Maui Waui! pt 1

Seattle is cold, rainy, and quite depressing after the amazing four days we had in Maui, HI. We stayed in Lahaina, a small, rather uncommercialized town on the western peninsula of the island of Maui. A bunch of Cirque people stayed there before, so we knew it was a good place. Nancy, the owner, was personable and thoughtful. She even got us a pack n play so Sophie had someplace to sleep! She brought Sophie a Hawaiian rose that Sophie was so careful with, she didn't want to drop it! And she gave us fresh papayas right off the tree in her back yard.
Monday, we left Portland and made the drive to Seattle. We stayed in a hotel super close to the airport, so getting there would be easy. This is the sunshine that we woke up to Tuesday morning.



















We boarded the Hawaiian Airlines flight and there were no problems. They even fed us too! Sophie was great until the last hour, but the view made us feel better - as well as a few teething tablets.





























We landed












and got the rental car, a red Jeep Compass with car seat. I like their license plates.















We drove to Lahaina to where we were staying and changed clothes. Flip flops and shorts were required at this point! We decided to drive around, get our bearings and get a few groceries. On the way home, we stopped at a beach for a picnic to watch the sun set.















While waiting, we happened to see a few little heads pop up here and there - Green Sea Turtles!
They happened to be a highlight of the trip, but we'll get to that later.

Day 2
We woke up to the sound of birds (of which Sophie yells "tweettweettweet!" EVERY. TIME.) and decided to drive the road to Hana. Everything we saw when researching said the road was just as interesting as the destination. This is absolutely true. We took our time (at the end of the day, drive from 8:30 am - 6:30 pm, Sophie was a trooper!) and stopped at all the scenic views. There was one where there was a paddleboarder and his dog were chilling in the water. So cool! This was very laid-back and Aloha! The water is an amazing color of blue. These photos are not photoshopped nor enhanced in any way - like I know how to do that anyway!




























There were waterfalls and roadside stands open for people to meet the locals. We stopped at one where we bought yummy banana bread ("Nana!") and candied coconut.















We stopped at the Twin Falls also. It was about a mile trek back to see them, but it was worth it. The flowers were AMAZING ("Fwowah!") and we saw bamboo and a one-armed lobster. A tour guide gave Sophie a princess crown as a souvenir, and we both got sunburned. After, we treated ourselves to a fresh pineapple and banana smoothie. It was delicious! Here's a pic with Sophie and Daddy in the bamboo.















The next stop was the Garden of Eden. It was a place that had colorful foliage, ducks you could feed and nice overlooks of the ocean and islands.















































This peacock jumped out of the tree when I went to take a picture of it and fanned his feathers just for me. I was flattered, but told him I'm already married.














We made our way home through the bumpy, winding (and sometimes single lane) road and called it a night. I will continue in another post.