Tuesday June 26, 2018 - snorkeling and park photography time

 On Tuesday we woke early and walked into the mall next door for a lovely breakfast at Island Vintage Coffee.

We arrived just before opening, and were among the first people inside.

The coffee was lovely, and the acai bowls delicious.  I had the "Moana Acai Bowl", with granola, banana, mango, and lilikoi sauce.

Comfortable and casual seating in the courtyard of the mall.

I had read that Black Rock - located just a bit north up the beach from our resort - was a great location for snorkeling, so after breakfast we gathered our snorkel gear and walked up the beach.

Along the way we stopped to admire a lovely full rainbow.

Black Rock juts out into the ocean from the beach, creating a bit of a protected coral area at the base of the cliff just off the beach.  It didn't take much swimming to find a multitude of larger fish.

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a

Humu and a Parrot Fish from above

Trumpet Fish - perhaps one of the oddest looking fish we encountered this morning.

I followed this school of Yellow Goatfish for a bit

G snorkeling with her underwater film camera.

There are five fish in this shot, going counterclockwise from the upper left corner:

Humu

Yellow Tang

Convict Tang

Brassy Chub

Butterfly Fish of some kind (difficult to tell as it is facing the camera, so the side marks are hard to match to my guides.)

A school of convict tangs 

The fish were easy to find in relatively shallow water.

I had read that sometimes snorkelers hear a "sizzle" sound in the water, which is attributed to the shrimp which live in the rocks, or fish grazing on the coral surfaces.  Throughout my snorkeling I could hear several layers of "sizzle", from the fish to fellow snorkelers, to the sound of people plummeting from Black Rock down to the ocean near by.  After a short while I noticed my snorkel vest seems to be low on air, so I sat up to add some air through the tube, and continued on my way.  The second time I stopped to add air, I realized that the most prominent "sizzle" sound I was hearing was the air escaping from my vest from a tiny hole.  It was not a bad enough leak to put me in any danger, however it did concern me enough to decide I should replace the vest with something else after this outing. 

After about an hour of swimming about, we decided to swim back to shore and take a leisurely stroll back down the beach to the condo.  Once we were all free of the salt-water coating, I gathered my camera gear and we headed south to Lahania to find lunch.

The town of Lahaina was extremely warm this day (it was later that we discovered "Lahaina" means "Cruel Sun")  One of the restaurants we were interested in was not open for lunch, so we meandered to a lower level of an outdoor mall and decided to give a walk-up called "Down the Hatch Tacos" a try.

I found a table in a shady spot, where a lizard observed us from a nearby plant.

The tacos were rather bland, and though it wasn't necessarily a bad lunch, we all decided it was not worthy of returning to.

While waiting for our lunch, I set to work to research places that might carry a replacement snorkel vest.  It turned out that inflatable vests, while handy for packing, were not particularly popular for area stores, and nobody in the vicinity carried them.  One snorkel store offered a one week rental of a snorkel belt for $20.00, the shop was located within a mile of the condo, so that seemed like a good solution, though I was skeptical having never used a belt.

Our appetites satiated for the time being, I loaded up my gear and we walked a few blocks down the street to Banyan Tree Park.

Planted in April of 1873 when it was just 8 feet tall, the Banyan Tree in Lahaina now measures 60 feet high and has stretched outwards, producing a dozen major trunks in addition to its core, and shades over 2/3rds of an acre of land.  Throughout the day the park's benches are filled with people taking refuge from the baking sun.  In the evening the branches are teeming with flocks of Common Mynas, a local bird, making a racket worth of a Hitchcock movie.

While G sought out an interesting subject to sketch in her book, I set up my tripod and began loading film into my two film cameras for the trip.

I began with my vintage Kodak Six-20 balanced precariously atop my tripod.  Although it does have a tripod mount built into it, the tripod mount is not flush with the camera body, so extra care needs to be taken to get a flat horizon line.  I am not always successful with this.

The primary center of the Banyan Tree

A section of particularly interesting expansion trunks.

This section of trunk looked like a giant squid to me.

I was having some difficulty getting the Six-20 to shoot properly, specifically the shutter release kept sticking.  I suspected the humidity was affecting the mechanism (it is, after all, an 80-or-so year old camera) though the shutter fired just fine if I clicked it manually rather than using my cable release.  I had intended to exclusively use the cable release to ensure camera stability, but after a few frustrated attempts, I gave it up and stuck to the "hold your breath while you trip the shutter" method of shooting.  This, combined with the 95 degree heat and repeated swapping of cameras on the tripod, became very tedious very quickly.  

My other film camera for the trip is my P.120 panoramic pinhole camera.  This camera worked like a dream, humidity be damned! The massive tree structure was the perfect subject for my 120 degree camera view, giving me endless options of images to frame.

