Day 7 Nov 27, The Journey Ends

We packed our bags, cleaned up the place and got ready to leave. After breakfast, Sneha dressed Esha in a lovely grass skirt, halter floral top, and garland. She looked so cute and adorable. We did a photo and video shoot in the front yard. She did the hula following Sneha's instructions. Her tiny little feet moved gracefully on the grass and her waving cute little hands gestured wavy motions. It was soon time to head to the airport.

We arrived at the car rental return and then checked in to the airport. It was time to say our final alohas to Maui. It had overall been such a wonderful journey a memorable a fun-filled trip.

Day 6 Nov 26 - ATV Ride & Snorkeling at the Beach

Since Sunil, Sneha and Esha took off that morning to the airport to fly to Oahu, Chandan had booked ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) tour for the four of us. We had to report at an activity store at Kaanapali where we would be picked up for the ATV tour. We also rented and changed into camouflage cargos and khaki t-shirt to be prepared for the muddy tracks as we weren't prepared to ruin our clothes.
TIP: An alternate to renting the gear-wear one of your old throw away t-shirts and some rugged pair of cargos or nylon tracks you may have.

We took a ride in a van to a ranch by the foothill where the tour would commence. We were instructed of YA-YA s and NO-NO s of the ride and were given bandannas eye glasses and helmets for safety. After we were geared up, we were escorted to our ATVs and asked to board them. Overall we were 5 couples on the tour and every couple got to share a ride. There were 2 very enthusiastic Canadian couples who seemed to be enjoying their trip. They expressed how much they enjoyed the best November sunshine and warm weather of Maui as for them usually in Canada it would already be freezing this time of the year. The guided tour had 2 tour guides one who led the tour, whom we followed and the other who followed us to make sure no one strayed.
Shashi took charge behind the wheel and I took the passenger seat. I had to grab on to the rails as the vehicle bounced up and down and sprinted through the crazed beaten path. The ride was very thrilling even though it was a guided tour and was not meant to be a race. We stopped at the ranch gazebo to stop of refreshments. The ranch overlooked the beautiful rain forest and valleys. Shashi & Chandan demonstrated the effects of echo in the valley. It was fun to hear their voices bounce over the mountain walls and back.
We were thrilled to discover guava trees and ventured into trying some ripe ones. One of the guide's gave us a demo of dicing a pineapple on the fly merely by grabbing it by its hood and he didn't use a cutting board and did all the chopping midair. He skillfully diced and served on the fly and it was spectacular to watch his skillful hands carve away so wishfully. After mouth watering pineapple slices, guava, and water we headed back on the tour. We sprinted though the muddy path with dry red mud flying as we drove with a spectacular view of the ocean on one side and hills with vegetation on the other. After being on the ride for about half an hour, it started to get a little boring and monotonous as we were circling around similar sceneries. The ride soon ended and we were dropped off at the activity store.We changed back to our clothes and headed to Whalers Village Shopping complex for lunch. We ate at the food court and decided to go to KiHei for some evening beach fun. En-route we stopped to have "Ganne Ka Rus" (Sugarcane Juice)at the Fruit stall, there were plenty of tropical fruits in display. But the juice wasn't close to what I had expected. The guy seemed to have added sugar to the juice, it was a disappointment, who would have known.

To KiHei beach
We got back on the road. Arriving at Kihei, we spotted a snorkeling gear rental store. We rented 2 sets of gears (snorkel, floatation belt, boogie board, flippers) and headed to the beach.

Chandan & I decided to go in the water while Shashi and Payal sat back on the shore to watch. Chandan couldn't seem to get the snorkel working and he drank sea water several times. He decided to go into the water snorkel-free and just have fun. I too seemed to have some trouble with the snorkel in the beginning but later established a proper nose seal. However I couldn't walk with the flippers on and struggled with the boogie board in one hand, it was so difficult to maneuver. My every attempt to break through the waves was in vain. When I thought I was gaining depth, I was actually being pushed back to the shore.
Snorkeling fun continue...

