From Here You Can See The Ocean: swim

Showing posts with label swim. Show all posts

Monday, April 30, 2012

maui day 6: revisited

So sad to see the end of this trip in sight. I was hoping we would both magically get jobs here, and Emma (our little wiener doggy) could be flown over to be the island mascot and bask in the sun she loves so much. But alas, we head home tomorrow (although I feel at home here too). Our last day was filled with A LOT of water and sun.

We headed south again, past Lahaina, to mile marker 14 (Olowalu) along the highway. It was extremely windy and rained on and off (I was not so happy about getting in the water), but we were told it was an amazing spot to snorkel.

olowalu

At first it was intimidating because it was so shallow and the reef came up so high. After zig zagging our way through the maze of coral in the shallow water, we found some open areas of beautiful and incredible underwater gardens. I've never seen anything like it. The fish were so colorful, and the coral so intricate and delicate looking ("looking" being the key word as I have a nicely scraped arm from one attacking me).

Because I'm a baby and hate anything resembling "cold" while I'm at the beach, we headed back up north to Ka'anapali to get some sun and swimming in. The water was so clear and refreshing. There was a nice cove at the end of the beach by Black Rock where we did some more snorkeling--not as jaw dropping, but still pretty and lots of fish to enjoy. Drew stayed out longer than me and managed to hang out with a couple of honu (sea turtles).

Taking a break from the sun, we enjoyed a farewell mai tai at the tiki bar--then headed back to the beach for a final swim.

the clear water in ka'anapali

I didn't think the clouds across the way covering the island of Molokai would break in time for the sunset, but they did and it was a beautiful one at that. The perfect end to a fun day and final night in Maui!

journal entry, day 6

Kaanapali on Dwellable

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

maui day 2: revisited

view from my run

This morning I went for a run through the neighborhood and town of Kahana where we are staying. It was so refreshing, and even sprinkled a little on my way back. The air is balmy, warm, and calming--the sound of the waves, relaxing. The trade winds blow through on and off--sometimes cool and sometimes warm.

There is a little farmers' market in town (Mon, Wed, Fri), so we picked up our Bad Ass Hawaiian coffee and walked over to get our fruits and veggies for the week:

mangos
tomatoes
pineapple
sweet maui onions
broccoli
sprouts
bananas
pineapple salsa
guacamole
macadamia nut pesto
pineapple bread

After making breakfast, we headed south and stopped in Lahaina. What a gorgeous little town. All the shops and restaurants along the harbor are so quaint, and the bungalows with their colorful gardens look like something out of a magazine (which I'm sure many have been in). We wandered by all the little shops, and peeked in a few here and there, then headed over to watch the surfers in the harbor. I've been scoping out where I want to surf this weekend since it's been so flat. It was crowded with beginners, but the waves looked fun and chill coming off the point. I'll be back!

We then headed 45 minutes south to Wailea, then Makena, and parked at Makena State Beach--also known as "Big Beach." The sand was white and red, and the water was clear bright blue (pic above). It was cooler than I expected, but 100% warmer than SoCal. My inner mermaid was happy!

We took the long way home and decided to take the northeast side of the island. It was much cooler, very windy, overcast, and lush compared to the west side we were staying on. The houses and ranches that scattered the single lane road reminded me of the tree house from Swiss Family Robinson, protected from the road by layers of trees, plants, flowers, and vines. Roosters, goats, and cows all greeted us as we drove by.

We made it back to the condo just in time to pour a glass of sauvignon blanc and enjoy the sunset from our lanai.