This extensive trunk is supported by posts along with its own root extensions.

Looking up into the green canopy and the blue sky above.

From the center trunk looking out and up, the tree stretches ever-onward with lazy vines hanging in the breeze.

On our drive back to the condo, I sketched this impression of the center of the Banyan Tree.

We stopped at the nearby snorkel store on our way back to the condo to pick up my snorkel belt rental.  The belt was essentially a large piece of black foam, round in the middle with narrow sides to wrap around the waist, and an adjustable nylon belt and plastic buckle for attaching.  It is not for keeping your head out of the water, like a life vest, but rather it keeps your mid-section floating so that you can put your face in the water without worrying about sinking.  Being overheated from the Lahaina outing, and excited to give the belt a try, we hopped down to the beach in front of the condo to go for a swim.

The belt was exceptionally more comfortable to wear than any snorkel vest.  Floating face down was a fearless breeze, and if I tried to sit upright the belt kept my head and shoulders just above the waterline like a buoy.  I wondered where has this been all my life? 

G and I took turns trading the belt for her snorkel vest and both agreed that the belt was far superior in comfort.  Having achieved a state of refreshingly water-logged, we all cleaned up and began to discuss dinner.  None of us had a desire to get in the car again, so we put our names down for another restaurant in the mall, Monkeypod.

(the exterior of Monkeypod, photo is from their website)

The menu at Monkeypod ended up being rather limited for me, and I discovered I could not drink the mai tais due to their special "lilikoi foam" which contained egg.  I'm thankful they listed that right on the menu, but a bar handling egg foam is a bar I don't want to order a drink from.  Most of the preparations of fish included sauces or breading I am allergic to, so to be safe I opted for the simple Margarita Pizza.

While waiting for dinner, I sketched my impression of a Humu.  Thus far I had seen one every time I hit the water.

It was a decent pizza, but not one of my favorites.

Dinner eaten, and still on mainland time, we headed back to the condo and I turned in for the night.

June 25 first full day

Monday June 25, 2018

After all the disruption of the previous night and early morning, I was able to manage a couple more hours of sleep.  As dawn began to break right around 5:24 a.m., the sound of birds wafted through the screen door and I determined this would be a decent enough time to finally get up.  I made a pot of coffee, roused G out of sleep, and enjoyed the view from the balcony while she and D got themselves ready for the morning.

The view from our balcony, slightly warped by the cell phone camera

We decided to start our day with an early dip in the ocean.  The sun was not even on the water as of yet, but the temperature was already warm and the water mild, so we strolled north along the beach seeking out an ideal place to swim.  There were several people jogging or speed-walking along the beach path and only one other person in the water, swimming laps up and down the length of the beach.

At 6:00 A.M. the water seems a bit chilly.

I had hoped to see at least one sea turtle during our trip, I had no idea my goal would be reached so quickly on the very first morning!  We were only about ten feet out from the shore when I looked up the beach and saw a shadow swimming towards us.  I assumed it was a stingray, and as I turned on the camera I put my face in the water I saw that it was, in fact, a sea turtle!  I caught a quick couple of photos of the turtle as it swam between us.

Our first sea turtle!

Later in the morning, I sketched the turtle while we waited for breakfast.

After our morning dip, we headed back to the condo to freshen up before making our way out to breakfast.  D texted his brother to give him the details on the location of our condo keys, and the address of where to mail them.  He agreed to pick the keys up and send them out to us as soon as he could.

We had decided to drive north along Highway 30 to take in the coast in that direction and have breakfast at The Gazebo on Napili Bay.  Parking was very difficult to find, and after circling the small parking lot a few times, D let me out to go put our names on the list for a table.  The restaurant was located within a resort, and as I approached I saw, with the long line ahead of me, that the likelihood of getting a table prior to lunch time was rather slim.  I messaged D with the news (1.5 hour wait for a table) and he set to work searching out an alternative while I made my way back to the car.  The temperature was already climbing, and it was a relief to get back into the air conditioned Jeep.

D found a place on the other side of Napili Bay called the Seahouse Restaurant, which was also located within a resort.  They were able to seat us with just a short wait, and we were soon happily sipping coffee and taking in the view of the beach and bay through the open wall.   

G ordered some kind of custard filled pancake

The breakfast menu was limited for me, I had papaya and yogurt.  Though I would have preferred something more substantial, this is the moment I discovered that Hawaiian papaya is so much better than the South American kind we get on the mainland.

I sketched while awaiting the arrival of our breakfast.

Due to the distance from the condo and driving around, our breakfast was a little later than we'd anticipated.  Upon arriving back at the condo, we re-lathered up with sunblock, gathered our snorkel gear, and by 11:30 we were back on the beach for some more time in the water.  For this outing, we decided to explore the coral areas directly in front of our resort.  The coral was a good distance from the shoreline, so I brought my inflatable snorkel vest to stay safe and secure.  

