Sleepy

Someone has decided that my new car is a great napping spot:

This black and white cutie is an incredibly skittish stray that I have named "Tux" because of his cute formalwear.

He must have been really conked out because he didn't open a single eye as I crept closer and closer to get my photos.

He has been snoozing under my car for three days in a row now!

Adorable.

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Happy Mother's Day!

A huge shout out to the wild, wicked and windblown woman who has been my biggest cheerleader throughout the years!

I love you, Mom.  And yes, I will be calling you...whenever I get up...which is late...and feels much later for you three hours ahead.

Wink*

Lots of Love,

Paige

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Bamboo Forest Hike

Having a car is so liberating!  I was able to join a caravan of vehicles to Haiku yesterday to join friends on the Bamboo Forest Hike--one that I had heard so much about but hadn't yet done for myself.  Bryan and I woke up early and got ready.

Eight of us met in two cars met at the grocery store to load up on snacks and then we were off.  A third car would meet us at the trailhead with another group of our friends.

We drove up north along the highway through Paia and headed into Haiku.

The trailhead isn't really marked except for a string of cars parked on the side of the road.  I did my first parallel parking job in my new car and unloaded my passengers.

At the trailhead, heading into the bamboo.

Waiting for everyone in the cool shade of the towering bamboo plants.

The hike was a short stroll punctuated with a few adventurous bits: stream crossings, a little bit of rock scrambling aided by knotted ropes put in place by previous hikers and a few mud pits.

The first waterfall.

This was the second large freshwater pool we came across on the trail.  We set up "base camp" here.  After spending most of our time on Maui swimming in the ocean, it was refreshing to charge into fresh water--no matter how cold it was when we first hopped in.

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.  The sun was hot above us all day, warming the pools.

Will serenaded us with his ukulele all afternoon.

Although this was where we set up base camp, the hike did not end here.  The trail continued above the waterfall along the river and ended at another larger waterfall and fresh water pool.

To get to this last pool, you have to swim upriver and climb up a small waterfall, so I left the camera behind where it could stay safe and dry.

A group of us followed the trail from our base camp along the left hand side of the pool.  We climbed over a steeper rock face aided by a rope, then had to climb up a rickety ladder that is attached to the cliffside by ropes.  Once we got to the top, we were above the falls and we began our walk up river, using stepping stones when we could and squelching into mud when we couldn't.

We followed the trail as it sloped upwards while the water beneath us cut through the narrow valley.  Then the trail ended abruptly.  I was told that the river was our trail, and I hopped into the water from about six feet up.

I swam about in the natural pool waiting for Bryan to hop in behind me.  Together we swam towards the back of the pool where a low waterfall waited us.  We swam up to the waterfall, hauled ourselves out of the water and climbed up over the shallow wall.

Once we made it, we were rewarded with the last and largest waterfall of the hike.  The water cascaded down from about thirty feet above us.  The pool that the water fell into was large, cool and welcoming.

A few of the boys that I was with climbed up along the edge of the pool to a landing about fifteen feet up.  I watched them spin flips and land into the water.

Thinking it over, I decided to clim up to them.  With a little encouragement and a few moments looking down at the pool far below me, I jumped off too!  There were no trick dives performed that time.  Just a simple cannonball.

After watching a few of the guys perform a few more tricks, we headed back down to our base camp.

We spent another two hours at our camp, eating snacks, lounging, swimming and soaking up sun before heading back down the trail to our cars.

Bryan leading the way

The canopy of bamboo leaves above of us.

A very dark photo of me making my descent down a steeper part of the trail.

The bamboo was a nature-made wind chime as the stalks knocked against each other in the breeze above us.

Bryan carefully threading his way through the river using stepping stones.

A bowl of freshwater cut into a boulder along the river.

Crossing another stream.

What a beautiful day spent with friends!  This was such an amazing spot, and I can't wait to come back to it!

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Beach Hopping

After a late lunch, Bryan and I hopped into the Maui Cruiser and headed north to the sweet and small beach at Napili Bay.

Having a car has opened so many doors for me!  This was my first visit to Napili Bay, which is such a shame considering that it is close to home and such a great place to hang out!  Even though it wasn't as sunny as I had hoped and it was a little gustier than I had predicted, Napili Bay was a great hangout spot for the afternoon.

After we parked the car across the street from the beach access, we marched across the sand and parked our towels in front of this sign:

Next time I come here I'll have to give people a call and see if I show up on their computer screens!

The water was a little murky and choppy right where we set up, but Bryan and I charged in and enjoyed the water.  After swimming out a few yards we came across a young sea turtle.

After watching him swim past, there wasn't much more to see at our spot.  Bryan and I got out of the water.  Bryan decided to lay out and read, and I decided to walk to the northern side of the bay and get in by the cliff's edge to see if the snorkeling was any better.

The water was far calmer and clearer on the north side of the bay, and I swam with the fish for a little while.  As I swam over the reef along the rock wall, I noticed that there were two local guys sitting up out of the water in a small "bowl" in the lava rock.

It looked like maybe they were fishing.

I swam over to them, popped my head out of the water like an otter and asked them what they were up to.

The two guys, Chris and V, showed me their haul of black sea urchins they had collected from the bay.  Both men wore heavy duty gloves as they handled the urchins.  Chris used a knife to cut the hard bodies in two pieces while V scooped out their vivid orange insides and dumped the gelatinous remains into a tupperware.

As they were working, V offered me a bite after he found out that I had never tried sea urchin before.  "You've lived here for 2 years and you haven't tried all the seafood yet?" he asked me in mock horror.

I was in the middle of politely declining a sample when a woman walking along the condo path above the two fishermen gave a ringing endorsement.  She told me that sea urchin is delicious.  "You're not going to be able to try anything more fresh than what they have right there!"