Everybody at the shore had a hearty laugh watching my funny attempts. A lady who had just finished snorkeling advised me to get into the water first gain some depth and then wear my flippers.

I tried it and it seemed to work. I swam around making sure to stay close to the shore and spotted several fishes. Some people suggested to head to the rocks were a big sea turtle had been spotted earlier. With Shashi's assistance I went to the rocks and took a plunge into slightly deep waters. Easier to swim due to the depth, I went around for a while but couldn't spot any turtles. I did get to see few more fishes swim by. After a while my calves were tired and I got back to the shore, cleaned myself at the beach showers. Later we did some shopping and then headed straight back home. It was one great day full of thrills and fun.
Back home we decided to cook our last dinner at the Hale Hiluhilu house. Sneha, Sunil and Esha arrived before dinner. Our vacation was coming to an end and it was our last night in Maui. We played lot of card games and gambled with virtual money.

Chandan and Payal were the great virtual gamblers of the night. The night ended soon and we were all off to bed.

Sunil, Sneha and Esha at Oahu: Places visited- Arizona memorial, Pali Lookout, the infamous Waikiki beach. Fabulous day of sunny fun.

Day 5 Nov 25, Snorkeling at Molokini Crater

Sneha had been the most enthusiastic about snorkeling. Being aqua phobic, I had been back and forth on whether or not to snorkel. During summer 2007 my good friend Mindy volunteered to be my swim instructor. She helped me loosen up and made me gain some level of comfort in water. But the morbid fear of drowning always stayed with me. It made me stay away from deep waters. Hence, I never had once stepped into the deep side of the pool without lingering along the walls (in the literal sense). Summer had ended too quickly and I hadn't really gotten a chance to be completely comfortable in water. After asking a bunch of friends who had snorkeled and after coaxing and all, I finally agreed to try snorkeling. We booked a snorkeling package one week before we headed to Maui. Chandan and Payal dropped out of it as Payal was extremely hydrophobic. The day finally arrived. We woke up early morning to drive to Maalea Harbor to embark on the cruise boat. We got our admission (also raffle) tickets and boarded. We were welcomed by an enthusiastic crew on board and were served bagel - crème cheese and freshly brewed Kona coffee for breakfast. With sprinting motor speed, in no time we arrived at the fascinating Molikini crater. All the participants were given snorkeling gears and the newbie's (us) were instructed on how to put them on. We had it all, snorkel, flippers, boogie board an extra floatation belt for non-swimmers. Shashi got a warm suit to keep him from freezing (even though the water was tepid and the day was perfect sunshiny). The boat also had a glass bottom cubicle for non-snorkelers for viewing the sea life. Sunil decided to stay put on board to watch Esha and perhaps use the boat's glass bottom feature to witness the marine life. In our group, I volunteered to venture into the water first. I just wanted to get on with it, as waiting would be just painful. As an amateur may do, I went to the Life guard and made sure that he would come to rescue me if I were in peril. Of course he nodded yes. Well with this assurance I had nothing more to do but to take the plunge. I got into the water, with arms stretched forward holding the boogie board. I paddled with both feet and whoosh with the ease of flippers and the choppy water I had gone far. I stopped and turned to see the boat away at a distance. I pulled the board close and it made me stand in the water. The floater kept me up but the bouncy choppy water made me panic. I was no longer comfortable and I thought I was about to die. With one arm clinging to the board for dear life I waved back with the other signaling out to the life guard. It took a minute for Sneha to sense my discomfort and conveyed it to the life guard. Off he came to my rescue (even though it was impossible for me to drown). He dragged me with my arm I hung on to the board and paddled to assist in getting back to the boat as quickly as possible. Once I got on board it all felt safe again.
Watching all the skilled swimmers enjoying themselves in the sea, it dawned on me, how petty I had been. I stood there grunting at my insipid behavior and even worse on my act of in-achievement. Right there in front of me was the enormous sea to drown myself in shame. Next to go was Sneha. Bold and daring she got in and flapped around for a while and then returned to the boat. Her snorkel had lost the air seal and she had swallowed some water. She fixed her snorkel and then got back in again. Effortlessly with every stroke she progressed so amazingly and seemed to be so comfortable. She also invited the official cruise photographer to take her under water snaps.
I felt so jealous at the same time humiliated. Building up some courage I decided to give it another try. It was assured that the life guard will come to my rescue no matter what and I would not drown anyways. So I geared up again and with some words of advice from the life guard to relax and stretch my arms forward, I took courage to put myself back into the amazing aqua marine. This time I let my face dip into the water and was awestruck by the view of striking marine life and the ocean bed. It was all so clear and breathtaking. All my fears suddenly vanished and with every tiny stroke I took it felt more relaxing. I steered with the feet to turn when I wanted and with ease I was able to gain control. It all seemed so easy now. Sneha soon invited me for an underwater snapshot with her and Shashi took courage and followed. It was so much fun now that going back on board didn't seem to be a requirement. I swam till my calves felt sore and returned safely back to the boat.
Now it was a different kind of struggle, to pull myself up on board. Wow! The effort it took me. I realized how out of space I had gotten. The body gained weight with every inch rising above water, so I dipped back and forth and finally got myself up. It was exhausting, but the snorkeling experience had been awesome.
Yummy Taro burgers were cooking and not so guilty to eat now. We all stood with a great sense of accomplishment. As an icing on the cake, Sneha was the raffle draw winner of a lovely t-shirt. The cruise ended half past noon when we docked at Maalea.
Sunset at Kaanapali Beach
From there we headed to Kaanapali's Whalers Village shopping complex. Chandan Payal joined us after a while. They had adventured to the south west shores of Ki hei earlier that day, while we had been snorkeling. They expressed their enthusiasm of having enjoyed the KiHei beaches.

