelry on display:
After we were fed and watered (as Dumbledore tells Hogwarts students after the feast), it was time to settle down for the show. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset, following which the tiki torches and the show began with much ceremony.
The music and dance performance was about an hour and a half and was creatively choreographed to bring to life different events in Hawaiian mythology. Hawaiian dance and music, like the beach life, is relaxed and fluid, quite unlike todays tempo music and dance which borders on aerobics. Each scene in the performance featured colorfully dressed dancers. The MC of the night was particularly talented, doubling up as a singer, drummer and performer. The grand finale of the evening was a group of dances putting out fires by sitting on them (first time I had seen that way of containing fires), and a fire and knife wielding artist who juggled with sticks on fire and then plunged a long sword down his throat!
The music and dance performance was about an hour and a half and was creatively choreographed to bring to life different events in Hawaiian mythology. Hawaiian dance and music, like the beach life, is relaxed and fluid, quite unlike todays tempo music and dance which borders on aerobics. Each scene in the performance featured colorfully dressed dancers. The MC of the night was particularly talented, doubling up as a singer, drummer and performer. The grand finale of the evening was a group of dances putting out fires by sitting on them (first time I had seen that way of containing fires), and a fire and knife wielding artist who juggled with sticks on fire and then plunged a long sword down his throat!
Haleakala National Park
The first picture on Day 2:
This picture was taken at the summit of the Haleakala crater. Our head was in the clouds, and it was cold and damp, not fluffy and warm - whoever came up with that saying has definitely not had their head in the clouds! We had missed sending our families a picture from the previous evening, and somehow this is the first picture of Hawaii they received. My mom was like - Wait, are you in Hawaii? It looks like Alaska!
The island of Maui is named after the demigod Maui - son of Hawaiʻiloa, who is credited with discovering the Hawaiian islands. Haleakala, which translates to "house of sun", is named so since legend has it that the demigod Maui captured the sun in Haleakala, only releasing it when the sun promised to travel more slowly over the ocean. Thousands of years later Haleakala crater is most renowned for it's spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
We made the drive up to Haleakala National Park on our second day at Maui. The drive was gorgeous, rising up from sea level to more than 10,000 ft in 38 miles.
The island of Maui is named after the demigod Maui - son of Hawaiʻiloa, who is credited with discovering the Hawaiian islands. Haleakala, which translates to "house of sun", is named so since legend has it that the demigod Maui captured the sun in Haleakala, only releasing it when the sun promised to travel more slowly over the ocean. Thousands of years later Haleakala crater is most renowned for it's spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
We made the drive up to Haleakala National Park on our second day at Maui. The drive was gorgeous, rising up from sea level to more than 10,000 ft in 38 miles.
The Rainbow State!
Clouds rolling over the rolling hills!
This has gotta be, gotta be, the good life!
At the entrance to the National Park:
Haleakala crater is actually a misnomer since it was actually formed by wind eroding the valley between two mountains. The wind maketh and and eventually the wind levelth.
It looked like the surface of Mars (or similar to the surface of Mars as created in a Hollywood basement and shown in Martian). We could imagine Mark Watney getting out to do an EVA!
There is a gorgeous hike called Sliding Sands which hikes down along the crater. Alas, the day we were there it was very cloudy and windy, so the visibility wasn't that great. For the few moments when the clouds opened up, we had a spectacular view of the valley.
It looked like the surface of Mars (or similar to the surface of Mars as created in a Hollywood basement and shown in Martian). We could imagine Mark Watney getting out to do an EVA!
There is a gorgeous hike called Sliding Sands which hikes down along the crater. Alas, the day we were there it was very cloudy and windy, so the visibility wasn't that great. For the few moments when the clouds opened up, we had a spectacular view of the valley.
What Watney's path probably looks like on the surface of Mars. He avoided craters you see..
