Catching the Waves

We've been here almost a week now and we will be leaving tomorrow.  We haven't been keeping up the blog very well, mostly because we are both so extremely relaxed!  We keep laughing about that, because we weren't stressed out when we got here, but boy, this is terrific!

We have not done a whole lot, and that has been lovely.   We've seen the big sites, Hana and Haleakala last time, which were magnificent, but we didn't need to re-do them.   We're in a really good place.  It's Paula's condo (Lindsey's mom).   It's small, but right on the ocean, and a beautiful spot.   The lanai faces the ocean, of course, and we are spending a good deal of time on it, having morning coffee, reading in the late morning, afternoon and early evening.    We take a walk on the beach daily, watching the outrigger canoes, the windsurfers, and the people on the stand up surfers.   We have no desire to join in, it's so nice to view it!   That is so different for me, but it's so nice!

Link to Maui pictures:  http://gallery.me.com/pathaber#100320 

We've been out to dinner and lunch a few times.  went to the Lahaina Yacht Club on Paula's membership, where we had very good lobster.   Also went to Sensai, where the ahi tuna was fabulous!  It was seared and wrapped in a panko crust, in a sweet sauce.   Terrific, as was the lobster-crab ravioli and the demon shrimp.    Today we went to Mama's  Fish House for lunch.   We weren't going to because it's so expensive, but we had forgotten to spend our winnings from the horse races in Oakaland!   I don't even know the name of the fish we had, but it was wonderful!    I am so fussy with fish, normally, rarely order it.   But in Hawaii, it is so good, I know I can't go wrong. The restaurant names the person who caught the fish and where they caught it. Now that's sustainable.

We went to a Luau last night, it was really pretty lame.   The entertainment was very good, and we liked the firedancer and an acrobat the best.   The food was bad, and it was inside because it was raining.    I felt like one of the hoards.   But we hadn't been to one before, and it was representative of Hawaii, so it was a good thing to do.

In the morning, yesterday, we found a great snorkel beach, Ahihi-Kilua, or something like that.   I really loved it!   I am a very timid snorkeler, but I overcame my fear.   This was a difficult surf to enter, as it was mostly lava rocks with very shallow water and a high reef.    But I followed the young boy in front of me, who so nicely showed me the way, and it was wonderful.  I wish I could name all the fish we saw, I bought a card with them on it.   I realized how much I like snorkeling and I want to do it again.
I found myself thanking the fish for letting us visit their home as I was watching them.

Today, our last day, was rainy and windy, but Dan had read that there were high waves on the north shore, so we drove there in search of the high waves.   We stopped at the Iao Needle, where we had been before, but it's a beautiful spot.   We stayed in the car because of the rain.   Then,  we found the waves!!!! We found them at Hoopkai Point.   (I know these names are wrong, the Hawaiian names are so difficult)   They were incredible!    Oh, my gosh, as Isaac says!!!!
They were up to 15 ft. probably, but pounding and constant!   No surfers on these babies, there were red flags all over the place!   We did see two guys go out, way out, but we never saw them catch a wave.   The most beautiful thing of all was that the wave would begin, then it was like this beautiful turquoise color was churned up underneath, and as the wave toppled over, it would then be that blue!   I have never seen anything like this before.   I keep using !!!!! I know, and superlatives, but it's hard to explain the magnificance, the power and the beauty of this.
It's funny, there are things about Hawaii, Maui, that I don't love---it's not lush around Kihei, there are tourists all around, there isn't much true Hawaiian stuff where we are at.    The weather can be perfect, or it can be not so good---we've had a lot of wind, e.g., and some rain.   But, there is truly something magical about this place.    It ends up grabbing you.    Last trip, it was the sunset we saw at Haleakala, and "The Glory", if any of you know what that is.    This trip, for me, it was the snorkeling and the waves.
O.K. so I wrote the above, we cooked dinner, we ate out on the lanai, we're enjoying the night and the sky and the waves (gentle on this side of Maui) and I hear a weird chirping.   Dan says "o.k., look over your head and don't be scared."   O.K., so wouldn't YOU be scared?   I thought it was bat, jumped up and saw 2 lizards.   They don't normally frighten me, in fact, I like them, but NOT over my head!
That ended dinner for me.    We also had a bird fly in the condo because Dan didn't close the screen door all the way---it flew right out, Dan never saw it, so he's laughing at me about it.    NOT FUNNY!