Another great bike

Maui is definitely best seen on a bike. This morning Karen, Trav, Mark (two of Karen’s friends visiting from California) and I loaded our bikes into the van and drove to Wailuku to begin our ascent. The climb was about the same incline as my ride to Makawao, but much longer and the views were absolutely stunning. The road rose in switchbacks along the north coast of Maui where the jagged hills run straight down into the turquoise Pacific waters. I had to stop and take a picture about every ten feet, so I mostly rode by myself, but Karen, Trav and Mark are also stronger riders so if I had been trying to keep up I wouldn’t have lasted 10 minutes (although to give myself credit, they had road bikes and I was on a mountain bike). The climb took about an hour or so and we stopped at a fruit stand on the top and ate a whole pineapple before heading down the other side to the small fishing town of Kahauloa. I couldn’t get over the views and dramatic scenery. I felt like I was on a movie set or in some exotic country in Asia. The downhill was fun, riding the switchbacks like a slalom biker, but knowing that we had to come back up took out a little of the glamor. We finally got down to the little hamelt of Kahauloa, home of the “world’s best banana bread” and a school bus converted into a smoothie stand. We didn’t go that much farther, as I was getting tired and we’d already been biking for over two hours. On the way back (up and up and up) we stopped at a touristy art gallery to have a look around. In passing I asked if they were the ones who had put the help-wanted ad in the Caretaker’s Gazette (which I had responded to), and surprise, surprise, they were! I talked to the owner for about an hour and she showed us around her amazing house and gardens and explained what she needed done. It was a lot of landscaping and gardening work (as well as house chores, gallery cleaning and childcare) and she had already talked to a Philippino man in Oahu who seemed like a good candidate. I’m not sure I would be a good position for me anyway because it’s very remote and I’m not too into landscaping and babysitting.

Back on our bikes we continued on up until we arrived at the fruit stand. From there I knew it was all downhill, so I sat back, put my fingers on the brakes, and let it rip!

Ku Ku Kachew Little Dude!

Yesterday Karen and I continued our tour of Maui. We spent the morning on Doug’s friend’s charter boat with two busloads of pasty tourists and suntanned crewmembers. We headed out to the crescent shaped island of Molokini to snorkel, but when we got there I saw that it wasn’t going to be a first class experience. There were already four or five tour boats moored and the sheltered bay was teeming with snorkelers clinging onto noodles and boogy boards. I think I saw more flippers than fish. It was disappointing, but I ended up not staying in the water too long because I didn’t have a wetsuit and I got chilled very quickly.

The second stop was better though. Turtle Arches lived up to its name and I saw tons of turtles both in the water and from the deck of the boat. We weren’t allowed to touch them, but it was amazing to watch them glide effortlessly through the water and poke their head above the surface for a breath of air. It made me think more about doing conservation work – I would love to help save threatened animals like the turtles.

Today Karen and I went for a long bike ride. I knew she would kick my ass, but she waited for me when I fell behind and the scenery was incredible. We rode along twisty turny roads that alternated from jungle, to sugar cane fields, to pastures that overlooked the blue ocean. We did a total of 22 miles and although my legs started getting tired towards the end, I felt like I could have kept going for a few more miles. Maui is definitely better seen by bike

Up and up to Makawao

I started off biking east, following the shoreline on Hana Highway then turned off onto Holomua road. The tree-lined street gradually climbed up the slopes of Haleakala and led me past sugar cane fields and stagnant ponds. After about 5 miles I bisected Baldwin Avenue, a main road leading from sea-level Paia to the cowboy town of Makawao. I continued on up… and up… and up with Haleakala standing tall before me. I rode past sugar cane stalks waving in the breeze, beautiful houses with manicured lawns and spectacular views of the ocean below and horses hidden amid grooves of bamboo. The uphill climb took me about an hour and a half, but the gradual ascent kept my breathing steady and my legs spinning and the incredible landscape took my mind off any mental and physical exhaustion. Finally, I reached the main street of quaint Makawao. Blink and you’ll miss it. Makawao is known locally as “home” and it’s rustic charm is reminiscent of old Western towns. There are several art galleries, three cafes, a health food store and a few restaurants along with a number of tourist boutiques. I stopped into the Casanova Deli which serves smoothies, espresso drinks and homemade breakfast and lunch plates. Apparently Casanova Restaurant is East Maui’s hottest music spot, so I’m hoping to return for some good live entertainment.

