Maui Trip!!!! Part 1
So this entry is going to be extremely picture heavy, because, pictures are a must when going to Hawaii.... You've been warned!
Day 1 (Friday):
I have no pictures of day 1 - mainly because day 1 was more like hour 1. A very bumpy plane ride from Waco to Houston started the day. There were only 36 seats on the plane, and it still was less than 1/4 full. We were told to sit anywhere from rows 7 and back (out of 12) to help balance out the plane. Scary when you think about it. After that, we had to take a tram between terminals in Houston, because Houston is stupid and you can't switch otherwise without having to go back through security. Of course the tram was broken, and our time to switch planes was super short. After finally getting to the other side of the airport, we ran all the way to the end of terminal E, where they were on the last boarding call for our flight. My poor best friend was freaking out. Landed in Orange County, CA where our plane promptly broke for reasons unknown and we had a 2 hour delay. We *finally* landed in Maui at 11pm at night, where the shuttle to the car rental wasn't working, so around 30 of us were stranded for even longer until they sent 2 other shuttles around - and that still wasn't enough for everyone. Another half hour at the rental agency, and an hour trip around the west side of Maui later and we arrived at our hotel for the night at 1am - the equivalent of 6am back home. I was driving on twisty-turny cliff sides after being up for a full 24 hours. Everyone just crashed once we got inside the room.
Day 2 (Saturday):
Even after that exhausting day the day before, we all woke up fairly early. Pictures of that hotel are on my Mom's camera and I will update this when I get access to them. We couldn't check in to our *real* hotel until 4, so we loaded the car back up and wandered around the west side of Maui. There are some stunning lookouts and views on the north side, along with falling rocks on the road (we saw at 3 piles), and very sharp turns, and we kept driving onwards until suddenly the lines on the road cut out and it narrowed - immensely. After watching two cars try to pass each other and nearly fall over the side of the cliff, we decided to carefully turn around. Had anyone bothered to pick up the map of Maui the rental agency was offering, we would have read the following: "CAUTION: There is a narrow section of road with a sheer cliff and no guard rail here. Not for faint-hearted. Drive at your own risk." Oops.
On our way back to civilization, we stopped at the Ohai Trail and went hiking partway. I (*still*) have blisters from wearing crappy shoes the day before so we didn't make it around the entire 1.2mile trail. My best friend got some fantastic photos though. My camera was at the bottom of my bag, so I didn't get any. It was stunningly beautiful and we got to see a blow hole too.
By the time we got back, it was time to check in, and I dug my camera out.
Our room (my bestie and I)
View out of the living room. That blue green color of the ocean over the coral? I want to paint my room that color.... You can see the island of Moloka'i in the far background.
The living room and the kitchen bar. The opening on the left goes into the master room. The far opening on the left goes into the second room (ours) and bathroom.
The master bedroom and balcony. This was my mom's room.
After unloading and unpacking we trekked the hour around the west side of the island so we could go to Walmart. The idea was originally to get groceries for the week there, but the selection was awful, so we mainly got souvenirs, sunscreen and beach towels. It was the very first Walmart I'd ever been in with a tourist section. Bizarre.
Day 3 (Sunday): My best friend and I decided to go swimming in the ocean, which showed me how much I've lost by not being able to swim all the time. I could barely fight the waves. Bestie promptly got stung by a jellyfish, and we decided to hightail it out of there. Everyone was surprised she was stung within feet of the shoreline. Apparently, the jellies in Hawaii don't come anywhere near the shore unless it's a full moon (which is was), she just got unlucky. We swam most of the day away in the pool, and went grocery shopping closer in to the hotel, at a place that was incredibly expensive. Oh well.
Day 4 (Monday): We were up at 4am so we could catch a 6:15 flight to Oahu. I officially love Hawaiian Airlines. Once we landed, we got lost, and pulled over to get breakfast somewhere and figure out the way to Pearl Harbor - the museum part. Pearl Harbor is still an active military base, and all the exits we saw were for that portion. Coming out of the bathroom, I slipped and fell, screwing up my knee for the remainder of the trip. All my hopes of snorkeling off Molokini Crater were dashed, and even swimming was iffy. I wanted to cry. We finally found out way to Pearl Harbor, where we had a 3 hour wait for the USS Arizona tour. While my mom and bestie went shopping, I mostly sat on a bench and people watched. When it was finally our time, we were ushered into a theater and shown a film about the attack, which included actual footage taken. It was heartbreaking and I came very close to crying. After the film, we boarded a ferry and went out to the memorial, which is as incredible as I remembered from 23 years ago. It's heartbreaking and awe inspiring and poignant and so many things all rolled into one. There are over 900 men still entombed in the USS Arizona, and after 70 years, it is *still* leaking oil. The Hawaiian's call the oil drops on the surface "black tears." I left my camera, so I took pictures on my Mom's. Once I get access I'll update this with pictures from there.
