Hello the backside of Maui

As Scott is zooming around each and every curve; loving every minute of it, I am slowly getting sicker and sicker. I hate that about me. After Wesie, I can't take anything like that without being woosie. And so and the next pull out with a view, I acted like I really wanted to get out and see the cloudy, misty sights. Really, I was just trying not to throw up two pieces of candy and a bottle of water. It was a pretty view of the back side of Maui, the side I bet most tourists don't bother with. It was wild and a little like Arkansas and Oak Creek canyon combined. After stalling as long as I could, we got into the car to zoom, zoom, zoom. The car was fun. Really, I love speed and driving with Scott.

We saw hunting grounds as we turned another corner. What in the world would they hunt here?  Goats. Wild, feral goats. I imagined them standing on two feet and kicking at you. 

Zoom on.

 The road was getting more and more narrow and the sea was more turbulent. Finally we hit the back side of Maui and dipped into a little village. It was literally 10 houses set in the side of the cliff side. It was about 9 in the morning. Road side stands offering banana bread and "shave" ice were not open yet, but little boys were up and playing in the road. If you could call what we were driving on a real road.

 Later I would find out that we were not to drive on the "dotted lined" roads as they were not deemed safe for tourists and rental cars. They have not met my hubs. The amazing driver.

 We passed one or two more island villages and I was amazed at the ingenuity of building in such a confined space. They lived so much more simply that any of us do with such little space. I think most of the village homes didn't have electricity or running water. 

After the villages, we started passing larger homes with horse farms, cows, and pigs. And then at one corner, I MADE Scott stop for a Happy Birthday... Throw-upping. Yep, TMI. good thing it  was just water.

He laughed, I laughed and we sped on. Man, the sickness I fought around every corner was finally gone. And I was now hungry. We passed a few homes for sale. Horses, or writers lived at those places. Fun, and so not tropical. Very grasslands. 

The road gradually got wider and we were going into to a town. For Breakfast-- at the golden Arches. So stupid. I hate McD's and we ate there when inHawaii. Ha. Funny.

Hana Birthday early a.m.

As we drove left we didn't really see any stores or shops. It kept getting more dense and tropical. The road was thin at best, but the road was still paved. Around two corners we saw for sale signs. They said by appointment only and serious buyers. I couldn't see the house or the property from the road. And off we went around each corner and seeing more of the white capped ocean. It was about 8 and the weather off the mountains looked cloudy. We got to the tip of the island and looked back. A monstrous house peached an out cropped part of the island. It was ridiculously big.
That was what was for sale. I wondered if it was Clint Eastwood's house or someone like that. And off we spun in the little red challanger around the corners of the ever thinning road.
We came to a lee in the island where the road dipped down and it seamed like the ocean could spray across the road. There were a few homes on each side. One set were set back into the encroaching jungle. They were small by even mainland small standards. But these houses looked like they belonged to Hawaii. Unlike the ginormous houses that we had passed just out of the shops area. The other little houses along the shore were similar to its mates. Simple, open, tropical. I wondered how they kept wild life out. These little house didn't have a beach to speak of, but their cove was pleasant if they wished to boat. The shore was black pebbled rocky and narrow.
As we eekked around their hair pin corner, I saw a road side stand with hand printed lettering offering tropical fruits and such. Chickens slowly strutted across the street and we sped on.

OH, so this is Jet lag.

4 am. I  was awake. We had stayed up til midnight AZ time. But here i was 4 am Hawaii time- awake. I listened to Scott lightly snore for a while and scrunched my eyes up to try to sleep more. Nope, not much. by 5 I was watching it get light and the wind blow. It looked cloudy but I hoped it would clear up. I stood on the lanai watching surfers and boat from the privately owned beach. It was my 37th birthday. Remember, 37 is the new 27.  I was up at the butt crack of dawn
 in paradise.
I am truly a morning person.
I got dressed, took pictures from our lanai, and eventually woke up Scott. I was bored. After much deliberation and a few phone calls we decided to drive to Hana that day and go on a day trip on Sunday.
We got dressed in suites and stuff. We got down to the car, turned left at the light and drove. We were in search of a few stores and breakfast. On an adventure. On my birthday.

A luau for two

We drove and drove through drying sugarcane and realized on our way to our first night in Maui that people there were slow as dirt. Kinda like the res only prettier. We saw miles of ocean and small beach pull outs. The beaches on our drive were thin and rocky. They were public parks. Odd.

We pull into the Sheridan and found parking. I was rushed out of the car and I was frantically thinking what I could dig out of my bag to change into. I was in plane clothes. Helllo..... Scott looked so much better than I did. Uggh. Annoyed and tried to forget it as we stood in line to get into the luau with women who had spent hours primping for dinner. Either Scott doesn't notice when I am ugly or he doesn't care. Probably on the doesn't care end. We were served free drinks as we stood in line and then I saw the Picture takers. I told Scott we were not getting our pictures. Hello Plane clothes?? I couldn't get out of it and you can tell in my picture that I am not totally pleased. That would be a do over for photo shop.

BTW what is up with the hang ten sign? All tourists are not interested in faking that they fit in.

Dinner was wonderful. Entertainment was wonderful the dancers were fabulous and exciting. We had seats in the very front row center. I didn't have to look over or around anyone. I had to stand up for my birthday, they were calling out newlyweds and anniversaries and birthdays. Luckily, I was overshadowed by an old woman who then became assistant to the MC.  Maybe it was good that I didn't get to change, because the couple in cute matching outfits were called up to start the dance.

