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3/16/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #12 - Day 9- Aloha Oe

I am making preparations to leave. My suitcase is packed; I will have to check a bag this time. Something about wearing a parka at the airport in Maui didn't appeal to me. I'm in a skirt, flip flops and tank top, carrying my recently acquired Maui sweatshirt only for the chill of the airplane.

It is so hard to leave, but I miss the loved ones I left behind. In looking back on this trip, something is different. It took me a while to define it, but I think I finally have. This time I was in no hurry, had no real agenda or schedule, didn't feel I needed to spend every minute in the sun to soak it up. This time I meditated every day, got introduced to Bikram yoga, took some memorable hikes, saw countless whales, ate fresh fruit, granola and yogurt for breakfast almost every day, listened to my Hawaiian CDs in the car, visited with friends old and new, bought and wore Hawaiian Rain perfume, sampled coconut candy, got a wonderful massage, and stayed in a hostel surrounded by the very laid back management and guests. Every sense was involved. Always before on my visits I "did Maui." This time around I became Maui.

Aloha oe, aloha oe, Aloha oe, [farewell to thee]
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo [Thou charming one who dwells among the bowers ]
One fond embrace, a hoi ae au [One fond embrace, before I now depart ]
Until we meet again.

3/15/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #11 - Day 8 - Twin Falls

My last full day here! I will miss Maui as always, but will complete my lei tradition tomorrow before I leave: if you throw a lei in the ocean and it returns to shore, you will return to Hawaii. I've done that every visit, and I always come back, so there must be something to it. :) I bought a lei yesterday for that purpose but ended up giving it to Jeannie at the pupu party that was not a pupu party, so I will need to get another one. I've started, for environmental reasons, taking the flowers off and keeping the string, tossing only the blooms in the water. (Don't want to strangle any fishies.)

Today I woke late due to the late hours last night, and drove to Paia for breakfast, about 10 miles from the hostel. I intended to do some more hiking and had brought a book I borrowed from the hostel, Hiking Maui. It's pretty good at describing the hikes, but not so great at the how-to-find the hikes. I decided to head toward Hana, where a lot of hikes seem to be, and stop at any that looked interesting. The first one I found was Twin Falls. It would prove to be an adventure.

The hiking book was uncharacteristically sketchy on details, the explanation being that the hike had been closed and only reopened when the book was already at the printer's. I parked along a roadside with many other cars, and entered a Hawaiian farm. The path was easy to follow, a dirt road, but sometimes there would be a fork, and it was difficult to know which way to go. I passed one middle-aged couple coming from the other direction, obviously on their way back. The woman called out to me, "It's a long way! And you'll need to take your shoes and socks off. It's wet in one place." Soon I saw what she meant: there was a stream running right through the path, and the only way to cross it was to be wearing aqua socks (which a surprising number of people were), get your shoes wet, or take your shoes and socks off, cross and put them back on. I take it back: there was one other way to cross it, but I didn't feel right about asking him since we weren't on a first-name basis. I took my shoes off. That, it turns out, was only the beginning. If you'd told me at the start of the day that at some point I'd be stripping down to my bikini in front of 30 strangers then walking barefoot over sharp rocks in waist-deep murky water carrying a backpack, I'd have asked you what you were smoking. But that's exactly what I did. The first of the "twin" waterfalls was only accessible by way of a waist-deep stream. The water was murky and full of rocks, twigs, and the occasional hidden log. Many people turned back. I nearly did. But as luck would have it, I'd put my swim suit on under my clothes when I left this morning, thinking I might have an opportunity to catch a few rays. So after much self-talk, mostly of the "When are you ever going to have this chance again?" and "Don't be a wuss" variety, I went for it. I think the 100-yard walk to the falls took me 20 minutes. Now I knew why everyone else was wearing aqua socks. They'd obviously read a different guidebook than I had. Young, old, male, female, I was the only person I saw who did that stretch barefoot. Every step was treacherous. I had two cameras and my wallet in my backpack, not to mention my dry clothes. I remember reading somewhere that Hawaii has no snakes, and I could only hope that was true. And no, you won't be seeing a photo of me doing all this because I was traveling alone, no one to take the photo. You'll just have to take my word for it. Plus I took a video from behind the waterfall. Here's a screen shot. I didn't swim under the waterfall and, unlike some locals, I didn't jump off the waterfall. You'll have to take my word for that too.