If you've been seeing the pictures carefully, you'll notice several wardrobe changes at Haleakala! We kept pace with the vegetation change as we traveled up the mountain, adding a layer as the vegetation got thinner :)
We polished off the day with a lovely Christmas dinner. Arya, like her mum, is so socially active. At the restaurant, she was running around and saying hi to folks at different tables. In the picture below you can just make out the friend she made that evening, Emily - a two year old, on the far left. Emily and Arya became fast friends that evening!
A relaxing end to a lovely day.
A relaxing end to a lovely day.
Beach Hopping
In Hawaii you can just walk onto any beach and start snorkeling. There's no need to take a boat an hour away to see fish and corals (though we did do that), you will see them right at any ole' beach. Eager to take in the all the diversity in fish and corals that Maui has to offer, we went beach hopping from the South to the North. Don't judge, can you say you've seen all of India - the people and the geography, if you only stuck to the north or south?
We started at Baby Beach (they should really rename it to Adult Beginner Beach, it sounds so much more respectable!), and got comfortable with our gear. When we saw our first fish, all the underwater cameras and gopros were out - that fish, which probably strayed off from it's school, must have felt like such a celebrity! From Baby beach we headed on to Kapalua bay, which is a sheltered cove on the north west side of Maui. The rocks lining the bay and the calmer waters make the cove a sanctuary for fish and turtles.
Divya, Abhishek and I were a little uncertain of swimming in the ocean by ourselves, so we held hands and snorkeled. At one point, Abhishek was on my right and clicking pictures with his right hand, and Divya was on my left. We proceeded as a trio holding hands, swimming farther away from the beach that either one of us would have dared individually. It was a fun experience, though Alex maintained a little bit of distance, generally implying that I don't really know these people!
Little Arya who was initially quite uncomfortable in the morning, with the water and the sand that got into everything, was having a blast by the afternoon. She spent hours transferring sand from one container to the other and vice versa. Too bad no one ever remembers what they were thinking when they're that age!
A few pictures from our beach day:
We started at Baby Beach (they should really rename it to Adult Beginner Beach, it sounds so much more respectable!), and got comfortable with our gear. When we saw our first fish, all the underwater cameras and gopros were out - that fish, which probably strayed off from it's school, must have felt like such a celebrity! From Baby beach we headed on to Kapalua bay, which is a sheltered cove on the north west side of Maui. The rocks lining the bay and the calmer waters make the cove a sanctuary for fish and turtles.
Divya, Abhishek and I were a little uncertain of swimming in the ocean by ourselves, so we held hands and snorkeled. At one point, Abhishek was on my right and clicking pictures with his right hand, and Divya was on my left. We proceeded as a trio holding hands, swimming farther away from the beach that either one of us would have dared individually. It was a fun experience, though Alex maintained a little bit of distance, generally implying that I don't really know these people!
Little Arya who was initially quite uncomfortable in the morning, with the water and the sand that got into everything, was having a blast by the afternoon. She spent hours transferring sand from one container to the other and vice versa. Too bad no one ever remembers what they were thinking when they're that age!
A few pictures from our beach day:
Our third evening in Hawaii was spent watching the sunset at the expansive Kanapali beach. It's easy to see why it's named among America's best beaches with miles of soft, white sand and crystal clear waters.
The ships coming home.
The skies briefly opened up just after sunset leading us to make a hasty exit. We had dinner at a boisterous restaurant in Whalers Village and headed back to the condo. I dreamt of colorful corals and fish that night.
Road to Hana
The Hana highway is a windy road on the north east side of Maui which starts at Kahului and ends at Hana. The curvy road, which had the coast on one side and a tropical rain forest on the other, treated us to breathtaking views of waterfalls, beaches, dense jungles and steep cliffs! It's just 52 miles one way, yet took us a full day to complete - and what a day it was!