In the shopping complex, we window shopped mostly, and occasionally bought a thing or two. Just before dusk we took a walk by the beach shore. Many big hotels stood by the shore, like Marriot, and Hilton. Kaanapali is one of the commercial beach spots in Maui. Many people who like crowd and frolic come here. We settled at a spot in the beach sand to witness the sunset. It was beautiful. We posed for pictures and Esha was all so thrilled to recite A-Z as she wrote on sand with me. Past Sunset it was dinner time. We headed to south of Lahaina as our GPS directed us to an Italian Restaurant. We wanted a combination of good food and a bar. After parking our cars we realized that we were just blocks away from the Banyan Tree. We knew that many stores, restaurants and bars lined the shore. We located a grill cum bar and headed in. The menu wasn't appealing neither for the carnivore palette nor for the herbivores (Payal & Me). We decided to have some drinks and starters. After drinks, we headed back to the Penne Pasta restaurant the GPS had pointed earlier and ordered dinner. After a long tiring yet amazing day we headed back to our Hale Hiluhilu home.

Day 4 Nov 24 - Road To Hana

It was a bad start to a beautiful day. After a nice shower ready for breakfast, I met Shashi in the kitchen who was trying to use the espresso cappuccino maker for brewing some delicious coffee. I butt in with my twitchy nose for "Vishesh tippani" (my brain storming suggestion). I will spare you the drama and let me just say it all ended well later that day.
With a choke start the day forward was good. We had read about the lusciously green and ocean lined blue Hana highway totally noncommercial and paved through wilderness. Since there aren't any fuel or food stops (other than fruit stalls) en route, we decided to go prepared.
First was fuel and food. We stopped at Hanzawa store, filled up our fuel tanks and picked up sandwiches for lunch.