Getting back to the path took another 20 minutes, and at one point I got trapped by a log and had to backtrack. This was not my happiest moment on Maui. But I made it, and I even convinced an Italian woman who was holding onto her guide for dear life, that she could do it too, and that the water wasn't really that cold. "Oh, I feel so much better," she said, shivering. She passed me on the way back, thanking me for talking her into it, but, I noted, not offering me either her guide or her aqua socks.

The second waterfall wasn't nearly as dramatic in terms of access or power, but it was in a beautiful setting. And there was a cool tunnel carved in the rock leading up to it, which fortunately you didn't have to go through, or even get your feet wet. On the way back I had to remove my shoes again to cross the stream and later I noticed a banana tree. At the roadside stand at the farm's entrance I had a pineapple banana smoothie and sampled some candied coconut (yum). I bought some candy to bring back to the boys.

Portland had a time change while I was gone so now instead of 2 hours earlier in Maui, it's 3 hours earlier. I have to keep remembering that when I look at my laptop and think I'm late for something. I'd intended to do Bikram yoga again today (I bought a package of 3) but I thought I didn't have time, and besides I desperately needed a shower, after which I really didn't have time.

 

 

Here's what my guidebook said about Twin Falls:

"Twin Falls is 21 miles from Wailuku off Route 36. the hike to the falls is an easy one-mile hike for the family. The trail/road is on private land so stay on the road and respect the homesteads found there."

Did you read anything about aqua socks or waist-deep murky water? (Didn't think so.)

3/14/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #10 - Day 7 - Mai tais Anyone?

I had a date with Jeannie and Everett tonight for the regular Sunday pupu party at the Hale Kai (the condo complex I usually stay in). Jeannie had sent me an email that ended up in cyberspace but not in my email box, stating the party had been cancelled, but to come anyway for spaghetti at their neighbor's. All in all there were 4 couples plus little old me.

After the sunset ceremony, Jeannie kept having me make more mai tais. She was enjoying herself thoroughly. So was I, apparently. I woke at 2 a.m. on their couch, a sheet thrown over me. Jeannie and Everett were apparently also asleep; I left them a note and drove home to the hostel, tired but fully sober. Notice who's NOT holding a mai tai in this photo. :)

3/14/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #9 - Day 7 - Back to Ia'o

I went hiking in the Ia'o Valley State Park again today, thought I'd experience it while it was sunny! It was beautiful, but very short hikes. I'd pretty much seen it all (well, all of it that's accessible by hiking trails) in the rain (through clouds and rain drops that is). This time the sun shone beautifully so I got some great photos, even saw a little lizard.

I'd planned on going to Bikram but got up too late to do that and church. I like to go to the Unity Church when I'm here. However, I checked to be sure of the location, and although it had moved to Wailuku where I'm staying, it had also changed dates to Saturday (!), so I missed both it and church. This will give me time to work, but first the beach! It's a gorgeous day.

 

 

Above (or left, depending on your browser) is a beach park I stopped at for an hour to get some sun. I listened to my mediatation CD, and found that the one hour it took was perfect, I actually got a bit burned. I don't know how much meditation I did, I was meditating on the whales putting on a show about a half mile off shore. Breaching, spouting, there must have been a dozen of them showing off for us. Two kayakers got a bit too close and were told to back off by a boat patrolling the water. It's against the law to approach marine mammals here. Rich Roshon (mentioned yesterday) never approaches, but he will often move into what he anticipates will be the whale's path, then stop and wait for their approach. He says that they seem to like his kayak, and will often use it as shelter, settling just beneath it, or putting it between them and another whale.

3/13/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #8 - Magical Maui

I'm cheating a bit by using three photos here from yesterday, because I took so few today and had such a wealth of photos from yesterday that I hoped to be forgiven. After the twisty, turny road to Haleakala in the morning yesterday, I drove to Paia for breakfast then took another twisty, turny road to Hana. The road to Hana is infamous for its many tight turns, one-way bridges and beauty. I had an appointment for a Reiki session somewhere (!) but never found the place, and ended up thoroughly enjoying the scenery, even getting off the beaten path by taking a rental-car company forbidden road that's unpaved for several miles, then changes to a quiet paved road with tons of fun dips I enjoyed taking a bit over the speed limit. Whee!