The rain forest our road cut through was dense. There was such a rich and diverse ecosystem within a square foot. There'd be a big tree growing that would be hogging most of the sunlight, vines and creepers twisting around the tree's bark, a variety of shrubs around the tree making the best of the filtered rays of sunlight, grass around the shrubs, and moss between the grass - not a square centimeter of earth gone to waste! The jungle could just swallow you whole, and there'd be no trace that you were ever there. It was just incredible how so many species and life forms were being supported by Mother Earth. The whole backdrop reminded me of the scene from Lost World when they get stuck in the jungle. Speaking of which, apparently some scenes from Jurassic World were shot here, something we found out later.
Hana, and this rain forest are on the other side of Haleakala Crater that we'd visited a few days earlier. Winds laden with moisture come in from the ocean and as they make their way inwards they encounter the crater which obstructs their journey, causing condensation and an abundance of rain. On the other side of this dense rain forest was a deep red, barren crater valley with just a spindly plant popping up once in a while (with lots of fragile, please conserve signs around it)!
The rain forest our road cut through was dense. There was such a rich and diverse ecosystem within a square foot. There'd be a big tree growing that would be hogging most of the sunlight, vines and creepers twisting around the tree's bark, a variety of shrubs around the tree making the best of the filtered rays of sunlight, grass around the shrubs, and moss between the grass - not a square centimeter of earth gone to waste! The jungle could just swallow you whole, and there'd be no trace that you were ever there. It was just incredible how so many species and life forms were being supported by Mother Earth. The whole backdrop reminded me of the scene from Lost World when they get stuck in the jungle. Speaking of which, apparently some scenes from Jurassic World were shot here, something we found out later.
Hana, and this rain forest are on the other side of Haleakala Crater that we'd visited a few days earlier. Winds laden with moisture come in from the ocean and as they make their way inwards they encounter the crater which obstructs their journey, causing condensation and an abundance of rain. On the other side of this dense rain forest was a deep red, barren crater valley with just a spindly plant popping up once in a while (with lots of fragile, please conserve signs around it)!
Pictures from the scenic Ke'anae peninsula. During the tsunami from 1856, the stone church in the city was the only building left standing.
The picteresque Ke'anea Arboretum. There were gigantic eucalyptus trees with streaks of color on their bark - rainbow eucalyptus!
 |  |
After a few more stops on the road, with roaring waterfalls alongside us, we stopped at the Half Way to Hana stop. There's a small bakery at this stop which was the first to make banana bread. Don't know if that's fact or fiction, but the bread was warm and delicious.
A little further down we stopped for a tasty lunch in a unique ambience. A food truck was parked inside a hut with the dense jungle all around it. A lunch ambience unlike any other, definitely put my office lunch spot to shame.
A little further down we stopped for a tasty lunch in a unique ambience. A food truck was parked inside a hut with the dense jungle all around it. A lunch ambience unlike any other, definitely put my office lunch spot to shame.
Our next stop was the Maui Lava Tube. A lava tube is a conduit formed by flowing lava, which serves as a drain for an active lava flow. The remaining lava eventually cools to form a hardened tube like structure. There are even stalactites and stalagmites on the surface, which probably formed in seconds as opposed to the thousands of years calcium stalactites take. However, unlike calcium structures which are continuously growing, a lava stalactite can never grow, and nor do you want to be around when it does!
Looks like an entrance to the underworld.
Active lava once filled this entire space! Molten hot lava at 1200C! And now there are steps, lights, a railing to balance your step and informational placards. Inside this most violent act of nature I felt as secure as I felt on my couch at home. Sigh!
Driving along Hana, listening to the Gypsy Guide on Abhishek's phone, we arrived at Waianapanapa State Park. The park is along the jagged lava cooled coastline, with the sea carving out tubes, caves, arches and pools through solid lava. The beach along the coast is a "black sand" beach since it is made out of lava. The whole area was gorgeous and unlike any other place we've seen before.
