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6 Days in Maui
November 13th, 2008 | Devin Pratt
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Ajla and I recently returned from our first trip to Maui. I'd never been to Hawaii, so prior to the trip, the only thing I really had to go on was old episodes of Magnum P.I.. We spent 6 days on the island, and looking back on the experience it's amazing how much we packed into that amount of time.
Basically, Maui is divided into three regions: The tourist-driven west and south shores and the more rural (yet exotic) north and east shores — that’s where you’ll find the locals (and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world).
Here are my top 8 observations about Hawaii:
Even Hawaiian cabbies fight
On our second day on the island we saw a spectacular blowout between a taxi driver and a local. Coming from New York, this was a great way to slowly acclimate ourselves to our new surroundings. The fight went something like this:
Cabbie: "You pay what you owe!"
Local: "Bullshit! I know what the rate is from the airport. Don't try to screw me over!"
Cabbie: "You WILL pay right now or else …" (gets out of cab, crowd starts to form)
Local: "Look, buddy, I know what the rate is and you're not going to rip me off." (moves in closer)
Cabbie: "Oh, you’re a tough guy. Right here! Right here!" (points to his chin)
Local: "Fuck you! I LIVE HERE! I'm not some tourist that you can just rip off!"
Cabbie: "Fuck you!" (gets in cab and drives away)
Grass skirts and face paint is awkward
While strolling through the old whaling town of Lahaina, we saw a sizeable local guy dressed up in a grass skirt with tribal face-paint spread on his cheeks and forehead. Apparently he was promoting a new condo development on the island. I felt the way I feel when I see the Hispanic guy outside of my office wearing a sombrero and handing out coupons for half-off margaritas at the Mexican place down the street.
Hawaii really is full of rainbows
At any given time, you're likely to see a rainbow somewhere on the island. There's something perfect about driving on one of the coastal highways, windows down, reggae music playing, and a rainbow shooting out over the coast.
Rainbow along the Road to Hana
Hippies are great
One of my favorite towns on the island was Paia, which is home to Maui's hippie population. You can find almost the best restaurants, cafes, and shops in Paia. You can also find people talking to dogs and doing strange dances on the sidewalk. The locals seem to give the hippies a lot of credit for moving in around the '60s and '70s and turning Paia into a cool little town. It's extremely liberal and everyone seems incredibly happy.
Cafe Mambo in Paia, Hawaii
Passion fruit looks gross, tastes amazing
I’ve never tried passion fruit until one morning in Hana. I’ve always heard of Passion fruit and figured I had probably tried it at some point but just didn't remember. Yet when I cut into the fruit and saw a pool of beady mucus-like gel in the middle, I thought, 'Ughh, what the hell is this?' Then I took a bite and was instantly hooked.
Passion Fruit — don't let its looks fool you
Nude beaches are probably only good in theory
Toward the end of our trip, we stopped by Makena Beach (also known as "Big Beach") on Maui's south shore. With pristine waters and golden sand, Makena is the perfect way to spend the day. The beach is nestled in a cove formed by black-lava outcroppings. We soon found out that if you climb up a short path on the north end of the beach you'll find "Little Beach," which is a clothing-optional beach. While this sounds exciting, trust me, it's not. I've never seen so many naked middle-aged men in my life (maybe it was just the day we were there). But I will say that they looked very happy and they were loving life, so more power to them.
You can freeze in Hawaii
When we packed for the trip, it only mad sense to include shorts, T-shirts, and sandals. Why would we need anything else? Little did we know that watching the sunrise atop the dormant Haleakala Volcano (aka House of the Sun) involved freezing your coconuts off. With an elevation of 10,000 feet (you're actually above the clouds!), it was about 40 degrees at sunrise. We wrapped ourselves in bedsheets and towels — and then enjoyed one of the most incredible sunrises we've ever experienced.
Freezing atop the Haleakala Volcano
But the sunrise was worth it
Paradise Does Exist
During the middle of our trip, we ventured down the Road to Hana on the east coast of the island. This was a 52-mile journey full of hairpin turns and one-lane bridges, but it's one of the most beautiful drives in the world. You're basically driving through undeveloped tropical jungles. This is what I always imagined Hawaii to be. We saw waterfalls, amazing coastal views, and felt total disconnect from the rest of the world (we didn't have cell-phone reception, internet connection, or access to a TV for two days).
Hamoa Beach
The best part of the trip, for me, was Hamoa Beach at the end of the Road to Hana. For now on, anytime I hear the word "paradise" I will think of this beach. There really aren't any words to accurately describe it. All I can say is that at one point, while floating in the calm water, I looked around and saw the tops of palm trees, lush green hills off in the distance, unspoiled sand along the shore, and the clearest, most stunning waters I've ever encountered — it was complete perfection.
Related Topics: beach, hamoa, Hawaii, Maui, paradise, sunrise
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Devin Pratt | 2 Comments »
6 Days in Maui
(via Facebook, MySpace, Digg, email and more)
November 13th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I remember my first experience with passion fruit. Great read!
December 14th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I haven't been to Hawaii in over 10 years. This brought back great memories – and made me laugh!