Wow-ee Maui!!
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| Well played, there... well played..... |
I'm here, I'm here!!! Can't believe that this trip, conceived less than a month ago in response to a random Travelzoo email flight offer, while sitting (again) in the United departure lounge at JFK, has actually arrived! It's going to be such a pleasure to get on a plane, fly for 5 hrs - then not be in New York at the other end of it! And be on vacation for a couple of days!! And it be warm! And to be in a convertible again!! (sorry, Chevy Equinox, I do love you but sometimes I just miss my C70).
Anyway, the day started bright and early with a 5am alarm call to get me up and out. I had been up til 12.30am the night before finishing off some work stuff so it took a while for the brain to stop buzzing round and the boys to settle. I think I dropped off in the end, but I wasn't going to win any International Sleep Championships with last night's effort. So, up, showered, dressed, tea, pee and out. On the road just after 5.30am and, in a radical departure for me, NOT heading to SFO and the loving arms of United Airlines (and my Premier 1K status) but to Oakland airport and the strange embrace of Hawaiian Airlines. The drive to the airport was pretty straightforward, although the road lanes are fairly narrow and, not being familiar with where I was going, it was a touch more stressful than the usual auto-pilot trek to SFO. But I got there fine, managed to find the car park, parked up, walked through the still-dark car park to the terminal without getting mugged or murdered, checked my bag, and had just a short wait to get through security. So all in all, a good start to the day.
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"Exit row" seat for people with very tiny legs.
I would imagine people are rather pissed off
to get this seat.... which is, presumably, why
it remained empty.... |
The flight was very smooth, with only a couple of little bumps. I've not flown Hawaiian Airlines before and they were fine, although the discount bargain price flight ticket that prompted this whole trip has receeding from memory somewhat with all the extras they charge you for! I paid extra for my checked bag, my exit row seat with extra legroom (but which was a VERY good investment!), my media player AND an upgraded meal. Ay carumba. Are you sure you wouldn't just like to keep my credit card, lady at the Hawaiian airlines counter? The final splurge was for a little fleecy Hawaiian airlines "souvenir" blanket - a necessary purchase as I was completely freezing my ass off sitting next to the exit row, which (probably disturbingly if I thought too much about it) had a wicked draft coming through it. Lots of leg room, but I was turning into a human icicle, so it had to be done.
Anyway, after 5hrs of building rollercoasters for cavemen in Prehistoric Park, vowing to never eat bread again while reading Wheat Belly, chatting to (OK, OK - up!) the guy in the seat opposite who could have been George Clooney's long-lost twin (HOTNESS!) and enjoying all the local, artisanal goods featured in the in-flight magazine, we had arrived. Landing in Kahului airport, my first impression (as i craned my head to try and see out of the window) was that it reminded me a lot of Bhutan - verdant Toblerone-esque mountains, patchwork fields, wide valleys framed by dramatic hills - all in all, absolutely stunning. Its going to be an absolute picture-fest over the next couple of days!!
The luggage didn't take long to arrive, so it was then off to the rental place to pick up my wheels for the stay. Yep, true to form, I couldn't resist, so got me a brand new Mustang convertible. Well.. it had to be done, didn't it? Its a bit chavvy as its bright white, but the engine sounds fantastic, and with the top down and shades on, all was well with the world.
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| Let's ride. |
Fortunately, my enormous suitcase (which happens to be crammed full of layers and sleeping bags - but more on that in a couple of days) fit into the boot, so that was also a bonus.
I'd arranged to check-in to my accommodation at around 5pm, so i had a little bit of time to drive around and explore a bit (that's a euphemism for "get completely lost"). I didn't rent a GPS system as there are so few roads on the island and they all basically just go round the outside, that it wouldnt be worth it, so I made do with the printed maps.
My first stop was to find somewhere for lunch and - according to those in the know - THE place to go near Kahului, en route to Haiku, was Mama's Fish House.
www.mamasfishhouse.com. Described in my Lonely Planet guide as "Mama's is where you go when you want to propose or celebrate a big anniversary. Not only is the seafood as good as it gets, but when the beachside tiki torches are lit at dinnertime, the scene's achingly romantic. The island-caught fish is so fresh your server tells you who caught it and where!".
