(Or, "The Highs, and Lows, and Highs, of Maui")
(Or, "We Went to Maui and Lived to Tell About It")
We spent 3 days in Maui, plus a day of travel on either end. What a beautiful place. We will certainly cherish a few memories in particular. A few others, not so much.
Day 1 - Parasailing, Snorkeling, and Other Daring Adventures
Original Plan: Parasail, Snorkel, Eat, Shop, Swim, Eat some more (not necessarily in that order)
Revised Plan:
We were tickled to be in Maui! We met up with Paul & Allie for an early parasailing adventure. We set it up as a surprise for Matt, and I was along for observation purposes only. We're both afraid of heights, but he's much more inclined to overcome his fears. After watching the family ahead of us, and then Allie & Paul, I talked myself into it. Nobody had to apply any pressure at all - the take off and landing was
so easy, and the risk of being dropped into the water (my real fear) seemed acceptably minimal.
I was nervous until the moment my feet were off the boat deck, and then it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Peaceful. Beautiful. I was ready to do it again before we'd even landed.
(Paul & Allie - his first time, but she's an old hand.)
(That's us!! I still can't believe I did it!)
I was itching to get into the ocean, but we were thirsty. We stopped to rest and rehydrate at a little restaurant on the beach, then walked down to Black Rock, on the north end of the beach, to snorkel. Matt & I snorkeled on our honeymoon in Mexico, but it just doesn't compare to Hawaii. We took our time, swimming out and around the rock, and then drifting back with the surf (well, except for that 20 minute period that we had to work hard against the current and I had to continually talk myself out of drowning). The fish were active and unafraid, and we'd heard a rumor about a sea turtle hiding out in a cave down below (too far below for us to venture).
After quite a lot of salt water, we were ready for lunch and opted to walk down to Whaler's Village, on the south end of the beach. We knew the sand was hot. We just didn't realize how hot. Matt had given up on his flip flops, finding them inconvenient. We were nearly at our destination, single file, when I realized Matt was no longer with us. Retracing my steps, I found him on the lawn of another resort, in the care of their general manager, a surf instructor and a big burly dude with a first aid kit, his feet covered in huge blisters and bleeding. They shuttled us to a doctor nearby, who cleaned up the wounds, wrapped up his feet, gave me prescriptions and instructions, put him on crutches and sent us on our way...
So, that put a little damper on the trip. Suddenly the game plan was changing and we had no idea how much he'd be up for. (Turns out, not much.) That night, Allie & Paul took me to dinner when Matt insisted that I go do something fun. I did discover Loco Moco, new favorite food.
Day 2 - In Which We Make the Best of Things, or Try to, Anyway.
Original plan: To rent a car and spend the day exploring the island, doing whatever we saw fit to do.
Revised plan: Matt not being mobile, it felt like our options were limited. I could amuse myself for the day, or we could find some activity to do together. We figured a car rental would still work - at least he'd be sitting, and we could see the scenery, which is better than laying around, right? Maybe.
So we did rent a car - a Mustang convertible, (is there any other way to go?) in cherry red (or "arrest-me red" as I like to think of it). We headed out toward Hana, enjoying the scenery - but I tell you, the hairpin turns, one lane bridges, and narrow roads are downright harrowing. We made it about two thirds of the way, with Matt in pain, and reacting poorly to his pain meds, when I decided I was just downright tired of driving and wanted to go home. We grabbed smoothies and banana bread, turned tail and headed back to Kaanapali, stopping to pick up two Loco Mocos for dinner.
Day 3 - My Best Friend's Wedding
This was the big deal - the whole reason we were in Maui, to marry off Allie & Paul. They chose Lanai, a beautiful, remote little island you can only reach by ferry from Maui.
Original Plan: Get up early, pack up our stuff, head out to Lanai, wedding, dinner, sleep, leave for airport directly in the morning.
Revised Plan: It would have been ridiculous to drag Matt, in bandages and crutches, onto the ferry - particularly with the amount of walking we'd do for the wedding anyway. It was a tough decision, but we opted for him to stay at the condo while I went out to Lanai for the wedding. Heartbreaking.
And so I did. I packed up, set out food and water for him, like I was leaving my cat for the weekend, and hopped the ferry. I was instantly in love with Lanai. There are two resorts on the island, both Four Seasons, and I'm not used to living quite so elegantly (though, let me tell you, I'd be happy to adjust).
The resort was incredible, as was the customer service (gets me every time), and "Auntie Irene", who sits in the lobby, making leis and floral pieces, came to the rescue to make me a new lei for the ceremony, when I left my specially ordered one at the condo.
The ceremony took place on the beach, amongst the lava rocks, with minimal planning, and I wasn't a bit nervous. We were all so comfortable and relaxed, both families are loving and gracious, and I just couldn't be any happier for the couple.
They had no preferences for the ceremony, so I planned a special element - a handfasting using a Maile ("my-lee") lei, as a nod to the heritage of this beautiful spot that is their favorite place in the world. The Meile plant represents love, peace, joy, respect and commitment, all of the virtues I hope for their marriage.
After the ceremony, we had a beautiful dinner at the restaurant at the resort. Their staff (and Allie's new in-laws) went out of their way to make our dinner special - a beautiful table setting, pink roses, a surprise wedding cake, and even a special message to the couple on the menu.
It was a beautiful evening, such a special day, and I couldn't be happier for them both!