To be continued.......
Day 1 (Friday):
I have no pictures of day 1 - mainly because day 1 was more like hour 1. A very bumpy plane ride from Waco to Houston started the day. There were only 36 seats on the plane, and it still was less than 1/4 full. We were told to sit anywhere from rows 7 and back (out of 12) to help balance out the plane. Scary when you think about it. After that, we had to take a tram between terminals in Houston, because Houston is stupid and you can't switch otherwise without having to go back through security. Of course the tram was broken, and our time to switch planes was super short. After finally getting to the other side of the airport, we ran all the way to the end of terminal E, where they were on the last boarding call for our flight. My poor best friend was freaking out. Landed in Orange County, CA where our plane promptly broke for reasons unknown and we had a 2 hour delay. We *finally* landed in Maui at 11pm at night, where the shuttle to the car rental wasn't working, so around 30 of us were stranded for even longer until they sent 2 other shuttles around - and that still wasn't enough for everyone. Another half hour at the rental agency, and an hour trip around the west side of Maui later and we arrived at our hotel for the night at 1am - the equivalent of 6am back home. I was driving on twisty-turny cliff sides after being up for a full 24 hours. Everyone just crashed once we got inside the room.
Day 2 (Saturday):
Even after that exhausting day the day before, we all woke up fairly early. Pictures of that hotel are on my Mom's camera and I will update this when I get access to them. We couldn't check in to our *real* hotel until 4, so we loaded the car back up and wandered around the west side of Maui. There are some stunning lookouts and views on the north side, along with falling rocks on the road (we saw at 3 piles), and very sharp turns, and we kept driving onwards until suddenly the lines on the road cut out and it narrowed - immensely. After watching two cars try to pass each other and nearly fall over the side of the cliff, we decided to carefully turn around. Had anyone bothered to pick up the map of Maui the rental agency was offering, we would have read the following: "CAUTION: There is a narrow section of road with a sheer cliff and no guard rail here. Not for faint-hearted. Drive at your own risk." Oops.
On our way back to civilization, we stopped at the Ohai Trail and went hiking partway. I (*still*) have blisters from wearing crappy shoes the day before so we didn't make it around the entire 1.2mile trail. My best friend got some fantastic photos though. My camera was at the bottom of my bag, so I didn't get any. It was stunningly beautiful and we got to see a blow hole too.
By the time we got back, it was time to check in, and I dug my camera out.
Our room (my bestie and I)
View out of the living room. That blue green color of the ocean over the coral? I want to paint my room that color.... You can see the island of Moloka'i in the far background.
The living room and the kitchen bar. The opening on the left goes into the master room. The far opening on the left goes into the second room (ours) and bathroom.
The master bedroom and balcony. This was my mom's room.
After unloading and unpacking we trekked the hour around the west side of the island so we could go to Walmart. The idea was originally to get groceries for the week there, but the selection was awful, so we mainly got souvenirs, sunscreen and beach towels. It was the very first Walmart I'd ever been in with a tourist section. Bizarre.
Day 3 (Sunday): My best friend and I decided to go swimming in the ocean, which showed me how much I've lost by not being able to swim all the time. I could barely fight the waves. Bestie promptly got stung by a jellyfish, and we decided to hightail it out of there. Everyone was surprised she was stung within feet of the shoreline. Apparently, the jellies in Hawaii don't come anywhere near the shore unless it's a full moon (which is was), she just got unlucky. We swam most of the day away in the pool, and went grocery shopping closer in to the hotel, at a place that was incredibly expensive. Oh well.
Day 4 (Monday): We were up at 4am so we could catch a 6:15 flight to Oahu. I officially love Hawaiian Airlines. Once we landed, we got lost, and pulled over to get breakfast somewhere and figure out the way to Pearl Harbor - the museum part. Pearl Harbor is still an active military base, and all the exits we saw were for that portion. Coming out of the bathroom, I slipped and fell, screwing up my knee for the remainder of the trip. All my hopes of snorkeling off Molokini Crater were dashed, and even swimming was iffy. I wanted to cry. We finally found out way to Pearl Harbor, where we had a 3 hour wait for the USS Arizona tour. While my mom and bestie went shopping, I mostly sat on a bench and people watched. When it was finally our time, we were ushered into a theater and shown a film about the attack, which included actual footage taken. It was heartbreaking and I came very close to crying. After the film, we boarded a ferry and went out to the memorial, which is as incredible as I remembered from 23 years ago. It's heartbreaking and awe inspiring and poignant and so many things all rolled into one. There are over 900 men still entombed in the USS Arizona, and after 70 years, it is *still* leaking oil. The Hawaiian's call the oil drops on the surface "black tears." I left my camera, so I took pictures on my Mom's. Once I get access I'll update this with pictures from there.
To be continued.......