It is said that Road to Hana is not about making to the destination "Hana", but the journey itself. I have heard mixed opinions about the road trip. Some prefer taking a chopper ride to Hana and then take a guided tour bus back to their north western destinations. Many have enjoyed the road trip itself. My opinion of the trip is if you are short of time or if you are going to Maui purely for relaxation "Road to Hana" isn't for you. I would rather not recommend Hana trip to the Maui first timers.
We were in a rush to cover as many attractions en route as we could and tired ourselves by the time we were back. Every mile has a mile stone marking, referred to as a mile marker.
So the road trip commenced a few miles before the zero mile marker of Hana highway, and we were soon on the infamous "Road to Hana".
TIP: Make sure to reset your odometer to 0 to keep track of mile stops.
First stop on Hana Highway was at 2 mile marker - "Twin Falls". At the entrance to the hiking trail is a fruit stand. We drank coconut water and commenced the hike. The hike is moderate but no directions or arrows pointing in the direction of the falls. The trail branches after a while and the path becomes confusing. It took us sometime to figure out the correct direction. It was an enormous disappointment to discover the teensy weensyFirst stop on Hana Highway was at 2 mile marker - "Twin Falls". At the entrance to the hiking trail is a twin waterfalls. Since we got that far we took pictures as we always do. On the way back someone suggested to take a trail to another falls. Sunil, Shashi & Esha had already headed back to the parking lot. The rest of us took the trail. After walking through slushy, slippery, muddy trail with single person access paths (really narrow) most way, we arrived at yet another tiny falls. Not at all worth the scrupulous effort, decided to head back after some click-click on our cameras
TIP: If you wish to go on the Twin falls hike keep to the left of the trail when it branches into three. If it hasn't rained heavily you probably won't get to see much of waterfalls.

Sneha had brought along a guide book for the road trip assistance "Maui Revealed - The Ultimate Guidebook" by Andrew Doughty. There was an entire section dedicated to Road to Hana, so we decided to jot down quick stop attractions on the Hana highway.Some Stops we made on Road to Hana :Twin Falls mm 2, Waikamoi Nature Trail past mm 7, Kaumahina State Wayside Park - mm 12, Haipua`ena Falls and Pool - mm 11, Wailua Peninsula Overlook mm 18, Waikani Triple Falls past mm 20, past mm 15 nice overlook of Honomamu Bay, mm 17 drive past Keanae Village

We drove way past the 6 mile marker missing a supposedly remarkable waterfall trail. We were not so disappointed to miss it especially after the twin falls experience.
Our next stop was Waikomoi Nature Trail. The trail was nothing like in the book. There was a picnic bench on an elevated platform overlooking the highway below with the ocean in view. The trail branched into two. The right one seemed to merge back to the parking lot and the left lead somewhere. We ventured into the left one and after a few minutes on the trail we hit a dead end at a giant fallen tree with bamboos growing all around. With no paved path leading ahead we decided not to venture into the marshy dense woods and headed back to the car.
Observation: The trail does have an overlook of the valley and the dense rain forests. It doesn't take much long and is worth the short walk.

The best mile marker so far on Hana highway was Kaumahina State Wayside Park that stood overlooking the enormous ocean. The park is free and has public restrooms. It is a good stop for a lunch break. So we found a bench and brought out our lunches. Just like most state parks in United States, this park did not permit alcoholic beverages. The farm had some domestic farm animals, cats, dogs, hens and sparrows. After eating our sandwiches we strolled for a while and stopped for a photo session. Esha was thrilled to see the cats and played with them and she was in tears and cries when she was forced to leave, but soon after Sneha consoled her with her dear teddy bear.
More on Hana Highway
After a good hearty lunch we were in no mood to hike or stop at spots that we felt weren't significant enough. We had noted that most mile stop attractions in the book weren't actually accessible as specified in the book. Either they were privately owned or had no public access. There were "No Trespassing" boards in many places that the book called attractions and we were most certainly not gutsy enough to take chances to venture into private accesses. So we decided to stop at obvious locations, especially when we saw a bunch of cars parked by the roadside.

So whenever we spotted a spot photo-worthy we stopped, clicked and moved on. The weather seemed alright with intermittent rains, very little humidity, non-sultry, yet we all seemed exhausted. It must have been either the long and winding road

The plan was to get home before sunset. Why take chances and risk the sharp hair pin bends in the dark. So we took a 'U' turn at the triple falls and headed back north. We made a stop at Wailua Peninsula Overlook mile marker 18 that we had missed earlier in the day when we were heading towards Hana. We could see the Wakani falls from the lookout which looked really tiny from the great distance. Down below you could see the Wailua town and the ocean on the far side.

