Country Chatter

Aloha!

This was our second trip to Maui, the first was in 1991.  This was a gathering of Purina dealers from all across the US who qualified with increased sales. We were one of the lucky ones to earn the trip. There were approximately 500 of us there. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa in Lahaina, on the west side of the island. Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles. (46 miles long and 26 miles wide).  Lahaina was the capital of the islands until it was moved to Honolulu, Oahu.  The climate is tropical and hovers between 70-85 degrees year round. It is truly a lush, tropical paradise with colorful birds, flowers, palm trees and beaches.

Our view from our hotel room.

They have very fertile soil and grow coconut, macadamia nuts, cocoa, pineapple, coffee, tropical flowers, sugar cane and papaya.  The agriculture is dwindling due to high cost.  I am not sure if I remember what all our tour guide told us but even if I am wrong, you will get the picture. In years past they planted close to 150,000 acres of sugar cane. This is now down to 37,000 acres and within ten years they will plant their last crop and the land is being sold to a developer. They can import from other countries cheaper than they can grow, process and sell in their own markets. They are now growing only 1000 acres of pineapple. They have developed a sweeter pineapple than is grown anywhere else in the world but again it is no longer feasible to grown their own.

Sugar cane growing in the field.

Aging sugar cane mill.

Cocoa Pod

Slimy cocoa beans inside the pod. It is a fascinating process they go through to make coco.

Maui is the leading whale-watching center in the Hawaiian Islands due to Humpback whales wintering in the sheltered ʻAuʻau Channel between the islands of Maui county.  Since this was prime season you could catch glimpses of spouts and whales flipping out of the waters. The whales migrate approximately 3,500 miles from Alaskan waters each autumn and spend the winter months mating and birthing in the warm waters off Maui, with most leaving by the end of April. The whales are typically sighted in pods: small groups of several adults, or groups of a mother, her calf, and a few suitors.

I happened to have my camera focused on this boat when the whale rose out of the water.

I never got a picture of a spout. By the time you saw them, it was too late to take a picture.

One of the fascinating attractions in Lahaina is the famous Banyan Tree, taking up a whole city block. It is the second largest of it’s kind in the world. The largest is in Egypt.  All the different trunks represent one tree.

A sampling of other pictures around the hotel.

The island in the background is  Kahoʻolawe. It is known as the deserted island due to it’s lack of fresh water and wood.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States military used it as a training ground for the military and navy.  It is now owned by a billionaire and there is a beef ranch and a deserted leprosy colony. Before they had a cure for leprosy, persons contracting the dreaded disease were banished to this island to live out their days.

Yes, they even had penguins.

No place is complete without a pink flamingo!

Their doves have a black and white checkered band around their necks.

My love of tiki lanterns started when we were here in 1991.

Their Polynesian culture and religion is part of the uniqueness of the island but it is so sad to see their worship of gods. Do you see the face in the waterfalls? (One of the ancient gods).  See the closer view below.

A lot of their livelihood is based on tourism and water.  Some of the things you can do is whale-watch, snorkel, suba-dive, fish, take a submarine, sail, surf, kite-board, etc.

I loved watching and listening to the waves crash onto shore. One day I went to the beach by our hotel and sat in the sand by these rocks and let the waves crash over me. It was so refreshing.

I was going to sit on one of the rock and just as I was in the process of sitting I spied a “thing” that made me change my mind!  It was the same color as the rock-barely visible, and I don’t know if it was a spider or a crab. It looked like a spider body with crab legs. It was maybe 3-4 inches across. I am not sure what made me even see it but I was so grateful he did not end up inches from my down-sitter! I was wishing for my camera but I hadn’t taken it along to the beach.

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So there we are folks. I enjoyed sharing glimpses of our trip with you.

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To read about our submarine tour: “Just Like Me”.