Side note: I learnt while writing this blog that both flowing lava and solid lava are called lava :)
Side note: I learnt while writing this blog that both flowing lava and solid lava are called lava :)
Our last stop on the Road to Hana was near the Oheo'Gulch pools, a series of cascading pools formed by sea water eroding the lava coast. We really wanted to do the Pipiwai hike through the bamboo forest, but by this time it was already 4.30 in the evening and the sun had started setting. We could hear the forest night life coming alive - crickets and frogs coming out to party! So we decided to skip the hike, and going by how quickly the sun set after that boy was it a good call. Listening to the forest sounds I remembered how growing up in India the sounds of the evening insects coming alive in the playground was the sign to return home for the evening, and face homework.
A few pictures on our drive back:
A few pictures on our drive back:
The sun set soon after, and we were enveloped by the forest. The only lights we could see were of the cars in front of and behind us, and they were such a comfort to see. I remember missing highway 101 on the drive back. 101 is a central artery in the bay area, a 5 lane road straight as an arrow with lots of civilization around, though truth be told I've never appreciated it in the bay area since it's always traffic jammed and a pain to drive. Yet, in the middle of a dense, silent jungle on a windy road with visibility only a few feet ahead I couldn't wait to get back on 101. We were averaging 20 miles an hour, so the drive back took us 4 hours or so. It was a tough drive for Abhishek for sure.
Gypsy guide (the app for Road to Hana) was an excellent companion. On the way to Hana the Gypsy guide talked about interesting places to see. On the way back he spoke about the history of Hawaii and it's people.
Traditional Hawaiian society apparently had a caste system resembling India's caste hierarchy. Society was divided into warriors and chiefs, priests, commoners and the lower caste. Marriage between castes, especially to people in lower castes was strictly forbidden. Superstitions in society abounded, one mentioned that if a man and a women ever ate together at the same table the man would be struck down by lighting!
The islands of Hawaii were ruled by different chiefs who frequently fought battles amongst each other. King Kamehameha conquered all the Hawaiian islands in 1795, and the islands were brought under one ruler for the first time. The next century saw a growing battle for control over the archipelago between the United States and Europe. Hawaii was eventually annexed by the United States in 1959, as it's 50th and most recent state. In 1993, the US Congress passed a joint Apology Resolution apologizing for the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom and acknowledging that Hawaii had been annexed unlawfully.
Gypsy guide's chronicle of Hawaiian history kept us deeply engrossed on the drive back. The narrative had rich details about the people and rulers of each era, their way of life and aspirations. Soon we were back to civilization - straight roads, shops, people. I went to bed that night dreaming of Hawaiian warriors jumping out of the jungle screaming Haka - an ancient Hawaiian war cry!
Gypsy guide (the app for Road to Hana) was an excellent companion. On the way to Hana the Gypsy guide talked about interesting places to see. On the way back he spoke about the history of Hawaii and it's people.
Traditional Hawaiian society apparently had a caste system resembling India's caste hierarchy. Society was divided into warriors and chiefs, priests, commoners and the lower caste. Marriage between castes, especially to people in lower castes was strictly forbidden. Superstitions in society abounded, one mentioned that if a man and a women ever ate together at the same table the man would be struck down by lighting!
The islands of Hawaii were ruled by different chiefs who frequently fought battles amongst each other. King Kamehameha conquered all the Hawaiian islands in 1795, and the islands were brought under one ruler for the first time. The next century saw a growing battle for control over the archipelago between the United States and Europe. Hawaii was eventually annexed by the United States in 1959, as it's 50th and most recent state. In 1993, the US Congress passed a joint Apology Resolution apologizing for the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom and acknowledging that Hawaii had been annexed unlawfully.
Gypsy guide's chronicle of Hawaiian history kept us deeply engrossed on the drive back. The narrative had rich details about the people and rulers of each era, their way of life and aspirations. Soon we were back to civilization - straight roads, shops, people. I went to bed that night dreaming of Hawaiian warriors jumping out of the jungle screaming Haka - an ancient Hawaiian war cry!
