Hawaii - Paradise on earth

DAY ONE -

Sumera and I reached the island of Maui at around 4 in the evening of Dec 24th . The moment I reached there I felt like taking my clothes off and basking in the sun. It was HOT. We grabbed our rental car, did the hotel check-in and took off to feed us starving selves (yaaaaa). The sun had set by the time we could do anything, courtesy ATA for delaying our morning flight by 4 hours. So we started planning our activities. Figured 25th would be the perfect day for the Hana drive. Smart yaaaaa. Christmas day, people spending time with their families, and us smart souls cruising through the otherwise jammed roads. KUDOS. We booked the bike ride to Haleakala crater for 26th. After perusing through loads of fliers it was time to lay it off.

** yaaaaa is some kinda Hawaiian lingo. Original Hawaiians add it at the end of almost every sentence.

DAY TWO (On The Road to Heavenly Hana) -

We took off for Hana. The road to Hana offers some most spectacular scenery the island has to offer. Our first stop was the Ho'okipa beack park. Very similar to the 17-mile drive in California, but can't compare Hawaii to California can I? After this, the challenge of Hana Highway begins. 30 miles of narrow winding roads, through the mountains with magnificent ocean views, and frequent segments confined to one car at a time. Our next stop was the Haipuaena Falls. The falls (a mile hike) were not that majestic, but the serenity and aura embossed in the surroundings on the way to those falls was one of a kind. Enjoyed some nice Hawaiian juice before we took off for the Garden of Eden arboretum (our next stop). This is where the regions botany is preserved in full glory. A bird's eye view of Puohokamoa falls was a perfect addition to the blessed greenery. After this we moved on, experiencing the resplendent and exquisite views, exploring my skills in photography and having a good time. We reached Hana Bay and rested ourselves at the beach. Enjoyed some refreshments at a nice beach view restaurant and we were on our way back.
My best shots of the day -


DAY THREE (Maui's sleeping volcano) -

Panoramic views, nature in the raw, and the bike ride down the Haleakala National Park leaves you breathless. But to be a part of this scintillating experience, you have to wake up at 3 in the morning. Think its not worth it? Think again. We reached the pick-up spot at 3:45 am and were driven to the 10,023 foot summit at around 5 in the morning. Slowly it was dawn and we were all waiting for the eternal sunshine. And finally we could see the sun on the far away horizon. I would never forget the view. That is the only time I wished I had a better camera to capture those moments. Anyways after several attempts with my S1 IS, I finally gave up and enjoyed the romantic setup. Soon after, we were driven to the entry point of the national park from where we started our bike ride. It seemed easy, but the curvy steep slopes with narrow roads made it engrossing. On our way we encountered huge agricultural fields spread across the vast mountains and splendid views of Maui's north shore. We took about 3 hours to come down, where we had our breakfast and the famous Kona coffee at a nice joint in Paia town.

DAY FOUR (Molokini crater : An exotic snorkel destination) -

If you like adventures, this is a must do. Snorkeling at the Molokini crater is overwhelming. I once did snorkeling in Key Biscane, Florida (yea i missed Key West), but if I compare it to the one I did in Hawaii I would be a FOOL. Molokini is a crescent moon shaped islet located less than three miles from Maui's southern coast. It is one of the premier dive spots engulfed by three islands namely Molokai, Lanai and Maui. The crescent shape acts as a barrier for strong currents and waves and facilitates arguably the best corals and fish species. The average depth is around 350 feet and the visibility - right down to the surface. Me and Sumera had to do it with life jackets and boogie boards since we don't swim. Another addendum to the trip - Food and beverages on the house, but ofcourse alcohol is only served after the snorkeling session. This excursion was the highlight of our trip just because I had never seen such beauty underwater. On our way back we halted at a spot where turtles were abundant. They were big, but after what I saw underwater near Molokini nothing amused me. We hit a nice secluded beach midway near the Ma'alaea harbor and basked in the sun till we were tired.

DAY FIVE (Spa and Luau) -

The ambience in Hawaii is so retro. A perfect environment to attain euphoria, get into a state of bliss and relax in the wilderness of tranquility. Spa was the perfect option. The soothing music alleviated the mind, and the massage unbolted our bodies. That hour of serenity was just reinvigorating. It was worth every dime. We would have taken another session, but we had to go to the Luau in the Royal Lahaina resort. Luau is a Hawaiian feast that features CRAZY food, Hawaiian music and hula. Whats CRAZY? Poi, Poke, Lomi-lomi, Kalua Pig, and what not. I could eat the ones mentioned except the what nots. Luau was a nice way to get an insight into the Hawaiian culture. It was this day when I found out that the Hawaiian alphabet uses 12 and only 12 Roman letters (a,e,i,o,u,h,k,l,m,n,p,w), and that the original Hawaiians were Polynesians (a grouping of islands scattered over central and southern Pacific ocean). Interesting yaaaaa?

DAY SIX (Surfing and whale watching) -

Surfing ain't easy!!! I thought we could do it without the lessons. My bad. So we rented surf boards and the whole attire and started trying the damn thing inside the wavy waters. We tried and tried and tried. Eventually we used the surf boards for just lying down at the mercy of the beaming waters. And damnn wasn't it fun. Just chilling in behest of the ocean and enjoying people falling down from the surf boards. Anyways!! So we were at the beach for a while until we took off for our whale watching excursion. Starting in October, humpback whales migrate to the western shores of Maui. This makes it the most popular activity for tourists. Our trip started at 4 in the evening. It turned out to be a sunset cocktail cruise as well because we sailed for almost 3 hours. We had some luck, but none were close enough as depicted in the pamphlets. Satisfying though. Some beer, whales, and your soulmate along with the sunset in midst of the ocean aint bad. It was relaxing after all the activities we had done for the past 4 days.

DAY SEVEN (Shopping and horseback riding) -

This was the day when we had to gather some mementos and gifts. So we went to a craft fair. A huge market place two minutes from our hotel in Kahului. We got some artifacts, t-shirts and sarongs for my lady. Maen I hate this part. I always struggle after 30 minutes of shopping. Sumera went crazy shopping, and I had to bear it for two hours. Too much to be married!! Her contentedness (finally) got us out of there. We had some time just before our next activity, so we got ourselves some coffee at Napili two minutes from the Ironwood ranch where the horses were waiting for us. It was time, right about that time. Horseback riding is as simple as it gets (ofcourse only when they are well-trained). They allocate horses according to the expertize you have. I forgot the breed I rode, but my stallion was named TIGER WOODS. The dude wasn't fed I guess. He would always waver from the trail to get his share of food. The trail views were awesome and the ride entertaining.

DAY EIGHT (Mahalo Hawa-eee) -

Mahalo means thank you. Undoubtedly the best trip I ever had, came to an end. New Year's eve wasn't enough to induce much exuberance into our system 1 - because we were leaving the paradise on earth and 2- the thought itself was so tiring. We reached Oakland at around 11ish. Reached home quarter to twelve. Wished each other a new year and went to bed.