After Hana, I joined my friends Everett and Jeannie & Co at my old stomping grounds, a condo complex in Honokawai, for the sunset ceremony. Each evening Everett, Jeannie and Friends blow the conch shells in the four directions at the precise moment of sunset (give or take). Everett now insists that I call him Dad, which is really just a formalization of what I already feel: they are my ohana.

Today (3/13) I travelled far and wide, starting the day in Australia, then on to Indonesia, India, China and New Zealand. Did I mention Burma and Bangladesh? I did all this through a wonderful travel journal, actually letters to home, written by Jeannie after her one year around the world in 1987. Her letters were compiled into a book called Dear Family and Friends and it was a delightful look at many cultures and sights. Jeannie was 46 at the time and brave (though she won't use that word). She traveled solo (but made many friends along the way) and trekked in Nepal, bartended in Australia, met Mother Teresa at one of her missions in Calcutta, smoked opium in Thailand, tubed in icy caves in New Zealand, traveled by camel and by elephant, and truly lived among the native peoples as much as possible for a western traveler. The read was delightful and informative, and it approrpiately enough began and ended on Maui, so I ended up right where I started both literally and "literaturely". Thank you, Jeannie! You are an inspiration.

After finishing the book at a beach in Kahului, I drove to Lahaina, stopping at a park on the way to stop and watch the whales for nearly a half-hour. The humpback whales migrate to the waters of Maui December through March and I have seen them many times this trip: spouting, turning, surfacing and diving. It solidified my plans for the day: track down the guide I learned about on a previous trip who does private kayak tours out of Lahaina to get up close and personal with nature. I found the shop, and they gave me his card: Richard Roshon. When I phoned, Richard himself answered, but unfortunately he is booked for the few days I have left here in Maui. He invited me to come see him anyway, and I drove to his plantation home on an orchid farm not far from Malala Boat Ramp where he starts most of his private tours. We visited on his makeshift lanai, a covered shed, where I was mercilessly attacked by mosquitos until Rich gave me some non-toxic eucalyptus bug spray.

I found Rich to be generous with his time and his knowledge. At 64, he has been kayaking and sharing what he knows of the ocean, the Earth and her creatures, and the environment for nearly 40 years through kayak touring and lectures in universities and organizations throughout the world. He considers Jean Michel Cousteau a personal friend, and takes Bikram yoga classes with Wayne Dyer. Rich took me inside his neat-as-a-pin home and showed me films taken by some of his clients on his private kayaking tours. Mother and baby calf humpbacks frolic feet from the boats. "It happens a lot," he says, of the encounters. Before leaving, Rich gave me a newsletter he writes, a clipping from a recent article on him in the Lahaina newspaper, and a copy of his book, "Okeanos: Great River Circling the Earth." He also recommended several books, including and especially Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda. He then recommended I visit the Buddhist temple in Maui, where he attends services,and which has one of the largest statues of Buddha in the U.S. I did so immediately after our visit.

My visit with Richard, even though I was unable to do a tour with him this time, will go down as a highlight of my trip.

 

3/12/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #7 - Haleakala, Hana, Hale Kai

I woke at 4 a.m., not setting an alarm and I just knew: it was a clear, gorgeous day, perfect for seeing the sunrise at Haleakala. So I grabbed my camera and parka (it's cold up there!) and headed out. Just in time, too. After the 36 miles to Haleakala (the last 22 on twisty but well-maintained roads) I got to the summit at 5:20; sunrise would be at 6:30. I was able to find a parking spot (one of two left at the summit), make my way up the stairs to the observatory in pitch dark (no flashlight!) and take my place at the crater's rim. Then we waited. In the cold, winds sometimes gusting up to 40 mph, but usually 5-10, much milder than the previous few days. The summit was dark and crowded, but hushed. Some people huddled inside the observatory, which had shelter from the winds, but I didn't want a piece of glass between me and the sunrise when it finally came.

