Greetings from Maui.
I realize I haven't yet finished Sunday's hike (that's fitting, since it was a long one), nor have I commented on yesterday's happenings and doings. I thought instead I'd talk about my travel day today, and get caught up on those other things another time (I hope).
Today I got up in time to watch the sunrise, which of course happens daily, thank the Lion, but today it was not too spectacular due to the cloud cover. It did get light, however, and I decided to eat breakfast and head to the beach.
The beach for the condo at which I was staying on Kaua'i (Sealodge in Princeville, highly recommended) is west of the complexes themselves. There is a big sign proclaiming, "CAUTION - This trail is extremely dangerous. It is steep, slippery and hazardous. Use this trail at your own risk. You are now leaving Sealodge property." That would be the reason it is so sparsely visited. The beach gets a "Real Gem" rating from the guidebook, however, and I was determined to see it, because I hadn't done more than put a leg in the ocean since I've been here, and that was to wash the blood off after I scraped my knee on the Na Pali hike. So off I went, thinking, "I just did a difficult hike - how bad can this be?"
Hm. Well, in places, it was almost as bad as the Na Pali hike, although not so far to fall should one go over the edge. It was muddy and steep, and the path through tall plants on either side, and down steep leaf-strewn slopes. At the bottom of the first hill, one had to cross a stream, but getting to the stream involved a bit of tricky climbing down a muddy bank with few handholds. Then a flat jog through the woods, and down another pine-needle-strewn slope, this one with planks set into the soil to give a stair-like feel to it, but it wasn't easy. Then through a grove of palms and down another slope of rock. Then it ran right next to the water, the path again covered with pine needles and consisting of roots poking out of the Kaua'i red dirt. At the end one had to clamber down a tumble of huge black boulders, and at the bottom was a crescent-shaped beach. The whole hike takes about 10 - 15 minutes, going at a decent pace. I went there yesterday as well, and wanted so badly to go back today. I found snorkel paraphernalia in the closet at my condo, so I was prepared. Except I forgot to wear my swim top, and instead was dressed in what I wanted to wear today. Oops. I had my swim bottoms on (my triathlon shorts - don't leave home without them) and I figured I'd just put my face in the water once I was up to my hips in the ocean.
The other reason I wanted to go back was that yesterday I found that the very coarse sand at the beach (which is nice, because it just brushes off) contains some of the tiniest seashells I've ever seen. They are literally millimeters in size. The are so beautiful and cunningly designed - I love little tiny things, and I marvel at things like tiny ants (had some in my kitchen this morning, so small that if they weren't moving one could hardly see them) - how do they move? How are their "muscles" designed to get them around? And these shells - they must have housed critters once. What were they like? They are so small... I was in a shop yesterday that showcased Polynesian arts, and they had jewelry made out of these shells. The placard on the (pricey but probably worth it) jewelry said that the shells are only found in Ni'ihau and Kaua'i, and once made into jewelry they are considered gems, and can be insured as such. Wow. They sure are pretty, anyway. I spent a lot of the morning gazing at the sand. I did go in the water, but didn't see any fish, and ended up getting my shirt wet anyway, so might as well have gone in.
I had a lot to do today, because I had to check out by 10:30 - or 11, depending on whether you believe the e-mail I got or the sign above the door. I asked the concierge-next-door about which time was the correct one, and she said, "Sometime between 10:30 and 11, then." That settles it.
I ran my wet clothes through the dryer and took a quick shower, and packed up the remaining things I hadn't packed last night. I had some leftover food, which I brought to the concierge next door - she agreed to take it, and thanked me (food is expensive there). She also offered me coconut water. We had had an extensive conversation about it, or rather, she has gone on for about 5 minutes on the benefits of it, and how pure it is, etc, and offered to let me try some. Most of the people I know who share my tastes have said it's vile stuff, but my neighbor cut a hole in the top of a green coconut and left it and a straw on the table on my lanai (porch). How could I refuse? I accidentally knocked it over (she had balanced it on a ceramic candle-holder) and spilled some, then managed to recover and drank it right from the coconut through the straw provided. It didn't taste like much - water, with a mildly plant-y, slightly bitter aftertaste. I wouldn't spend money on it, but it wasn't bad.
Clothing - mostly dry. check.
Things - mostly packed. check.
Car trunk - locked, and can't get in with the key. check.
That last thing happened when I realized that the rope hanging out the back of the trunk was in lieu of the trunk release inside the car, which didn't work. I managed to get my key stuck in the trunk lock, and even with the jockeying I normally did to open the trunk, it wouldn't open, although it had previously after I put all my worldly goods inside. I managed to wriggle it enough that it turned completely in the opposite direction, where it promptly stuck. I maneuvered the key so hard that I bent it (I bent it back, mostly). Finally after very little cussing and lots of prayer, I got it turned in the right direction and then open. I made sure to hang that rope tail out the back after that, so I could pop the trunk when needed. When I went to put the key into the ignition, it didn't fit (still a bit bent), so I went back and put it in the trunk lock again and made it straight. Voila.
I planned to drive to the Princeville Center (5 minutes away) and see if I could mail my trekking poles (I've grown fond of them, after all, after 9 hours together on the first date) and the camping stuff I didn't use on the Na Pali hike and sundry other things (went shopping yesterday) at the post office. They had a $22 flat-rate large "game board" box that did the trick perfectly. Even fit my titanium mug with very little bulging. So I mailed that sucker home and relieved myself of both the need to schlepp more stuff around and the cost of checking it thrice (once to Maui, once to Oahu, and back home). I think if I buy some things on Maui, I will look for the nearest Post Office and mail home some more stuff. I like this two carryons deal.