Back home and then to the Paia Beach

Fewer stops and steep turns in rapid concession created a roller coaster effect. This affected Payal and Shashi the most. They experienced motion sickness and had to throw up en route, oh well. We soon arrived home and freshened up. Sneha proposed the idea of going to the beach, so we started to the Paia beach at around dusk.

We got there just past sunset and it was already dimming down. We lay our mats and sat watching the waves. Esha was thrilled with sand all around and assisted me in building a sand castle. Just hands for tools and almost no talent in creating castles, my effort produced a lopsided odd shaped castle or a structure that somewhat resembled one. Later we picked up some dinner and went home.

Day 3 Nov 23 Helicopter Ride Lahaina Beaches and Anniversary Celebrations with friends

It was yet another perfect day, warm and sunshiny. It was time for the Hana Haleakala aerial view experience, an air-chopper ride. We checked in early at the Alex heliport. We were giving the seating arrangement, instructions on the ride, and life jackets for just in case situations. Esha was the most excited one. She strolled around and entertained us with her many fascinating and charming ways while we waited for our ride. It was a little challenge for Sneha to get the life jacket on Esha. Esha’s life jacket was so close covered with all those straps that any one would be frustrated wearing it. We were instructed to follow the guide to the helipad and were ready to board. The pilot greeted us with a warm Aloha. More instructions followed on mid-air communication via the head sets which we each were supposed to wear. It also helps in reducing the flight noise.

Payal and I were seated in front while the rest sat behind. The pilot gave a running commentary as we passed through the various landmarks. We watched in awe down at the beautiful scenic view. The oceans and the forests with streams racing through the dense rain forests and the many-many waterfalls were all fascinating. Wow! Maui indeed is so rich in natural resources. We passed the Haleakala Crater and windy Hana highway, the beaches, a miniature view of the below. The ride was over in no time and we soon arrived back at the heliport.

Afterwards we drove to Kaanapali for lunch. We found a nice Chinese restaurant China Boat that served yummy food. We headed to the Ali Aha beach at Lahaina. Sneha, Sunil, Chandan and Esha changed to beach gears. Shashi, Chandan, Payal and I sat back on the sandy shore while Sneha and Sunil attempted to make Esha experience the waves. The cold water made Esha very uncomfortable. Sneha and Sunil tested her endurance and decided not to force her too much all at once. I wished my parents had done the same to me when I was little. We all decided to drive to another beach - picnic location that Chandan had spotted on our way to Kaanapali. It was a tiny picnic beach “Papaua Park III” with some shallow waters. Chandan and Payal ventured into the water as we all stayed back and watched.

It was Shashi and my seventh wedding anniversary and I had bought a wedding band for both of us as a gift. Sneha suggested that the beach was the best spot to give the gift. It seemed romantic enough so I called Shashi knelt on one knee and held his arm and placed the ring on his finger. It completely took him by surprise. The sad part was the ring was too big for his finger, but isn’t it the gesture that counts? He placed my ring on my finger and we submitted to the moment. The evening was lively the sandy beach was a perfect photo spot. We all took turns to pose in front of the camera.

Sneha, Sunil and Esha were scheduled to the “Old Lahaina Luau” late that evening. So we got ready to head back to Lahaina once more. Shashi located the Banyan Tree Park in the map — a popular point of interest in Lahaina, Maui. We all drove there to see an old handsomely huge banyan tree that stood tall and wide with its several branches and tertiary roots collectively occupying almost over an acre of land mass. It was magnificent. Sneha, Sunil and Esha headed to the Luau, the rest of us stuck around to explore the area.