Snorkeling at Molokini
The next day was back to the water! We snorkeled in the morning near a beach close to our condo. Abhishek went off snorkeling leaving me at the beach guarding his expensive camera. He says he was only off for half an hour, I say he abandoned me for 2 hours, so let's say he was off for 1 hour. I was miffed when he came back, but he made up by taking me snorkeling to the prettiest coral reef we saw in Hawaii. I think he got pretty lucky there.
That afternoon we took a cruise out to Molokini - a crescent shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater just a few miles off the coast of Maui. It was a beautiful day to be out on the ocean, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the water was a sparkling, deep sapphire blue. We were also delighted to see a few humpback whales, including a mamma and a baby whale, during our cruise.
That afternoon we took a cruise out to Molokini - a crescent shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater just a few miles off the coast of Maui. It was a beautiful day to be out on the ocean, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the water was a sparkling, deep sapphire blue. We were also delighted to see a few humpback whales, including a mamma and a baby whale, during our cruise.
The crescent shaped Molokini crater.
On the cruise.
When we dropped anchor at the crater to start snorkeling we could see the fish in the water from the boat itself, the water was that crystal clear. Snorkeling inside the crater was a completely different experience from snorkeling near the beach. The water was very calm thanks to the crater walls surrounding us. Rich corals lined the crater walls and the crater was teeming with fish. One minute you have your head above the water and the waters look calm, doesn't look like much is going on underneath, and then when you duck back into the water, fish are swimming all around you! As I was writing this I was reminded of a quote from Fault in our Stars, where Hazel remarks that houses from the outside always look boring, as if nothing is happening inside, when in fact your whole life is lived inside one! The ocean certainly gives that impression, but there is a whole vibrant, world underneath.
Some pictures of us snorkeling are below. Snorkeling in Molokini felt like swimming in a gigantic 40ft deep swimming pool with fish and corals around us, the water was so clear and calm.
Some pictures of us snorkeling are below. Snorkeling in Molokini felt like swimming in a gigantic 40ft deep swimming pool with fish and corals around us, the water was so clear and calm.
Hang Loose!
We had a nice, hot lunch waiting for us onboard the ship after our hour of snorkeling in Molokini. After lunch we stretched out on the deck with some desert and cold drinks, enjoying the sun, the ocean and the view. We docked in Maui around 5pm that evening. All in all a very enjoyable afternoon!
For our last evening in Maui, we went out for dinner at a Japanese-European restaurant on a small hill near Kihei overlooking a golf course. A wonderful end to a glorious day.
For our last evening in Maui, we went out for dinner at a Japanese-European restaurant on a small hill near Kihei overlooking a golf course. A wonderful end to a glorious day.
Iao Valley
The next morning we packed up and said good-bye to our home for the last 5 days.
We then headed out to Iao Valley, the famous landmark where King Kamehameha overcame the Maui army in his crusade to unify Hawaii. The valley, formed by a stream, was a deep, lush green. We spent about an hour or so in the valley walking on the trails. We would have liked to spend more time there, but there were too many mosquitoes.
Abhishek and I did a short drive along the picturesque coast near Iao Valley, followed by lunch at the Queen Ka'ahumanu Mall at Kahului. There was a farmer's market inside the mall, right besides Urban Outfitters!
And then, it was time to come back to rainy, cold, bay area :( . Arya had an absolute blast on the flight back, she became fast friends with a lady on the flight who was very creative in coming up with new games with the only thing she had with her - a neck pillow! I have come to view neck pillows in new light.
We had such a wonderful vacation in Hawaii. It was particularly enjoyable holidaying with Divya, Alex and Arya. We had our own little routine every day. In the morning, I'd make Chai, Divya cooked scrambled eggs, and we'd get breakfast ready. We'd all sit together, have a nice breakfast and plan out the day. Some days we all went out together, a few days we went to different places. In either case, we'd be back to the condo by 8pm or so, put Arya to bed and chit-chat late into the night over some snacks. Very nice, relaxing vacation. Thank you guys, and thank you Hawaii.
Aloha and Mahalo!
Aloha and Mahalo!
