Grown Up Vacation: MAUI!

At the ripe old age of 30 (32 for Dylan) we finally got our act together and managed to save up for a grown-up vacation (no scholarships or parental subsidies involved!). After a one-stop flight from Portland, we landed in the tropical paradise of Maui and promptly headed out... in our convertible!

The convertible was entirely Dylan's idea. Back in Portland, during the planning phase, I told him, "Sure we can rent one if you find it for $250 for the entire week"--assured, of course, that this was an impossible feat. Five minutes later, I heard Dylan exclaim on the phone, "We'll take it!" It turned out to be the shittiest convertible on earth--with mirrors that didn't move and visors that were falling off, but we had the wind in our hair and the sunshine on our faces, so we didn't care much. Who needs visors, anyway, when you have a sexy convertible hat (purchased especially for the trip)!

We started our week in paradise by driving the twisty, winding road to Hana, filled with waterfalls and gorgeous views of the coastline. ("The pavement was very beautiful," adds Dylan, who couldn't really look at anything else while he was driving). We made the mistake of not arriving at our final destination while it was still daylight - and braved a terrifying drive in the dark on a cliff-edged road, with oncoming local drivers who clearly had no fear of death. We arrived at our "resort" at night and were warned not to step on any toads on the way to our rustic, private cabin. The toads got lucky. We headed straight to our cabin and tucked in under a pretty-but-annoying mosquito net.

We were pretty pumped when we woke up the next morning to discover this sunrise view right outside our door!

The most spectacular part of this post thus far (for those of you who know me), is the word sunrise. Yes, that's right, I arose, entirely of my own volition, at an hour that I normally consider "the middle of the night," and I even managed to crack out a smile for the camera. Clearly, I had a time zone change on my side.

We then walked around the property--several acres of beautifully landscaped grounds dotted with private cabins--and found the communal kitchen, where several aging hippies had congregated. They ate chia seeds and vegan lasagna, talked about the energy healing they had just had done, and lectured us about how to compost pineapple.

We bonded the next day with a couple from San Francisco who also did not like vegan lasagna, and felt much better about ourselves.

Given the early hour, we made a beeline for the road and beat the crowds to the Seven Sacred Pools (aka, O'heo Gulch), which we had nearly entirely to ourselves.

This picture does not do any justice to the magnificent pools, which cascade into one another before finally flowing into the crashing ocean waves. Good thing we went early - a few hours later it was crawling with tourists. On our way back we ran into a giant banyan tree, which is well known for its climbing and limbo-ing properties:

"It's like the earth is sprouting up to support the tree," says Dylan, who marveled at this unique medley of earth and plant. (***Warning: Pretending to be a koala bear while clinging to a banyan tree root may result in giant, painful, long-lasting, purple bruises on your inner thighs.)

(To be continued...)