We discovered that the Banyan tree was located in central market place of Lahaina by the beachside. We strolled through the colorful, busy Front Street, which was lined with many shops and stalls on either side. We window shopped and discovered a nice bar by the beachside and stopped for drinks. Chandan and Payal got us drinks as a treat for our wedding anniversary. We had some nice yummy tropical cocktails sat and enjoyed the lovely evening breeze and the dusk sky with the moon starting to appear.
After sunset we walked back on the street and stopped for kebab at a small kebab stall. Overly flavored with teriyaki sauce the kebabs were an utter disappointment, all of them were bad. Only best choice was Payal’s pick — hummus and pita bread. Payal and I did some roadside jewelry shopping and later headed back to the car. On the way I spotted a Caricaturist and insisted Shashi of getting our caricatures done. Sarit the artist caricatured away as Shashi & I patiently posed one after another. He did a pretty decent enough job to impress us. The caricature portrayed me as a pretty hula girl and Shashi the ocean-surfer. We got to our cars went to the Lahaina center were we met Sneha, Sunil & Esha who seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed their Luau experience. We got some grocery and Thai food for dinner and headed back home. It was a very fulfilling experience.

Day 2 Nov 22 - Sunrise Panorama at Haleakala peak

Haleakala sunrise has been described as one of the most warming experiences and worth an early start. Even before the trip commenced, Chandan had thrown in the idea of taking the bike ride down from the Haleakala Summit. It is an organized tour where they would pick you up and drive you to the peak. After sunrise all you have to do is bike down to the bottom. As thrilling and exciting it sounded, we decided to skip as it was way too dangerous especially for amateur bicyclists in the group (me of course).

By the way the guided tours usually pick you up as early as 2 a.m. I may have at several occasions slept that late but never once have woken up that early. Since we decided to drive all by ourselves we pushed the start time to 4:50 a.m., which was still early. We were around 22.5 miles away from Haleakala and with the windiness of the roads and given the steep ascend we wanted to be safe starting early enough to make to the peak before sunrise.

I had read in several blogs and articles on the internet about the cold summit and it is always better to dress in layers. Moreover Haleakala National Park is at an elevation of about 10,023 feet above sea level and made it obvious for the need of warm wear. I shared my acquired knowledge with the group and told them to be prepared for the low temperature. We reached earlier than anticipated, half hour early. The sunrise was expected at 6:30 a.m.

TIP: Check with the national park of the sunrise time a day ahead.

Warm and cozy in our cars, little did we know of the chill that was about to hit us. We parked at the visitor center parking lot one level below the summit. This is where people usually gather to witness the sunrise. All of us actually were under dressed. I had a modest hooded jacket for warmth and Chandan was in a hoodless jersey. However the scarcely warm were Shashi in his denim jacket and Payal in her tracks & thin jersey. They were almost freezing.

A crowd had gathered to witness the sunrise. Many seemed unprepared for the cold weather just like us. Shashi even expressed his idea that opening a rental/for sale stall at the summit for throws and blankets would yield a profit as anyone would buy/rent one.

TIP: Dress in layers, a hooded thick jacket with pockets goes a long way. If needed carry a thick blanket or throw that you can cuddle in.

After bopping around to stay warm, we went to the left side of the visitor center/gift shop (which by the way was closed. A good hot Chocó or coffee business would have done well too). Shashi & Payal took refuge under the stairs of the gift shop. Not a big help but it did shield them from the wind. About ten minutes before the sunrise the clouds in the sky lit up little by little. It seemed like one particular cloud was on fire. Finally the moment arrived and everyone watched awestruck. The sunrise was beautiful and suddenly there was so much light.

We all ran to car to turn on the heat and to get warm and cozy. While leaving the parking lot we decided to drive to the summit which had an observatory deck.

The center of the deck has a detailed labeled section marking the landmarks located in the various directions around the Haleakala peak. Ice crystals lined the ground around the outside of the observatory. It was chilly and Shashi decided to sprint to the car for warmth. After a few clicks on the camera Chandan, Payal & I returned to the car as well. On the way down we saw some bikers getting ready to bike down the mountain. We also saw the beautiful ocean and the crescent shaped Molokini crater in it. Observing the scenic view all the way it was a quick and easy descent.