She was absolutely right.  There was no way that I got pass up the opportunity.  I just hoped that my first sea urchin tasting wouldn't be followed by me tossing my cookies into the water around me.

I swam closer to the where the guys were working, found a good rock to stand on and watched as V scooped out the orange insides of a freshly opened sea urchin with a spoon.  "I'm going to scoop you up a nice big bite," he said.

Once it was ready, he passed me the spoonful of urchin.  The urchin insides were a day-glo orange, and they pooled in the center of the spoon like a melted pudding.

I decided not to think about it any more and just eat the damn thing.

So I put the spoon in my mouth and let the urchin slide over my tongue--I don't remember if I even chewed at all--and down my throat. 

It was slimy.

And tasteless...

...at first.

Then it tasted a little like mild cantaloupe.

I found a video on youtube that shows what Chris and V were doing (note--the sound is awful: don't bother cranking up the volume but you can see how Chris was cutting the urchins apart):

I chatted with Chris and V a little more after thanking them for the urchin sample.  "What do you think?" V asked me.  "You going to try some more?" 

Maybe some other time, I told him.  

I said goodbye and swam back over the reef to the shore and walked back on the beach to Bryan.

I was telling him about my sea urchin adventure when the already gloomy sky darkened above us as a large menacing cloud edged our way.

We decided to pack up our stuff and move on before it rain.  We had just begun walking down the beach towards the parking lot when it began to pour.

Holding our beach towels over our heads, we made it back to the car, hopped in and started heading south towards Lahaina.

And then we decided we weren't quite done beaching it, so we out drove the storm cloud and pulled in at Ka'anapali and laid out at Black Rock before finishing up with a cocktail at the Tiki Bar.

Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

Minus that sea urchin.  I still don't know how I feel about that.

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Buzz.

Watch this super hypnotic slow motion video of writer Neil Gaiman pouring bees into a hive:



Awesome, right?

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My New Ride

And with great fanfare, I release the first exclusive photos of Paige's First Maui Cruiser!!

Isn't she beautiful?

Parking at the house is a little treacherous considering the many telephone wires that crisscross overhead.  This is the favorite haunt of many, many birds.  I am hoping that my car won't be used for (too much) target practice...

The "Practice Aloha" and "Pono" stickers came with the car.  I'm not sure what the Pono one is all about, but the "Practice Aloha" is a popular sticker here in Maui.  It's from Mala Tavern (that's the place where Bryan and I got brunch from about two weeks ago).

As much as I relished living without a car (for almost TWO WHOLE YEARS!), it is so refreshing being behind the wheel again.

Driving is one of my favorite things.  It's so great to get onto the highway and just cruise.  I like the wind whipping through the windows and blowing my hair back, and I like being able to sing all of my favorite tunes at the top of my lungs as if no one else can see me.  It's nice to just drive--even if there is no planned destination.  Of course, it's easier to drive out here with no place in mind when the highway borders the ocean.

Having a car is not just about the freedom or adventures--it's also about the convenience.  I drove Bryan and myself across the highway to Outback Steakhouse for lunch.  Granted, it's not the most exciting of locales, and it's also a bike-able distance, but it was nice not to have to hassle with cruising along the highway on our bikes.  And it was also great to sit down at the restaurant and not be sweaty.  A huge plus!

After lunch, I drove to Wahikuli Beach Park to meet up a friend for a swim.  Granted, I usually bike to this spot, but it was nice to be able to drive the distance and not worry about racing back against the clock to make it to work on time.

Now, I have time to sit, relax and share a few photos and thoughts with all of you.

How has everyone been enjoying their weekend?

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Over the "Weekend"

Over my "weekend" from work (Thursday and Friday off) I finally purchased my first Maui Cruiser!  It's a beat up looking '95 Toyota Corolla with a whole lot of miles on it, but it runs great.  I was so excited about finally getting a car, that I have completely forgotten to take any pictures of it.  Granted, it's not much to look at.  I think it's a dark green, but Bryan thinks it's blue.  It's so hard to tell with the paint chipping off the hood!

Some other highlights from the weekend...

Lunch at Longhi's on Thursday with Bryan:

The Ahi Carpaccio was amazingly fresh and light.  The slices of raw ahi were served on a thick slab of toasted french bread then topped with a tomato bruschetta and capers.  The server brought me a side of their vinaigrette to pour on the bed of greens.

Homemade Tiramisu: Heavenly.

After buying the car from a friend of a friend on Friday, I went immediately to the DMV to transfer the title and get the new registration, then I made a phone call and set up insurance for the car. 

I met up my girlfriend for lunch at Longhi's--yes, I'm totally in love with that place, and then after she had to go to work, I took my new car to Paia--a super cute, hippy dippy town on the northern coast.

a little zen graffiti

Sophia Grace: a cute jewelry boutique with very expensive handmade baubles

The misty rain brought a Double Rainbow

The rainbow seemingly arcs over the entire town

I had to stop in at the only Lululemon store on Maui!

After snooping around all the boutiques, I made it back to my car without buying a single thing.

I thought about heading upcountry, but decided to head back home to beat the sunset and squeeze in a quick swim before it got dark.

It was such a joy cruising along the highway with the windows rolled down singing along to the radio. Driving is so much fun.  I hadn't realized how much I had been missing it!

I made it back to Lahaina an hour before sunset, so I ran into my house to throw on my bikini and grab a beach towel and drove to Wahikuli for a quick swim with the turtles.

After my workout, I grabbed a sandwich from Subway and took it to top of Lahainaluna Hill to watch the sun go down.

It wasn't just the view over the water that was epic; the moon over the West Maui Mountains was gorgeous as well!

And just like that, in a matter of only a few seconds, the sun had plopped down out of the sky and into the ocean

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