Countdown to Christmas: Week 2

Jacob is required to have a certain amount of professional development each year to keep up his credentials. Imagine our excitement when a professional conference came up in Maui for this December! Darn, a whole week in Maui. 

Jacob had been several times, but it was a Hawaii island I had not visited yet. The only catch was that the conference started on a Sunday, and I had the big annual board reorganization meeting on that Monday. So, we worked out that Jacob would go ahead of me, leaving on Saturday, and I would fly out on Tuesday morning. He got all settled in our hotel room at the Waimea Marriot resort, and tried not to send me too many photos of paradise while I waiting it out in the freezing temperatures of Spokane. 

I am happy to report that the reorganization meeting went well. I was unanimously voted in for a second term as board president, and then I flew out to Hawaii without incident. My parents were so kind as to sleep over at our house and tend to Riley, getting him to and from school and to rehearsals and such.

Jacob picked me up from the airport Tuesday evening, we picked up some Cane's Chicken because I was starving, and then we drove into the resort. It was absolutely magical coming in the main drive of the resort because it there were massive trees bending over the road, making a tunnel, with white lanterns glowing from their lofty branches. They just screamed, "Welcome to Maui."

Jacob took me to the front desk so that I could officially receive my Aloha lei as well as get a complimentary glass of mango juice. I definitely felt welcomed.  

The next morning, Jacob went off to the conference while I went on a walk to explore. There is a mostly paved path along the shore from the resort all down the coast, so I just walked and jogged my way along that. It was a bit crowded. It's a relatively narrow path, so you are constantly going around people, but the views were gorgeous and the temperature was perfect. I spotted some groups launching boats for an early morning paddle.

There is a little market within easy walking distance from the resort where we could find all sorts of ready to eats meals (so much cheaper than hitting a restaurant for every meal), so I went there to grab something for breakfast.

That first day for me was very chill and it was EXACTLY what I needed after all the school board drama and the stress of the holidays which had been upon me. I brought a couple of books and found a cozy place to just sit and enjoy people watching. I was just in time to watch a hula lesson, then watching as children toppled the oversized chess pieces, and then admired the birds hopping around. Then I went to one of the resorts Hawaiian heritage classes to learn about the sacred kukui tree. I made my own kukui nut bracelet. May, the lady teaching the class, is a native Maui Hawaiian and explained how important it was for them to share their culture for the betterment of their children. It was lovely. 

After Jacob got out of class, we decided to go exploring a little and trekked up to Kihei to grab a bite to eat at the food trucks before heading to the Maui Gold pineapple farm for a tour. There were chickens and their chicks running around in the picnic area as we enjoyed out Bao Burgers. We had never heard of bao (pronounced "bow"), but apparently it is a Chinese thing. There are soft, fluffy, yeast-leavened steamed buns that are filled with all sorts of things. Leave it to Hawaii to bring the cultural diversity. We love to try new things! 

This was my shrimp bao. Soooo yummy.

The Maui Gold Farm is one of the few still in operation after the big ones like Dole. It is family-owned and has very few workers who plant and harvest the entire thing! We went in a little tour bus around the farm to see the different stages of pineapple growth, as well as see planting in action. Apparently, not many people want to be farmers anymore (I can see that), so their planters who have been doing it almost their entire lives are in their 60s and even older!

Our tour guide was telling us about how to plant a pineapple slip.

This is a pineapple flower. We learned that a pineapple is a berry!

The top view of the flower.

We got to taste test several pineapple, and learned all sorts of facts I did not know before. For instance, pineapples are picked when ripe. So, you don't have to leave them on the counter to get ripe. Green pineapples are ripe from the store! Also, you can eat the core! The longer you leave a pineapple to change color, the less sweet it will be because the starches start to breakdown. Crazy, right?

A native to Maui, our tour guide also told us about "the best malasadas" on the island, so after our tour we went to get some. They were stuffed! Like filled donuts! I'd never seen that before. We got a variety of them. 

Later that evening, Jacob and I took a walk along the beach. It was a lovely evening. Boy, do I treasure the quiet moments away from the rat race of our lives when we can just be together. It was so needed.