We were close to approaching home when Shashi finally spotted a breadfruit tree in the yard of what looked like a huge ranch house. Not able to contain the excitement Shashi demanded a stop and ventured to see if he could pick or buy some. Payal and I decided to stay back in the car as the ranch seemed to have some nasty and loud, barking watch dogs. After a while Shashi appeared with a bag full of breadfruits and oranges, followed by Chandan and the ranch owner. The owner was very congenial and didn’t want to take any money for the fruits. He expressed his excitement as no one had ever asked or consumed breadfruit from there. We learned that he was from a Portuguese descent and he had inherited the humongous ancestral property. We thanked him for the fruits, forcefully gave him five dollars for it and he amicably accepted it.

We got back home and decided to take a nap. In the late afternoon Shashi made some good “jeevkadgi phodis” (Deep-fried breadfruit dipped in lentil batter). Hungry for a good lunch we decided to go easy on the fries and headed to Paia in the car. We went to the Thai Coconut stall again to drink some more coconut water. The backside of the stall had a well-groomed backyard which opened to a beach. After posing for some pictures, we sat on a bench to enjoy the view. Our relaxation was interrupted by a mild drizzle and we went back to the car. We didn’t go too far, we parked our car just around the corner and walked to Mambo Café a nice little family owned food joint. It was brimming with people at lunch time and had some nice food choices. The service was slow due to the large volume of orders, but the food was tasty. We drove to Hookipa lookout jumped the fence (not supposed to) and sat on the rocks to watch the ocean symphony. The waves got bigger as they bathed the rocks lining the shore. As we were witnessing the dancing waves Sneha called from the airport to notify their arrival. We headed back home and waited for their arrival.

Payal made onion fries with the remaining batter and we fashioned a meal out of the available ingredients. Sneha party arrived and settled and we all sat back and relaxed that evening.

The Journey begins Nov 20-21(Day 1) 2007

Chandan and Payal spent the night over at our place the day before the journey’s commence. Payal had to fly to Oregon on an official purpose the day after our return. So she had packed two bags one for Hawaii and one for Oregon.

The next morning we were all packed and ready to go. Charan dropped us at the Oakland airport. The flight was on schedule, so we had breakfast at the airport café, checked in, and played some UNO before boarding. The flight ride was smooth and we soon arrived at the Maui airport. Unlike Oahu, Maui was not sultry and humid. It had drizzled and the temperature was in late seventies, with the weather being just perfect.

After baggage claim and rental car pickup we were on the road to explore Maui. We decided to stop for lunch at Paia (en route to our vacation rental home located in Haiku) south east of the Kahului airport. We found a Thai restaurant owned by a mother and son from Thailand. They had fresh coconut water and we all had one. Since we were very hungry and they didn’t seem to have any food, we decided to go back in the direction of the airport to find something to eat.

We hit the supermarket, did some grocery shopping. Just when we were starting to head to Haiku we found a Subway restaurant. After gobbling our sandwiches in hunger we were back on the road. It was pouring rain and the weather got a little chilly. The Paia highway to Haiku also becomes the Hana highway. There are small shopping stores lining the highway while passing the Paia town. Just past the stores on the ocean side of the highway is Mama’s Fish House a gourmet seafood restaurant. They serve exotic sea food choices but a tad pricy. Past the restaurant comes Hookipa lookout were the ocean waves pounce on the shore roaring and crashing. You can watch the Hookipa Beach sea surfers battling the waves and performing amazing ocean acrobatics. The lookout is just for watching the waves and the surfers. The Hookipa beach is meant for pro surfers and not for sea admirers.

The highway is lined by the ocean on one side and thick luscious deciduous rainforest mountains on the other. The view is tantalizing and remains etched in your memory.

We started noting landmarks, one was the flower stand on the mountain side of the highway and the other was a cemetery on the ocean side. Around a mile or two past in the south east direction there is a small paved road the East Kuiaha road which lead to Hale Hiluhilu home, our rental place. The winding road had many beautiful houses lining the entire stretch, many with huge yards and tropical plantations. Déjà vu all over, Shashi was looking to see if any Breadfruit trees were in the neighborhood, just like he did during our Oahu trip. This time we had come prepared with “Chane ka atta - Besan”(chickpea flour) and “Hing” (asafetida) for making “Jivkadgi Phodi” (That is Konkani for crispy breadfruit fries prepared by dipped in lentil batter). Soon we arrived at the Hale Hiluhilu house off the Kuiaha road by a paved gravel path. The house stood on a humongous maintained yard with tropical plantations (no breadfruit) and was magnificent, more than what we had expected.