Nothing I can write here can express the beauty of these moments. I'll let the photos speak for themselves (larger versions are just a click away).

More later about Hana and Hale Kai.

 

3/11/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #6 - Yoga, The Search for Sun

I spent today (Day 5, 3/11/10) looking for sun. After another hot yoga session (this one not as much fun -- new instructor) I showered and looked for sunshine. I started in Wailuku, drove to Lahaina and passed beautiful sunny beaches on the way. Assuming my usual beach in Honokawai (which is always sunny, it seems) would be there for me, I drove on to that old hang out only to find it raining hard. I actually bought a sweatshirt!

So I bought mai tai fixings (I'm going to a pupu party tomorrow night) and unloaded at the hostel, then drove to Kihei where I was able to catch a beautiful 2 hours in the sun at Kamaole Beach, one of three with that name.

I listened to my mediatation CD while sitting in the sunshine and taking in the great Maui breezes.

When I returned to the hostel, I made a practice round of Mai tais and shared them with several of the hostel members.

I found that I can Skype and stay in touch with home that way. The wonders of technology!

 

3/10/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #5 - Cameras and Cars

I spent yesterday (Day 3, 3/9/10) looking for a rental car, a camera and a cell phone. I started with the car. The hostel provides a list of car rental companies, so I started with one within walking distance,"Universal Motors." They didn't answer their phone, so I walked over there. They didn't answer their door, and a sign on the door said, "If this door is locked, check for us out back, or phone us." I checked out back. No one was there. Where in the universe was Universal Motors, anyway?

So I hoofed it back to the hostel, and placed a call to another local company, who will provide a shuttle. I'd checked online, and had found pricing for a week at around $140 plus tax and service fees for a week. This place quoted me $190. I said I'd found better pricing online, and they offered to drop it to $180. I said I would get back to them if I couldn't find a better deal. Eventually I went through Priceline, named my own price and got a car for $137 including taxes and service fees. But I had to pick it up at the airport. Maui public transport leaves a lot to be desired. Kahului is only 2 miles away, but the airport is another 2 1/2, and I was still pretty stiff and sore from the hike. As I was walking to breakfast (or an early lunch: by now it was 11:30), I ran into my friends from England, Helen & Rachel. They'd already checked out of the hostel on their way to Kihei, but had stopped to get a bite before leaving, and offered to give me a ride to the airport. Perfect! I got my car, and went into Lahaina in search of a camera. My digital camera, which had been hobbling along for a couple of months, finally gave up the ghost. I brought it to a camera shop in Lahaina and was told it was an electrical problem and I'd have to return it to the manufacturer (Nikon). They offered to sell me another for $179. I got one at Walgreens for $99.

Today (Day 4, 3/10/10) I decided to try Bikram yoga, aka "hot yoga" to see if I could loosen up my tight muscles from my hike. I drove in to Kahalui for the class, taught at an Indian School of Yoga. My instructor, Lucia, checked me in and I joined 20 other hardy souls in a room that smelled a lot like sweaty dogs. The guy in front of me was wearing a Speedo. He was in good shape, but no one looks good in a Speedo, especially doing yoga poses. The floor was covered with a straw mat, and we each had towels over our yoga mats to catch the dripping sweat from the 26 poses we would each do twice. At 105 degrees, there was plenty of sweat. The class was 90 minutes long, and somehow I managed to keep up and only felt like I was going to pass out a couple of times. I did feel better afterwards, looser. Then it was a quick shower, change of clothes, and back in the car.

My next drive was to Haleakala. I planned to do the sunrise tomorrrow, which involves leaving the hostel by 4 a.m. and driving 36 miles, the last 22 of which are twisty, windy (both types of windy if you get my drift) and steep. I was driving through clouds at 6,000 feet elevation, and the climb to the top would be another 4,000. I wanted to do a dry run, so I'd have a better feel for where I was going in the dark. But there was no "dry" run. The wipers were on most of the way. When I got there, visibility was poor. It was still raining, not hard, but there were winds gusting up to 60 mph. The park ranger who'd let me in said that yesterday's winds were up to 90 mph. I am questioning the sanity of driving that road in the dark (I don't see well at night, even with my glasses) for the slim chance I will see ANYTHING when I get there. I'm pretty sure my children would rather I came home alive.