I mailed my package, and the people in the store were very nice. One woman was boasting to the other that she won her church's Halloween chili cook-off with her pumpkin chili, and she gets to "have the trophy for a year, and my name goes on it FOREVER." She was excited.
Stopped for gas and put in the whole 2.3 gallons I'd used driving 95 miles in the Toyota Echo they rented me, then set off for Lihue, where the airport was.
Earlier in the day I had a call from the rental car place on Maui telling me where to find the vehicle I had rented. I called him back, and he told me the information again, that he would leave the key and the rental agreement in the envelope on the dashboard, and "don't worry when you see the car - that thing can do anything you set your mind to." Hm. Interesting.
I was a bit early arriving to Lihue, and I knew the rental car parking lot had no shade, so I sat in the shade in another parking lot about 5 miles away (so I thought). I called home and talked to my husband for a bit, then set out to drop off the car. The helicopter company had agreed to send their van to pick me up from the rental car place. I followed my GPS directions and was very confused when the voice told me I had arrived at my destination, and it wasn't. I pulled out of a busy intersection onto the side of the road and saw "Destination relocated" on the screen. I had 8 minutes before the helicopter people were to pick me up. I frantically pushed the buttons to recalculate, and saw that it was only 2 miles away. I made it there, and dropped off the car, and had been standing by the agreed pickup area for a full two minutes when the van came. Whew. A nice man named Jeffrey, who was native Hawaiian and looked to be in his 60s, helped me get my stuff in the van, and off we went.
The helicopter ride started a bit late because some other people were stuck in lunch traffic in Kapaa. The receptionist let me put my luggage behind her desk. Jeffrey the van driver gave us our safety briefing in the van. I had had the "doors off" one a few days earlier; the only difference was the emergency exit. We all had to wear life vests around our waists because we would be flying over water.
The helicopter was an A-Star 6-seater (plus pilot) and they gave me an outside seat (I think because they had cancelled so many of the flights I had tried to book on the doors-off. The pilot we had was the director of operations and the most senior pilot. He was all right, but I think he didn't have a lot of patience for questions. For example, an older lady asked him at one point, "What's that white bird down there?" He answered, "That would be an airplane." The pilot narrated the whole hour ride, and there was some background music appropriate to the scenery - for example, the theme from Jurassic Park when we flew over the JP waterfall, Iz singing "country roads take me home" when we were on our way back to the airport, etc. He touched the helicopter down on the very last beat of the last song, and then the music stopped. I was impressed by his precision.
The ride itself was amazing. I especially liked seeing the Na Pali coast from above. The trail didn't look that hard from the air. :) I enjoyed the north shore, also, since I had been staying up there and recognized some of the places through which I had driven. The glare from the windows was sometimes a problem, but I think I got some good photos anyway. I was glad it was only an hour, because the seats were not so comfortable that I wanted to stay in them all day.
Jeffrey took us back to the office, and picked up my luggage. I had intended to buy their $10 DVD to take home, and the lady at the desk handed me a copy with a sticky note with my name on it. I said, "Oh, I was going to buy one," and she smiled and shook her head. Nice of them to do that. I hopped back in the van and had a nice 5-minute chat with Jeffrey, who asked about my shoes. I gave him a quick hug when he dropped me off (it was so nice of them to accommodate my need to go to the airport and all that) and I went and checked in. Once at the gate I called my family to say good night, and called my parents to say hello, then got on my flight to Maui. I sat next to a very talkative young lady who had just taken her first solo vacation from her Coast Guard husband and two small boys. We ended up talking about parenting, and occupational therapy, and sensory processing disorders. It was a short flight (30 minutes) and then I was in Maui.
I found the car right where he said he left it, unlocked (of course - the key was inside) and with a big envelope with my name misspelled on the front. Inside was the rental agreement, the key, and - the cassette adapter for my iPod, which he had promised he'd "try to find" before I got there. I laughed. How sweet. How I'd missed my music, especially since my time in the car is Lion time, when I'm home. The only drawback was that the sun was setting and the dash lights didn't seem to work. I found a little flashlight in my purse and held it in my fingers (with both hands on the wheel) as I drove, and it worked. Later I McGuyvered it to the windshield-washer lever so I didn't have to hold it. I called the rental car guy Wednesday morning to let him know about that, and he said, "flick the reostat really hard with your finger - it just gets dusty sometimes." I was pretty convinced that it wasn't just dust - the whole thing was so loose that I doubted it worked. He asked me to call him back if it didn't work but my flashlight solution seems to be working fine, so I won't bother them with it. I don't intend to drive much at night anyway.
I found my condo (LOVE my smartphone) and checked in, then went and found some grub at the local ABC Store, where they have a nice deli. I got a cheeseburger with fries and a drink for $6 - a really good deal for Hawaii. My condo really is oceanfront. There is no beach, but the waves break on the rock wall next to the property. I have been listening to them for a day and a half. I don't need beach time as long as I can hear the waves.
I think that's enough for now. Yesterday I had a nice breakfast at the conference Westin Hotel (vouchers included in the conference price, I guess) and then 5 hours of lecture. I went on an adventure but I'll tell you about that later, because I intend to repeat it today. Yesterday was just a scouting trip.
Time to go get ready for another morning of lecture. See you later.
wb
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