The Road to Hana……
On the eastern side of the island of Maui, there is a road that is said to be the most scenic of any in the world. It terminates at a little town called Hana. It followed the coastline in and out, up and down and provided incredible views of the ocean on one side and tropical jungle, complete with waterfalls, on the other. You’d drive through the clouds and feel the mist on your face. It was very cool. The road was insanely windy and by the time I was in Hana I felt a little sick to my stomach. At one particular waterfall was where I saw a girl totally wipe out on some wet grass. She was wearing flip flops and was just moving way to fast. One stranger ran over to her to help and he wiped out too. Her ankle was busted and she needed to be carried her car. All in all it was a fun drive and a fun day. I’m glad I did it.
On to the Luau…..I’d heard mixed reviews about going to a Luau. A lot of people said that they were a total waste of money and time. I was skeptical myself. I didn’t want to be part of a herd of tourists. It took me a while to research a Luau that got really good reviews. I was happy I did because it was a blast. When you first arrive you can try your hand at a number of native Polynesian activities. You could make your own lei, weave some palm leaves, get a ukelele lesson, have your back walked on, I mean massaged, and even throw these 5 foot long wooden spears at a target. All that hoopla was followed by a cooking demo. A whole chicken and a tuna fish were wrapped in giant green leaves and buried under hot pieces of lava rock. A buffet dinner was served while the crowd was entertained by a little comedy from “The Chief” and stuff like a guy climbing right up a 50 foot palm tree barefoot, another guy spinning sticks that were on fire, and plenty of hula dancers. It was not overcrowded or all that expensive and turned out to be a very entertaining submersion into the ancient culture of the people. At the end of the night the chicken and fish were unwrapped and passed out…..the fish was better.
It was starting to hit me that tomorrow would be my last day in Hawaii. There were things l said I wanted to do that it didn’t look like I was going to be time for…..so I stopped at the airport on the way home and added another two days to the trip. Hey now……once around baby.
Absolutely beautiful photos of sunsets - yet, I can only concentrate on the one of you eating a package of oreos! There must be some nice native fruit to eat there in Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteYou must be in Alaska by now - keep following your heart. Have fun!