 

3/8/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #4 - New Friends; The Game's Afoot

When I first checked in to the hostel, Scott, the manager, recommended Monday night at the Marc Aurel Cafe for "Open Mike Night." I intended to go, and did. I decided to be brave and read one of my short stories. But what I found when I arrived was that it was really a musician's night. There was a local band playing, and new musicians arrived and played in 15-minute increments. So I stayed and watched the music, leaving my essay in my backpack. I was hit upon by one of the musicans, so I was grateful when two ladies called me to their table on the patio. They introduced themselves as Helen and Rachel, mother and daughter from the northeast of England. They are on a 6 1/2 month holiday, and have rented out their house to finance a large portion of the trip. We had great conversation, shared lots of laughs, and they were kind enough to listen to my essay (I read for them in private) and they laughed in all the right places.

But something disturbing happened before I left for dinner. Just before 8 p.m., I was grabbing items off the twin bed in my room when I noticed a lighter. I don't smoke, and the lighter was definitely not there when I checked in. So that meant someone had been in my room. I checked my valuables: laptop, two cameras, wallet. Nothing missing. After getting back from open mike, I approached Garrett, at the hostel, who went to Scott's room and interrupted him from his evening off. Scott, being the manager, took the matter very seriously. On his watch there has never been a theft at the hostel. He and Garrett came to my room, interviewed me, and Scott began piecing together a timetable of opportunity. None of the staff smoked, so that narrowed it down to guests. He's on the case, and I'm alerted, so I don't expect any more oddities. However, when I was at dinner at the cafe, the young Irishman I met who'd been Internet surfing, came in looking for his wallet. He'd lost it somewhere and was retracing his steps. I told him about the lighter. He didn't connect the dots, so maybe it's nothing. It's probably nothing. But still. A bit of intrigue on the island.

 

3/8/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #3 - When Things Go Wrong, they Go Right

At the Marc Aurel cafe I had the most delicious yogurt with blueberries, strawberries and granola I've ever had, and met a lovely man named Warren, 73 years young, who has lived on Maui all his life. He's never actually stepped foot off it! He told me about seeing a tsunami in 1946 when he was in grade school. Warren introduced me to Doug, a writer, who was busy plunking away on his laptop on the patio of the cafe. I glanced down at what Doug was writing and a word caught my eye: sartori, which means "enlightenment" and "a glimpse of the Divine." It's the second time I've seen that word in two days: the first was yesterday in a book I was reading on the plane called Zero Limits, by Joe Vitale. Doug is a chiropractor slash writer slash life coach and will be certified soon as a Radical Forgiveness coach and therapist. I asked him if he knew about Ho'oponopono, the Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and transmutation, and while he'd heard of it, it is different from what he is working on.

I then hiked up to the Ia'o Valley Highway, which leads to the Ia'o (pronounced ee-AH-oh) Valley State Park. Warren warned me, "don't get wet" and while it sprinkled, it wasn't cold or bothersome until about a mile or so into the walk. Then it started pouring. I ducked into the shelter of a public building along the side of the road. When the rain let up, I learned that I was in the most beautiful park. The first thing I saw was a building with beautiful tile work around one window. That led to a courtyard with the Virgin Mary, then a bridge and concrete pagoda. Yes, boys, I walked over the bridge. Here's proof. And here are some koi I saw there. Here's a photo of me at a wood pagoda. The thing is, if it were not for the rain, I could easily have walked right past this park. It's not visible from the street, at least not the ornate buildings and courtyard. One thing I've learned lately is to look at problems as opportunities. Thank you, Maui, for the rain.

Later I made it to the Ia'o Valley State Park, after being hit with another rainshower. I learned quickly that trees make better shelter than shrubs. By the time I got to the park I was pretty wet, and the wind had picked up considerably. I wasn't cold though; this is Maui. Luckily I'd brought a towel to dry off with, an extra pair of shoes and socks (I didn't need them, and my hiking boots worked out great: no blisters). Here is the Needle, a rock formation. And here I am, drowned rat: even in the shelter it was wet.

