malvina

October 18, 2004 - 8:42 a.m.
Maui, Part One

So this is about a million years overdue, and may come in parts (depending on how fast I can type), but here is a full recap of my trip to Maui. (It took me eons to write as I had to make my weekly critiques and reading and such a priority.)

Day 1-Monday 8/23
We work up relatively early to get ready and have breakfast. I had to make a last minute trip to the bank to deposit my paycheck and get some cash. Upon returning to the house, we just sat around and waited for our shuttle to arrive. The driver got lost, so he was a little late. The drive into San Francisco was fairly uneventful. We got to the airport and did the whole checking in routine, found our gate, and discovered our flight was delayed. We chose to fill the time by wandering around the little shops. I made a totally frivolous purchase-a little battery-operated chihuahua that walks around and yips named Chi-Chi. Oh shut up! She's cute. Not too much later, we boarded the plane. This is perhaps where I should mention that Sam is not a fan of flying. At all. I did my best to calm him down during takeoff, and then he immersed himself in his Gameboy while I listened to some music. The flight went smoothly, and I don't feel like going into details of what they served for lunch or the nap I took. They did have a game/contest where you had to guess, based on information they gave you, the exact time we passed over the geographic midpoint of the trip. Becky (Sam's stepsister) got the closest with Kathy's (her mom) help, so we left the plane with a basket of assorted macadamia nuts.
When we got off the plane, it was MUGGY!! Yes, I know that's to be expected, but this was extreme. Getting our baggage took no time at all, but then we had to wait a while for the rental car (a burgundy Venture that everyone and their uncle seemed to have), as this was the week that the company was updating the computer system. We began our drive to the condo, and as we came around a rock, there was an audible gasp from everyone as the water came into view. I know it's terribly cliche to awe at how blue it was, but I've never seen anything like it (especially since I get most of my ocean experience from San Francisco, where the water tends to be more on the green side).
We got to our destination, a gated community wherein lay our three bedroom condo. We walked in, and again, there was a loud thud as all our jaws hit the floor. Directly opposite the front door were two huge sliding doors beyond which was nothing but ocean. We explored the condo, which was fabulous, minus the dead roach that was there upon our arrival. Sam flipped on the tube and, I don't know how he does is, found wrestling. Most of us chose to go out on the patio and enjoy the view instead.
We sat around for a while, then walked down to the sandy part of the beach, where we discovered that the water is, in fact, as warm as they say, and Gene (Sam's dad), Kathy, and Becky frolicked about in the waves. (Sam and I just wet our feet because we had not changed into our swim suits. Bev-Sam's grandmother-was also there.)
We went back to the condo again, and Sam played his birthday card to choose where we would have dinner that night. After people got cleaned up, we piled into the van and went to Lahaina (small town right by where we were staying). We wandered around a bit, and when it was close to our reservation time (I think we had made reservations), we headed to Kobe's, a Japanese steakhouse, much like Benihana's. The food was great, and our chef was entertaining, so it was a fun experience overall.
After dinner, we found a grocery store, where we got some basic necessities, and I got Neosporin and bandaids for the evil blister that I got on my foot the day before. (Note: salt water and sand do not feel good in open blisters.) The rest of the night was spent at the condo, relaxing and getting tired at a ridiculously early hour because we were still on California time.