The house had many rooms, completely furnished and equipped with a large up-to-date kitchen. Another exciting feature in the home the guys discovered was a very fancy commode. The seat had warmers and water jets for washing your rear end at the press of a button. Well what can I say!

Overall the house was fabulous. We brought our luggage and settled in. We drank beer, played UNO, listened to music and relaxed. We decided to leave the activities for day 2.

The thought about Maui...

The Oahu Hawaiian Island visit in 2006 had an everlasting effect on us. We were waiting to pounce on any opportunity to visit Hawaii again this year. Visiting Maui or the Big Island was way up on our to-do list for 2007. Chandan and Payal had voted in for a trip to Hawaii anytime and we talked about planning one before the end of the year.

The idea was dropped later in the year and was revived when talks about visiting the US open began late May. Sneha who is a huge tennis enthusiast was very much interested in the trip. We were discussing places to go, and Sneha was leaning towards Hawaii trip instead of the Open. Shashi & I were ok for any Hawaiian island but for Oahu, so we voted for Maui. It was sometime in July we had all agreed including Chandan and Payal.

Shashi was fishing for deals on the net targeting thanksgiving as our travel time. We knew, the earlier we booked the better flight deals. Early alright! We were still unable to find anything within budget for 4-5 nights. The only best deal we could get was ATA airlines that offered low prices if we had a week long stay (3 days extra than anticipated, which meant more time off). It was an easy decision for most of us as everyone seemed to have enough accumulated vacation time. I was the one to worry as I had joined Fluidigm just over a month ago and it would be extremely difficult to take 3 extra days off so soon. Since we couldn’t find anything better so we decided to stick to it. With the flight booked, Shashi was looking for vacation rentals. He found a perfect 3 bedroom house and booked it quickly. The landlady canceled the deal as she didn’t have a license to rent properties which had become a new requirement in Hawaii for vacation rentals. Shashi found a beautiful 4 bedroom house for a little more price and reserved it.

With house and flight booked it was time to relax as we had plenty of time to plan ahead. Sneha however was very excited and overly enthusiastic. She wanted to plan the rest of our itinerary right away. We were all a little laid back and decided to take it easy. Sneha tried doing research and kept pushing her agendas. I succumbed under little pressure and researched and forwarded some weblinks to her. Later she did her browsing and reading. As we were all less enthused, she decided to go ahead and book activities at least for themselves (herself, Sunil and Esha), like Luau and trip to Oahu which we had covered in our last trip.

Time flew by swiftly and the trip was approaching. I had landed a new job. Luckily for me my manager is an amazing lady. She sanctioned three days of leave on loss of pay.

As if asking for the worst to happen Sneha, Sunil and Esha had fingerprinting appointment for green card process that clashed with the journey date. Luckily seats on flight for the next day were available, but turned out pricey.

A week before the journey date we all got together at Sneha Sunil’s for lunch and to come up with the itinerary. Sneha took charge to look up some deals on the website and delegated the calling & booking half to me. I booked a helicopter ride over Hana Haleakala and later that day booked the snorkeling trip. This was all after Sneha’s list of questions and doubts clarified before booking a trip. Chandan and Payal pulled out of snorkeling as Payal was petrified of getting into deep water. We however decided to go for it as the cruise boat had a glass bottom viewing for non-swimmers.

Preface

My devoted appreciation to my dear beloved husband Shashi, with whom this trip seemed, fulfilled and without whom this trip would have been impossible. My sincere and special thanks to Chandan, Payal, Sneha, Sunil and Esha - for making this trip an enormous success, very memorable, and overall, plenty of fun.

My many thanks to Charan and Mindy for being such good friends taking time to chauffer (drop-off and pickup to and from the airport/railway station) and for the delicious return dinner.

Best, A.S.K.