The Ia'o Valley is beautiful: waterfalls, gorgeous vegetation and of course the rock formations.

The hike back was mostly dry with just enough wind to blow dry my clothes. I was pretty muscle-sore so after a quick shower, quick lunch at the cleverly named "Cafe O'Lei" (kalua pork quesadilla and a glass of white wine for medicinal purposes only) I had the best massage of my life at the Green Ti Boutique and Massage. Then I finally mailed my bills. It's been a magical day and it's not over yet. Stay tuned for further developments!

 

3/8/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #2 - Insomnia in Paradise

I was still on Portland time last night, so the two-hour difference and travel and getting little sleep the night before combined to make for an early-to-bed-philosophy. But the Oscars were on last night and the TV in the community room of the hostel was loud and blaring. Quiet time is 10 p.m. around here but it is loosely enforced. At some point the TV just went off, with no warning to the viewers, but I think the show was over by then. Then there was boisterous talking, and I imagine I drifted off around midnight, only to wake again at 4 a.m. It was raining, and the metal roof and open louvers make a cacophony of sounds, some soothing, some jarring. I could hear other residents stirring so I got up and met a young man from Ireland surfing the Net and a retired woman who will be here for another month and who pointed me to coffee, which is available around the clock here. I've noticed that in Maui, the rain usually comes at night, and leaves in the morning, almost like the island wants people to enjoy their day, so it quenches its thirst when everyone's asleep. Now at 6:30 a.m. it's clearing and I only hear birdsong and the sounds of traffic from nearby Market Street. I plan to try a local cafe for breakfast, then hike to the I'ao Valley State Park, a 3-mile jaunt each way, so sleeping should pose little problem tonight.

 

3/7/10: 9 Days in Paradise Entry #1 - To Kill a Nene? (Aloha from Hawaii)

The tsunami was a no-show in Maui, which is just as well. I'm here and it's beautiful: breezy, low hanging clouds but otherwise sunny and warm. Other than a few definite plans for these 9 days (a bit of work, sunrise at Haleakala, hiking), I'm trying to go with the flow (hey, if I can't do that in Maui, where can I?) I left without my cell phone, which was a complete accident, but which my sister says was my subconscious mind's way of giving myself some chill.

I arrived at 1 p.m. and was picked up at the airport by Kevin, a driver for the shuttle van driven on an infrequent, unpredictable schedule by staffers at the Wailuku hostel where I'm staying. It was actually Kevin's day off but he was nice enough to pinch hit for Scott, who was staffing the front desk unaided, it being housekeeping's day off. It was a 10-minute drive to Wailuku from Kahalui. The hostel has a private entrance down a narrow alley buffered by tall buildings and a huge banyan tree. Kevin punched in a code that's probably not been changed in 20 years to get us into the building, then I schlepped my bags up one flight of stairs where I met Scott, the manager, who looks like a younger version a of ZZ Top band member. After a cursory and somewhat abrupt tour during which Scott told me everything I needed to know about the hostel, Wailuku, bus schedules and laundry instructions without stopping once for a breath, Scott handed me the key to A15, my private "suite." I have a double bed, a single bed, a closet and a nightstand. But it's clean and just two doors down from the best of one of the hostel's four bathrooms. The front desk closes from 2-5 for "siesta" which I assume is surfing time for the staffers.

I walked around Wailuku for a bit, but most of the shops were closed, this being Sunday. I was looking for a drop box for my bills, which I had sorted and paid while waiting for the plane from Portland, but no luck. I ended up catching a local theater production of To Kill a Mockingbird. It was well acted, but hearing those deep southern accents in the Iao Theater seemed a little incongruous.

Aloha! More tomorrow.

 

 

2/27/10: Tsunami Me

I'm scheduled to head to Maui next week, and today they're expecting the biggest tsunami since 1964. I tried to contact the residents of the condo I usually stay at, but I'm assuming they are well on their way to high, dry land. At least I hope so. The complex is right on the beach. The earthquake causing the tsunami has been measured out in the Pacific at 800-900 times more powerful than the Haitian earthquake.

I planned on staying a bit inland this time, and those plans have not changed.