The next day, Jacob didn't have conference classes until the afternoon/evening, so we had an early morning booked to take the Maui Magic out to Molokini and Turtle Town to go snorkeling. We were so excited to see some sea turtles, as well as humpback whales down from Alaska. We were just at the beginning of whale season when they come down to give birth and nurse their babies. We could see some spouting and some tails pop out of the water. So cool!

The sunrise over Maui was beautiful. The day was a little overcast, but pleasant. At Turtle Town, we saw so many interesting fish and also swam right by the turtles! They were having a "shell wash" with little fish eating the algae and things off their backs. Then the turtles would come up to the surface for a breath before going back for more and then finally settling down at the ocean floor to rest in an alcove. One of the most amazing things to watch. 

After Jacob's conference that night, we went to eat at the Maui Brewing Company. They had someone there playing guitar and singing. I am a sucker for live music. 

The following morning, I went on my oceanside walk/jog again. I stopped to take a picture of a primitive archeological site. 

I had a Lomi Lomi massage at the spa (thank you, Jacob!) while Jacob went to classes, then attended the Hawaii language and values heritage class with May. I just love to learn new things. 

We went to lunch at a place which Jacob's brother, Kurt, had recommended called Monkey Pod. The jerk chicken was so yummy, but the coconut cream pie was A-MAZING! I don't know if it's possible to go to Hawaii and not gain 5 pounds, but it was worth it. This pie inspired me to find a lookalike recipe that has a similar shortbread crust instead of your typical pie crust. So delectable. 

After lunch, we decided it was finally time to try hitting the pool. I had been wanting to check out an infinity pool. I'd seen them on tv and always wanted to try one, just to say I had. Before getting in, we found some lounge chairs and I enjoyed reading for awhile. Then, we made our way over to the pool and walked in all the way to the "infinity" end to look out at the ocean. What was crazy is that as we and another couple of guests were standing there, the whales started to breach and flap their tails! One whales slapped its tale 41 times! I know cuz I counted! I'm not sure what kind of courting was going on there, but he was determined!

The next day was our last. We checked out of our beautiful resort and decided to spend the day doing a road trip to Hana before catching our flight home. We stopped for brunch at the Kihei Cafe and enjoyed some yummy breakfast sandwiches and also grabbed a giant cinnamon roll from The Cinnamon Roll Place also in Kihei before starting our adventure - so we had snacks for the road.

We had been told my everyone how narrow and busy the road to Hana is, so we had reimagined how to try it. The road actually makes a circuit around the east side of the island. We figured that possibly if we approached it from the south instead of the north like everyone else, it might be less crowded. What we discovered is that the south side of the circuit is treacherous! Super narrow (not enough for two cars to easily drive in opposite directions), no road lines, no guard rails on cliffs, with rollercoaster-style rolling routes where you literally have no idea if another car is approaching you from the other side of a hill until you get to the top and can see what's on the other side. We discovered that people coming from the opposite way (probably locals) also like to speed on that road even though the speed limit is like 30 mph. We were very literally praying on some of those hills. And the terrain was sometimes extremely rough, unpaved, and sandy. 

The main reason why had even considered this adventure was for this. 

Jacob discovered that the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, was buried on Maui in the graveyard of this little chapel on the road to Hana.  

So little and unassuming. It looked like others had made the effort to visit him, though, and left some tokens on his gravestone. There were also some other fascinating graves in that little cemetery like this one for several sailors lost at sea.

Once we got around the horn at Hana and started making our way back west along the northern part of the route, the road was in substantially better repair with guardrails. Although you do have to take turns at the small bridge crossings, it is wide enough to have normal traffic the rest of the way. It was far more lush on the north side. Thankfully, it was not very busy, either. The traffic was very minimal. Our consensus is that it was the perfect time of year to go to Maui. About a week later and closer to the holidays would have made all the difference. 

We did make one stop at Twin Falls. There is an easy hike in before you come to several different waterfall pools where people can cliff jump and swim. It was only $10 to park and then you could stay as long as you wanted. If I had known what to expect, I would have worn water shoes or strapped sandals and brought a towel. Mosquito spray as well, as I finally found where the mosquitos in Maui are. It was beautiful, though, and we talked about bringing the boys back there someday. 

 It was short, but really the perfect amount of time for Maui, I think. I felt like Jacob and I both left refreshed - ready to tackle the rest of the holiday season.