The trip down lasted a quarter of the time it took me to climb up, but it was just as spectacular and a great deal more fun. Facing the ocean now, I raced downhill, taking the switchbacks like a slalom skier and breaking only for cars to pass. Slowly, the ocean sank from view and I cruised into Paia, sweaty, tired, but proud of my accomplishment (until I remembered that Karen actually biked up Haleakala rather than just the lower slopes). The hardest part of the ride was the last (small) uphill to Doug’s house. I had to switch to first gear and pump my legs, but I made it and now I can relax on the beach and enjoy the sun!

Fishes, sea urchins, and turtles, oh my!

So I’ve been on Maui for about four days now and I’m loving it! The other day I was walking along a white sandy beach seriously thinking about not going home… for awhile at least. The sun, beauty and tropicalness of the island are mesmerising. Today was the first real day of carousing, though. Sure, I’ve been lounging on the beach and eating fresh fruit everyday, but I hadn’t really seen anything yet.

So, Karen, Debbie and I took off this morning towards La Perouse to snorkel in the ‘fish tank’, a little known cove where schools of fish and sea turtles hang out. It was about a 45 minute drive, then we had to hike a half hour across a lava flow that extended down from Haleakala (a dormant volcano rising over 10,000 feet from sea level and measuring 3,000 feet deep). The hard lava was sharp and treacherous but a faint fisherman’s trail guided us through safely. All the way the turquoise see lay before us and the volcano rose behind us.

The fish tank was a small cove protected by lava boulders and a small pebbly beach. After we donned our snorkel gear, we slipped into the water and floated through schools of fish and over spiny sea urchins and bleached coral. When I snorkeled in Belize and the Caribbean I remember the reefs to be vibrant and brilliantly colored, but today’s snorkeling was more about different kinds of fish and sea life. The coral wasn’t that spectacular. I did see a sea turtle though! Karen said he was a baby one, but he seemed pretty big to me. I was quite excited. We spent several hours lounging on the beach and snorkeling the cove, then traipsed back through the lava flow to our car. It was a great introduction to the opportunities here on Maui and I can’t wait to experience more!

Off to Hawaii

Hi everyone, so this is my first post and it happens to be on the eve before my journey to Hawaii! I’m very excited… the snow has begun to fall in Vermont and the temperatures are dropping and sunshine and beaches are beckoning. The fact that I have a one-way ticket makes it even better. I can completely skip winter this year if I want to.

So what’s in Hawaii? Good question. Lots of palm trees and fresh fruit. But here’s the real story. A very good friend of the family (Karen) was visiting one afternoon and mentioned that she had just bought her annual plane ticket to Hawaii to visit her three brothers, two of which live on Maui and the other on Kauai. In passing, I joked that I might tag along seeing as I had just graduated from college and had no real direction in my present life aside from working minimal (and boring) hours at a local coffee shop and taking aimless walks in the woods. Karen thought that was a grand idea and soon we were both hunched over the laptop searching for cheaps airfares to Hawaii. We found some good fares and I reasoned that since I made one impulsive decision, why not make one more? The next day I had a one-way ticket to Maui.

I’m still not sure what I’m going to do once I get there, but my plan is to visit as many islands as possible and experience as many amazing things as I can while spending as little money as I can get by with. I might even pick up some odd jobs on an organic farm or restaurant to feed my bank account. But for now, I’m just happy to take it one day at a time and today, that means finish packing and enjoy the warmth of the wood stove.