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| Ultimate Locavore |
Now, a couple of things. It was absolutely true that - on the menu - they listed that this fish was caught by bloke called Greg, or that that fish was caught in this little cove by a man single-handedly rowing a dingy while singing sea-shanties and fighting off Moby Dick. You can't get much more local than that. And it is also true that the trio of sashimi that I had for my appetizer, each featuring a different type of Hawaiian salt, was probably some of the best I've ever tasted. It is also true that the views were simply breathtaking - I'd lucked out and been given a table with a completely perfect view of the ocean, sitting by the open window, listening to the crashing waves and the whistling of the wind.
However, had I paid more attention to the first sentence of that description, I would have realized that all of that view (plus a very tasty frozen coconut and lime VIRGIN cocktail) wasn't going to come cheap. Holy smokes. At those prices, you'd want to be pretty certain that your intended amour was going to say yes before dropping so much moolah!!
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| The start of my Maui adventure |
Anyway, the view certainly helped chase the sticker shock away and, before long, my trusty rationalization process was in full swing ("well, you deserve it... you've been working so hard..... when are you ever going to be back here again?.... its not just a meal, its an
experience.... oh, f*ck it....") which helped justify the check no end. It was the perfect way to start my trip to Maui, so i left Mama's feeling very full and content. Chatting to the waitress, I asked where a good place would be to go watch some surfers and windsurfers catch some, um, waves - fortunately, there was the perfect spot only a mile up the road, so off I headed!
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| Ridiculously tasty passion fruit creme brûlée |
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| An embarrassment of anthuriums |
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| Not too shabby a view over lunch |
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| Inside Mama's |
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| Mama's beach! |
The place was called Ho'okipa Beach Park and is (according, again, to my trusty LP guide) to daredevil windsurfers what Everest is to climbers. It reigns supreme as the world's premier windsurfing beach, with strong currents, dangerous shore breaks and razor-sharp coral offering the ultimate challenge. Now, apparently, the surfers and windsurfers have a gentleman's agreement in place - before 11am, surfers reign, after 11am, the windsurfers take over. Very civilized. By the time I was there, on a hilltop perch overlooking all the action, with a birds-eye view down in to the bay below, it was around 3pm, so there was only one solitary surfer off to the right of where all the windsurfers were.
Its bonkers. I just don't understand surfing and crazy extreme watersports. It does look very cool and, if surfers had no other purpose on this earth other than to share with us their incredible abs, I could certainly get behind that. But it is, frankly, a bit nuts and its also a bit like ironing. (no - not because they both involve boards, but now you come to mention it...). Its never over. You do one wave, then you have to turn round and start all over again. You iron one basket of laundry (allegedly) and just as you think you're done, another one pops up (Loopy - you can stop laughing hysterically now - i do know what an iron looks like).
Anyway, I stayed for a little while, taking some pics and enjoying the spectacular view from the look out, before then firing up the White Beast and heading off to go find my digs for the night and to see if they are as *ahem* interesting as they appeared to be online.....
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| Crikey. |
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HEY!! BEHIND YOU!!
THERE'S AN ENORMOUS FREAKIN' WAVE!!! |
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| Lone Surfer Dude |
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All looking a bit Cornish, really - especially with
the crazy assed wind!! |
The horse ride was phenomenal and the helicopter ride has to rank in the top 5 of my all time favorite travel memories. It was completely spectacular and utterly jaw dropping. I had lucked out (again) and had a front seat, up next to the pilot, so didnt have to look out over anyone's heads, but instead had a unobstructed view of some of the most incredibly natural beauty i've ever seen. Rather than describe it, I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. Our whole flight was also videoed from a camera mounted to the front of the helicopter, so I stumped up and bought the DVD of my actual flight so that you all, dear blogwatchers, can share, at least a little bit, in the beauty and majesty of this experience too. Its still loading up to You Tube at the moment, so, as soon as its finished, I'll add the link and write a bit more description of where we went. But here are some of the photos in the meantime - enjoy!!