Day 2-Tuesday 8/24
Early to bed, early to rise, as they say. We all rose from our respective beds before 7am, and that's with no alarms. This is the morning we made a fabulous breakfast. There were eggs, sausage, toast, smoothies made with fresh island fruit, and the contribution of your truly, crepes. After stuffing ourselves, we all got ready to face the day.
This was the day we went into Lahaina to rent some snorkel gear and boogie boards. Then we drove to some beach whose name I never caught, stopping for lunch at Maui Tacos. We got to the beach, which is supposed to be one of the best ones for snorkeling, and Kathy realized she forgot the bag with everyone's bathing suits, so she, Gene, and Becky had to go back to the condo to get them. I had packed Sam's and my suits separately, so we changed in the van and stayed at the beach with Bev. Sam and I pranced about in the water, getting knocked over by waves at regular intervals. We found out from a gentleman there that the water was not as calm as usual due to a hurricane that had come through a couple of days before. I was trying to make my way further out into the water. This was a struggle, as the depth changed with every step I took, both due to uneven ground and the rolling waves. I wasn't really a fan, because while I am a decent swimmer in the calm waters of a pool, swimming in the ocean is about a gazillion times different. Anyway, as I was making some progress, a wave came and pushed me in a different direction, slamming my foot into a delightfully jagged rock. It hurt like a bastard, and I had to get out of the water. When I reached my towel, I discovered my foot was bleeding a little and starting to swell, so I decided to take a break from frolicking for a bit.
Not too much later, Gene, Kathy, and Becky finally made it back. Soon after that, I reentered the water. My foot still hurt, but I thought it would be lame for me to pass up my only chance at snorkeling, especially after Sam came back all giddy, and Gene announced that he had spotted a turtle.
I got into my gear, and what followed was definitely an adventure. As I mentioned, I'm an ok swimmer in a pool, but getting in the ocean and trusting that a little plastic tube would keep me from dying gave me some anxiety. I stuck my face in the water a few times, but I just couldn't do it. I didn't seem to be breathing quite right and was getting some water in my mask. I got out of the water, completely frustrated and angry with myself for being such a wuss.
With some coaxing from Sam and a strong kick in the ass from my own will power, I donned my gear again, this time grabbing a boogie board for added security.
A million years later, the water calmed down enough for me to make it past the shallow water where all the waves were breaking. During those million years, I actually caught some waves on the board, which was totally fun. I also got spat onto the shore several times. Not as fun, but entertaining nonetheless. Anyway, back to the time at which I was actually in deeper, calmer water...the fishies had had time to evolve from the time I started the trek. Gene and Sam were out there, waiting for me. I secured my mask, reminded myself that the most important thing at that moment was to just relax, stuck my face in the water, took a deep breath...and got the hugest mouthful of water in the universe. Naturally, I yanked my head out of the water, ripped the mask off my face, and nearly had a panic attack. Gene, who had been right at my side, asked to look at my mask. As it turns out, the valve on my mouth piece that was supposed to keep water out was messed up and, therefore, letting water in. Ain't that swell? He fixed it, and made sure I was okay when I tried it again. It worked fine, and I was able to relax. We (Sam, Gene, and me) were now able to admire the fishies. It was sooo cool, and I'm really glad I did it. I'm sad the process caused me so much trauma, but at least now I know for next time that I need to look closely at the maske and such to make sure everything is intact.
We stayed at the beach just a little while longer, then packed up and headed back to the condo. I discovered that I brought back approximately seventy-five percent of the sand from the beach in my swimsuit, and also that I had a really bad sunburn on the left side of my body, especially my hip/upper thigh. (By the way, this made peeing an adventure for the next few days.) I showered as gingerly as I could and waited for everyone else to do the same. Before the advice starts pouring in I would like to note that I did use sunscreen but 1) the stronger stuff somehow got left in the car, 2) waterproof does not mean that it will stay on when you're being pummeled by waves, and 3) I ALWAYS burn.
We hung out at the condo for a while, most people sprawled across something or other. As the evening drew on, plans for dinner circulated. We were unable to get reservations for the sushi place that was on our list of places to try, so we decided to improvise and just head to Lahaina. Cheeseburgers in Paradise, which was also on the list, had a reasonable wait, so we put our names in and wandered around Front Street. This is totally designed for tourists, with lots of shops and restaraunts and things. My foot swollen and hurting more than before, I hobbled along, once in a while whining for Sam to slow down for the gimp.
We got called for dinner, and the restaraunt was really cool. It was open, so you could here the waves and feel the breeze from the ocean. I ordered a burger with pineapple on it, which was super yummy. It would have been a good burger anyway, but the pineapple made it extra delicious.
As before, we spent the rest of the evening at the condo, just kicking back and setting plans for the rest of the week.

then - now