Breaking Free: Soaring in Seattle: November 2010

As a bright pink T-shirt in the airport gift shop expressed so eloquently, I left my heart in Maui.

Our hotel was the southernmost in a string of resorts along Ka'anapli beach. There was a lovely oceanside path that led past said resorts; dotted with restaurants, pools, and grassy knolls with palm trees and hammocks. Swinging in a hammock next to the ocean was very high up on my list of things to do while in Hawaii, and I'm pleased to report that I got lots of hammock time :)

Our hotel had a fabulous pool. While it became annoyingly crowded around the pool, the water never felt overly so. This pool was connected by a grotto (complete with waterfalls at both entrances and a bar inside) to the keiki (kiddie) pool, which looked pretty cool and had a waterslide that I never tried out.

Thursday was our first full day, and it's a blur of beach and pool and doesn't stand out much in my mind. We walked along the path that night after dinner, but Kara and I (due to full bladders) didn't make it all the way to Whaler's Village, a shopping center about 10 minutes walk north of us. Here we are on our way back to the hotel. Yes, that is my room key poking out, and this is a perfect example of why all dresses need pockets.

Friday we walked to Black Rock, probably a 15-20 minute walk up the beach. The snorkeling here was fabulous; Jon and Kara had checked it out the day before and saw two sea turtles and lots of cool fish. Doesn't look like much above the water:

Lots of local teenagers climbed up and jumped off the rock. It looked like fun. While snorkeling, I saw a spotted ray and lots of awesome fish. Then on the way back in to shore, we saw a sea turtle. There was another snorkeler nearby who was feeding it clumps of algae and petting its shell. Once we saw that guy not getting a finger snapped off by the turtle, we felt comfortable swimming up and petting its shell, too. Here we are, high on communing with ocean wildlife:

Hammock time.

Saturday was one of my favorite days of vacation. We were picked up from our hotel at 7:15 am and driven to a marina down the coast. With us in the van was a boisterous group of 50-something women from the midwest, and a quiet couple from San Fransisco. Here we are checking in with Captain Mike, handing over waivers promising not to sue anybody if anything untoward happened during the trip.

And here I am onboard the Alii Nui (pronounced A-lee-ee New-ee for those unfamiliar with Hawaiian pronunciation...I know I am).

I love, love, love being on boats. I love kicking off my shoes, love the wind on my face, love the water all around...I wanted to ask if they were hiring new crew members. Wind in the sails.

Kara and I. My experience in this picture is my definition of bliss.

Testing out the snorkel gear.

We sailed for about an hour out to Molikini (per wikipedia: Molokini is a crescent-shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater which forms a small islet located in Alalakeiki Channel between the islands of Maui and Kahoʻolawe, part of Maui County in Hawaiʻi.) We rented an underwater digital camera and took a hundred pictures of random fish. And some of ourselves:

We had lunch onboard, and then I played in the ocean for awhile. The water was so clear it felt like I was in a gigantic swimming pool. I jumped off the side of the boat a few times :) and made friends with a woman from Rhode Island who also enjoyed frolicking in the ocean. The sail back was equally enjoyable...but I was sad to get off the boat.

On Sunday, Jon and Kara rented a car and went to explore the other side of the island. I chose to stay and have a beach day. First thing in the morning, I walked to Whaler's Village and rented a Stand Up Paddle surfboard (a bit wider and thicker than a traditional longboard, and with a paddle). I paddled out into the ocean, feeling good, and what followed probably would have made me an internet sensation if anyone had filmed it.

First of all was figuring out how to go from laying on my stomach on the board to standing up. I got up on my knees with no problem, and paddled around like that for awhile to get used to balancing. Then I hovered on my hands and knees for what felt like an eternity, trying to balance enough to stand up. I finally figured out it was easier if I popped up from a heel squat...and then I was standing up! For three seconds before falling into the ocean... I laughed a lot and kept trying. I got really good at standing up, but only ever ended up actually standing up paddling for 30 seconds at the most. I tried flexing my core and keeping my eyes on the horizon (tips from the woman who rented me the board), but it didn't help much. Anyway, I will keep working out and try again next time. It was fun and I'm glad I tried it.

After my SUP experience, I went snorkeling again at Black Rock. I didn't see any sea turtles, but did see my friend the spotted ray again. Lunch that day was Yogurtland, which I need to express my love for. If you've never been, it's a self-serve frozen yogurt bar where you pick whatever quantity and variety of flavors and toppings you want, then put it on a scale and pay a flat 47 cents an ounce. Brilliant.

Monday was our last full day of vacation, and my other favorite day :) Started with room service breakfast with Jon and Kara.

Then we headed into Lahaina town to rent boogie boards. We got a great deal at $2.50 a board for the day. My snorkeling trip friend from Rhode Island recommended a great surfing spot up north called Flemming Beach. It did not disappoint.

There were some massive, awesome waves, and I spent hours playing in them. A bunch of great rides, a couple of tumbles in a washing machine, and lots of fun.

After Flemming beach, we tried to go snorkeling at Honolua Bay. We heard it was an awesome snorkeling spot with some of the most diverse ocean wildlife in the world. However, the same great surf that we spent the morning playing in was creating massive waves in the Bay. They seemed to go on forever, and the surfers we saw were having long awesome rides inside the tube. It was fun to watch, but the locals who owned the beachfront property wouldn't let us into the bay to go snorkeling.

I don't really remember where we ate on which night, but most of the food was delicious. I had lots of great fish, including ahi, mahi mahi, and ono. We ate at Umalu, a restaurant at our resort many times, also we hit up Aloha Mixed Plate and Kimo's in Lahaina. I also had the most delicious shave ice ever.

My trip was pretty much awesome, and I can't wait to go back. Mahalo for reading.

I'm posting from the Hyatt Regency Resort in Kaanapali on the island of Maui. Could not feel any more relaxed than I do right now (okay, maybe if I was sipping a mai tai while getting a massage...both of which I plan to do this week).

Little bit of jet lag meant that I woke up at 4:40 am, ready to start my day. So I drank some coffee, worked out, and went for a little run, all before the sun came up. Here's the view from the oceanside hammock I rested in after running.