Thanksgiving, Maui style
So I was laying on the beach last weeking thinking to myself "Self, what does one do in Maui for Thanksgiving?" And the answer was, do something fun, that you've never done before.
So, having kept an eye out for deals since I got here, I had a fairly good idea where to get value for money. I decided finally on a couple of things. First and foremost, I decided to go wake-boarding on my favourite beach here, in Kapalua Bay. There is a place across the street that rents them for the day, so I picked one up, and headed for the waves. For those who have never done it, wakeboarding is basically surfing, except you don't stand up. So it's much easier. All you have to worry about is swimming upstream into 8ft swells.
The day had one particularly interesting moment, as i was swimming out to catch a wave. As the the wave was coming towards me and I was just starting to ride up the front of it, a rather large sea turtle burst out of the wave not 10 feet from me. Up to that point in life, I did not know that sea turtles were surfers. But this guy sure was. I bailed off the board, and hoped i missed him, because a high speed collision with a 300lbs turtle would have been a bad end to the day.
When I returned the board to the rental shop, I booked two more events, a morning snorkel at Molokini and a luau for the night. The luau was a total scoop, because it's usually a 7-10 day waiting list, even now during the slow season, but I got in on 24 notice. Molokini was everything I had heard and more. It's a volcano that didn't quite break the surface, stopping short by about 30 ft. about half of the rim is collapsed, and the remaining half is just barely above the surface, creating a small crescent of an island. Because of the direction the ocean currents flow, the bowl of the volcano is sheltered, and this translates to incredibly clear water and a very active reef. The morning I went there was no wind, and thus no swells in the water. Visibility was almost 200ft, and the fish were amazing. I spent two hours in the water, trying to see everything, and failing. but it was really worth it.
The luau was a complete surprise. It was a 5 course meal, with entertainment for each of the courses. It was more or less a taste of polynesia, with each course themed for a different culture. There was a Hawaiian course, a Aotearoan (the ancestors of the Maori) course, a Tahitian course and a Samoan course, each with appropriate dances performed by the hula girls and boys. The last course was dessert, accompanied by fire juggling. All in all, it was amazing food, and an incredible show. I'm firmly convinced that hula girls have an extra joint in their hips somewhere.
Last but not least, I decided to spoil myself a bit today, with a 1hr massage at the Westin Maui Spa. The hotel is beautiful, with a huge koi pond in the centre of it, stocked with a wide assortment of koi bigger than my thigh, pink flamingos, black swans, and parrots. A truly beautiful place. By purchasing the massage, I had access to the spa for the whole day, so first spent an hour in the sauna, steam room, and hot tub, then had a good long shower and a shave. The massage was in an outdoor cabana on the edge of the koi pond, in a secluded little nook. It was my first time in a spa, and I will definitely be heading back some time.
So, now, after a long weekend of new experiences, i'm ready to kick back on the beach tomorrow, and chill out some more.
So, having kept an eye out for deals since I got here, I had a fairly good idea where to get value for money. I decided finally on a couple of things. First and foremost, I decided to go wake-boarding on my favourite beach here, in Kapalua Bay. There is a place across the street that rents them for the day, so I picked one up, and headed for the waves. For those who have never done it, wakeboarding is basically surfing, except you don't stand up. So it's much easier. All you have to worry about is swimming upstream into 8ft swells.
The day had one particularly interesting moment, as i was swimming out to catch a wave. As the the wave was coming towards me and I was just starting to ride up the front of it, a rather large sea turtle burst out of the wave not 10 feet from me. Up to that point in life, I did not know that sea turtles were surfers. But this guy sure was. I bailed off the board, and hoped i missed him, because a high speed collision with a 300lbs turtle would have been a bad end to the day.
When I returned the board to the rental shop, I booked two more events, a morning snorkel at Molokini and a luau for the night. The luau was a total scoop, because it's usually a 7-10 day waiting list, even now during the slow season, but I got in on 24 notice. Molokini was everything I had heard and more. It's a volcano that didn't quite break the surface, stopping short by about 30 ft. about half of the rim is collapsed, and the remaining half is just barely above the surface, creating a small crescent of an island. Because of the direction the ocean currents flow, the bowl of the volcano is sheltered, and this translates to incredibly clear water and a very active reef. The morning I went there was no wind, and thus no swells in the water. Visibility was almost 200ft, and the fish were amazing. I spent two hours in the water, trying to see everything, and failing. but it was really worth it.
The luau was a complete surprise. It was a 5 course meal, with entertainment for each of the courses. It was more or less a taste of polynesia, with each course themed for a different culture. There was a Hawaiian course, a Aotearoan (the ancestors of the Maori) course, a Tahitian course and a Samoan course, each with appropriate dances performed by the hula girls and boys. The last course was dessert, accompanied by fire juggling. All in all, it was amazing food, and an incredible show. I'm firmly convinced that hula girls have an extra joint in their hips somewhere.
Last but not least, I decided to spoil myself a bit today, with a 1hr massage at the Westin Maui Spa. The hotel is beautiful, with a huge koi pond in the centre of it, stocked with a wide assortment of koi bigger than my thigh, pink flamingos, black swans, and parrots. A truly beautiful place. By purchasing the massage, I had access to the spa for the whole day, so first spent an hour in the sauna, steam room, and hot tub, then had a good long shower and a shave. The massage was in an outdoor cabana on the edge of the koi pond, in a secluded little nook. It was my first time in a spa, and I will definitely be heading back some time.
So, now, after a long weekend of new experiences, i'm ready to kick back on the beach tomorrow, and chill out some more.
posted by BigPete at 10:21 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home