I followed this humuhumunukunukuapua'a (state fish of Hawaii) for a while, attempting to capture a better photo

D striking a pose... the water was a beautiful shade of blue

I found some other fish near a shallower island of coral down the beach

We enjoyed the water and beach scene for a couple of hours, then my stomach began to grumble for lunch.  It was still on mainland time and felt that dinner should be upon us at any minute.  We determined that given the time, and the desire to get ourselves onto Island Time, we opted for a light lunch in the mall next to the resort, saving our appetites for a proper dinner time later.

I found a placed called "Choice Health Bar", where they served a selection of pre-made salads and freshly pressed juice.  My soba noodle salad was amazingly refreshing.

G opted for an acai bowl from the coffee shop near by.  The fresh fruit, granola, and acai blend was just what she needed to cool down after being under the hot mid-day sun.

  

Our late lunch consumed, we went back to the condo for showering and a little down time.

Lahaina is a very popular town on the west coast of Maui, filled with shopping and art galleries,  and was just a short 10 minute drive south from our resort.  With so many restaurants within close proximity to each other, we decided to take the drive down, park, and see what might be available.  After reading through a few menus and checking wait times, we chose Lahaina Fish Company.

The restaurant had both indoor and covered deck seating.  The deck extended out over the water, giving us a lovely view of the ocean.

G and I waiting for dinner

The Mai Tai at Lahaina 

The restaurant is next door to a house which also extends over the water.  I sketched the house while waiting for our food.

G began her meal with a refreshing salad

D and I both had chowder

My dinner: grilled opah in a red sauce with Maui onion mashed potatoes.  Opah is one of my favorite fish to eat on the islands, the texture and density is similar to halibut, but with a brighter flavor.

With dinner done, and still feeling the mainland drag of time on our brains, we drove back to the resort and settled in for the night.

June 24, 2018 - arrival on Maui

Intro:
With my past vacations my travel journal has been published in real-time - or at least, as close to next-day-real-time as internet connections would allow.  For my 2018 trip, however, I felt less inclined to spend time in front of screens.  It was my first trip to Maui, so the combination of soaking in the new adventures all day plus the tiring effects of the heat and humidity left my brain too mushy to write coherently by the evening time.  I was also experimenting with a new creative outlet (to pull myself out of phone/camera screens) and sketching impressions of my surroundings daily, which I hoped to include in my travel journal in a higher quality manner than just cell phone snapshots of the pages.  This was also my first trip with an increased emphasis on film photography, which (for obvious logistical reasons) cannot be included in the blog real-time.
Of course, I've shot film on past adventures and always *meant* to come back to the blog to update the pages with film images, however I have yet to achieve that particular goal.
But I digress...
Having not managed to cobble together a full post by day 3 of my trip, I made the determination that I would take notes during the trip, then fill in the details - complete with film photos! - upon arriving home.
It was a grand ambition which I *meant* to do last summer, and then other projects beat their way to the front of the line, and here I am... gearing up for another trip while realizing that my last trip has yet to be properly chronicled.
To that end,  I've made this blog a priority to complete.  Our 2018 trip was our first time island hopping - we began our trip on the island of Maui, which was new to us so we spent a majority of the trip there, then took a short flight to Kauai to spend a few days at our condo in Kapa'a.  Packing for this trip turned out to be a bit confounding, as we have storage cupboards in our condo on Kauai but we were traveling to Maui first, and so would not have access to our beach supplies for the first (and longer) leg of the trip.  In the end, we decided to concentrate on what we would need for Maui and let the Kauai stuff just be ready and waiting for us.  This approach mostly worked out, except that D and I both forgot one crucial element.



Sunday June 24th, 2018

My bookshelf near my bed, finally done packing on June 23rd.

Our jet lag on this trip has been comical.  This is the first time we've flown to the islands in the daylight, and I believe that has a lot to do with our internal clocks being rigidly set to mainland time.  After waking at home at 5:45 a.m., we showered, locked up, caught our shuttle to the airport, checked our bags, and made our way through airport security with an hour and a half to spare.  (I was surprised that my unusual camera gear did not raise any questions through TSA... I suspect it would have been a different story if I used my lead-lined film bag)

Breakfast in the airport was... bad.  Coffee was... warm.

As passengers boarded, our luggage rode conveyor belts into the belly of the airplane.

We passed the time on the 6 hour flight alternating between eating snacks and watching movies, landing at roughly 1:50 p.m. Island Time.

I was very happy to see land after such a long flight over the ocean.

My stomach felt it was 4:50 p.m., and we should have been preparing for dinner.