 It was starting to rain but it paled in comparison to the food. Salads, drinks, the pig and the steaks were heavenly. I wish I could get a recipe. Not that I cook, but to say that I might cook it one day. The meat was salty and sweet. It fell apart in your mouth. Ohh, Poi on the other hand disgusting. It was purple grey and tasted blander than unseasoned cold pinto bean juice. It was watery and one lick was enough.

After dinner we checked into our hotel. By now it was about 11 our time and we were beat. What a wonderful way to start out vaca. The big king sized bed that was as soft as butter was a great way to end the day.

The only thing that could top it off was that Scott found a Hawaiian rodeo on tv to fall asleep to.

Are you sure This is Maui?

After 5 hours of having Scott's shoulder on my shoulder (I had decided not to move; couldn't be away from him even one seat)
I had a crick in my back from sitting sideways, had to pee from the endless virgin whatever concoctions that I had drunk (I will not go in an airplane or a train or a bus bathroom; heck the teacher's bathroom is really to public for me.You see who pees, and to take a total tangent, I know from working a large construction office who washes hands and who doesn't, thereby making the door handle and pot lucks unappetizing, so no thanks airplane bathroom) The family , yes young family with a baby, uggh, what were they thinking, had a little one who cried and whined most of the time, thank you on board movie and head phones. Glad the kids were back on the mainland. Poor Kelsey would have been miserable.

Anywhoo..... I looked out the window and didn't see blue on blue anymore. We were descending and there it was! I saw island and green and blue greens, housing tracks and farmland grids, and then when we hit the run way, ugly brown.

Brown? The grass was yellow brown, there was patches of dirt, it looked like Arizona. What? Where were the, I don't know, grass blades as high as your head? Where were all the palm trees? Monkeys? Toucans? and tropical sands everywhere? ....   What was this? Brown, tall, weed things. (Drying sugar cane I found out later. It was farmland, sugar farming.)

We landed and I decided not to heard through the passageway as fast as I could. I didn't want to be crowded. I am a touch claustrophobic; it kicks in when people are touching me too much ( ohh, group hugs) or in my personal space so that it feels like I am breathing their warm, reused air.

Plus, I wanted to savor the experience. We had now been traveling since 7:30 and it was about 2 their time. I think it was close to 5 our time. We got our bags, and by now Scott felt sorry for my heavy bag or he was tired of being slowed down by me carrying a heavy bag and switched me. I walked down the gang plank and into the tropical smelling building and no not like coconuts, more monkey house-ish. You got use to it quickly, but initially, it was zoo-like. Huh, didn't expect that.

After that, it was a lot of huhs.
Huh, no girl with lei's handing them out saying, "welcome to Hawaii" in an exotic island purr. Huh. One Asian business lady was holding a sign that said a name like Thompson. Very movie-like not exotic though. No man with a little person  in white suits saying "Welcome to Fantasy Island." huh.
 No hula girls. Huh.
No grass huts or natives working. Heck I didn't know what to expect. Don't laugh.
As we exited the ordinary un-tropical hut airport, I looked out on the horizon. Beautiful, but I could have been in Mesa on a windy October day. A storm was brewing. Man... it was humid but wonderful 80'ish. Huh. Mesa has a lot of palm trees. So does Hawaii, imagine that. :)

We walked around to the rent a car place. We were renting a car? Cool. I thought it would be nice to get a new-ish little car. But after talking and inspecting prices we got a red new two door Dodge Challenger. It was so fun. It was exactly for Scott. He loved every gas gallon wasting minute of driving it.
With bags in the trunk and maps of the island tourist traps, we were off.

Did we get on the wrong plane?

For the seats were not made for a man-sized man. We walked to the back and kept going and going to sit in the last row on the left. I was watching the other passengers get on and praying that there was not a 3rd person for our row. It was like that frog game on tv years ago when the contestants would yell "Big Money" as the blinking sign would spiral around the frogs. " No third, no third, no third!"

  The young girls from our connector flight were across from us. Again, how did they get the money to go? So so young. As we settled, I thanked my stars that there was no third. Not many people go to Hawaii alone.

I took a few pictures from my phone the bay was gorgeous. And we were off. The thrust of the plane was intense as we were in the back of the plane. Rising in the air we had lift off and I had a should over my should. I considered moving into the third seat to get some room. But I also wanted Scott to know that I was very grateful for this present and stuff so I didn't want him to get impression that I wanted away from him.

We played a game on the plane of guessing when we would be 1/2 way to Hawaii. The total trip time would be 5 hours. You had to calculate with guessing.

There was so much blue out our window. I couldn't tell where the sky stopped and the ocean started.  It was crystal with a few clouds. We were above them for our 5 hour flight. The music and movie were pleasant- I don't remember much because of course why would the movie or the free drinks when you are flying to Maui be anything but a fleeting memory.

What was in San Fran?

When we got off the plane in SF, I was a little dazed, things that come at me fast tend to over whelm me. So, it was easy for Scott to heard me to another gate without arousing suspicion. As hard as it was to believe, I really didn't know we were doing anything different than leaving the airport. I was trying to take all the sights and sounds in to make sense of it all. As we were standing in line he haded me another ticket. I blinked twice and squealed a little. No way, No way! The little ride over to San Fran was just the beginning.

We had tickets to Maui! I was shocked, incredulous. How did he pull it off? Did I have the right stuff in my bag? I told the ticket taker, and the flight attendant and they both beamed at Scott like he was the best thing in the world. Cause he was.

We got out bags stowed and were on our way to Maui. I started texting people I knew.