The Waters of Maui
Our very first morning in Maui was a surf lesson for us, as well as a surprise surf lesson for Jim and Jane. After repeatedly telling them that we had water activities planned — Jim still only packed his jean shorts. I got flash backs of seeing my father running through town in his jean pants, and wondered: do all Dads have a specific blindness to clothing materials? Regardless, even in water logged jeans, Jim was able to put two feet on the board. Both Jim and Jane did remarkably well for their first time ever surfing, and the waves tumbled them around as if by right of passage.
Jamie and I took an intermediate course, and learned the beauty of reef breaks, which is all of Hawaiian Islands. We surfed at GuardRails, which was quiet, consistent, and absolutely magical with nothing but islands in view. My favorite thing about Maui is the road pull offs — where one just hops over the guardrails and jumps in the water to catch waves. Most surfers had waves to themselves, because you could find a spot almost anywhere and at any time.
Jim bought swim trunks just in time to go snorkeling. We drove to Makena Beach where we saw our first sea turtle. Another day we snorkled at Mala Warf where there were so many turtles that you could hear Jim yelp underwater when he turned around and one was right under him. Jim and Jane were quite glamorous getting into the snorkel gear — if we didn’t look like tourists anyways, we did when their flippers were on.
At Old Lahaina Luau, a recommendation from my grandma Marcia and cousins, we got to experience a traditional Hula dance and Luau feast. We enjoyed the Mai Tais, the smoked pig, and the coconut and macademia nut sides. The traditional Leis were stunning and so fragrant that we tried to keep them from browning the entire trip.
Having done surfing and the Luau at the beginning of the trip, we got to enjoy the in between moments of sand between our toes, banana cream pies, and Jim’s favorite banana strawberry smoothies. At night we watched Hallmark Christmas movies and played cards, and in the mornings we watched the chickens run about in nearby grass. As we were leaving, they were stringing lights on the Banyan trees and the neighborhoods were becoming festive — as much as they can, dressing Christmas trees with surf boards and Santa Claus with Tommy Bahama shirts.