We gathered our checked bags and searched for the rental car location.  Being in an unfamiliar airport, we were disoriented at first, but eventually discovered the kiosk where we waited for a shuttle to take us to the rental car lot.  G and I stayed with the luggage while D signed us in, and after a short 5 minute wait we were introduced to our Jeep for the week.

Our route to the condo took us south through the valley of Maui and then north along the west coast.

The island is made of two mountains connected by a low valley

We spotted a fruit stand on the side of the highway and quickly pulled over to investigate.

Mangoes and papayas in season - had I realized Hawaiian papayas are better than what we have on the mainland, I would have picked some up.  

G and D enjoying snack time

After sampling a few items, we picked up some fruit and coconut snacks and continued up the highway to The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach.

The Whaler resort is a two tower collection of studio-two bedroom condos located directly on Kaanapali Beach.  The grounds between the two towers house a swimming pool, fountains, a large koi pond, and tropical landscaping.  We stayed in unit 751, a one bedroom two bath unit located on the 7th floor at the very end of the tower overlooking the ocean.

Our floorplan was "D", the staircase was at the end of the building facing the ocean, so the kitchen window and large sliding glass door of the living room faced directly towards the ocean.  The lanai wrapped around the side of the building to the sliding glass door off our bedroom.  The living room had a pull-out couch where Gayle slept.

Our room was in the tower on the right, 7th floor.  The low buildings to the right are the Whaler's Cove shopping center.

We were greeted by exceptionally friendly concierge with shell leis, and led to our ocean front room in tower 2 of the resort.  We spent a little time unpacking and settling in, then - with all of our mainland-stomachs growling intensely, we walked to the restaurant next door - The Hula Grill - for dinner.  We shared an appetizer of kobachu hummus (which I didn't photograph) and I had the two fish dinner special - seared ahi and grilled ono with jasmine rice in a black bean sauce.

The path leading to the Hula Grill from the beach

Mai Tai

Dinner was excellent, and more than made up for the poor breakfast.

The Whaler resort is located directly adjacent to the Whaler's Cove shopping center, which made it very convenient to shop and pick up snacks for the room.  After dinner we stopped through the ABC store for coffee, creamer, and more sunblock.

Upon returning to our room, I unpacked our small bag of groceries and by that time I was ready to drop.  We opened the side door to listen to the live music wafting up from the restaurant next door, which was being slightly drowned out by the sound of the waves washing ashore.  As I began to drift off to sleep, D tapped my shoulder and said... "What time does it feel like?"

"I don't know," I replied, "it's probably 11 by now, right?"

It was 8:00 p.m., and we were all exhausted and ready to sleep.

Later in the night, I heard D laugh... he'd woken up thinking it must be 3 or 4 am.. and it was only 10:30.

Over the last 4 months or so, my body clock became accustom to sleeping from roughly 11:00 p.m. to 5:45 a.m., so when I woke feeling like it might be about time to get up, I checked the clock...

2:22 a.m.

D, who sleeps much less than I do on a regular basis, was by that time done with the night.  I found him out on the balcony propped up on a lounge chair overlooking the ocean.  I stepped out to look at the moonlight's reflection on the water for a few moments and then decided to try to get a little more sleep.  As I had snuggled back under the covers my mind pondered the purchases we'd just made, wondering if we had forgotten anything, then a flash of realization came to me...

I forgot to pack the keys for our storage cupboards on Kauai.

We have two sets of keys, on two key rings - one for each of us just in case one of us loses them in transit.  If I didn't have my keys, chances were extremely high that D also didn't pack his.

How did we forget the only way to get to our own stuff on Kauai?  I remembered the keys six months prior, when we made the reservations for the trip, then concentrated so much on Maui that the concept of needing keys for anything totally slipped my mind.  I bolted out of bed and ran back onto the balcony, breathlessly asking (with very little hope) if D had, by any chance, packed the keys?

"You mean, you didn't pack them?" was his response.

The worst part is that I know I opened the drawer where those keys are kept about 4 times on our last day in the house, my eyes must have passed over them each time, and it just never dawned on me to grab the keys.

The sense of doom settled in, then quickly shifted to calculating how to deal with this hurdle.  We'd had to have the locks drilled and replaced by a locksmith when we first took possession of the condo, I supposed we'd just have to incur that expense (in both money and time) again.

It was now around 3 a.m., so I crawled back into bed, and as I laid down I joked, "we should just have your brother fed-ex the keys to us."

Then I sat up in bed.

"WE SHOULD HAVE YOUR BROTHER FED-EX THEM TO US!  We just got here!  Do they overnight to Hawaii...."... I grabbed my phone and did a quick query...   "THEY DO!  WE'RE SAVED!"

There would be a fee involved, but far less than that of a locksmith, and only a few minutes of time to retrieve the package from the front desk.  Thus ended our arrival day on the island.