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June 16-17, 2003 Maui: Parasailing/Snorkeling (2) Hello, friends. Sorry for my prolonged absence - after coming home from Maine over a week ago, I came down with a fun case of bronchitis. Plus, these damned Maui entries take about six hours apiece to write and scan pictures for. I'm beginning to regret signing myself up for this little project, but I shall womanfully prevail! That, and Calvin won't quit pestering me until I'm done. At which point the maintenance of this website became a family affair, I do not recall. June 16 - Parasailing (Hover over images to see description.) Monday morning, and up early again to make it to Lahaina for our 9:30 parasailing appointment with West Maui Parasailing. We didn't have time for breakfast, so after parking and finding our designated slip, I took a quick walk to a nearby convenience store and bought candy bars and SBux Frappaccinos to sustain us. When I emerged again, Calvin and Marie were standing at the edge of a park that extends right up to the coast line. They were gesturing me to come over, and were pointing to something in the water next to an historic old wooden whaling ship. "Hey, come lookit the otter!" Calvin shouted, and I walked up to the stone wall to peer over. Something in their demeanor made me wonder what trick they were up to. "Huh!" I said, staring at what really did look like an otter. Calvin and Marie started laughing, and told me to look again. I did, and realized that it was an extremely otter-looking log. Calvin even took a picture of it before figuring it out. We laughed about it all over again when we got the pictures developed. We hung out in the shade of the immense Banyan tree in the park and took in the sights, until it was time to get in line to board the transport boat taking us to the speedboats out in the harbor. An older couple with their grown daughter were also signed up for our time slot. A quick two minute trip and we were aligning with the yellow speedboat we were assigned to. A brightly colored parachute was winched down close to the boat, fully opened. We were greeted by "Handsome", the guy handling the parasailing gear (who was, in fact, quite good looking), and Tom, the boat's pilot. It was an incredibly beautiful day, with puffy white clouds reflected in the gem-blue water. I could have sat there and been sped around the harbor all day. As we got some distance from shore, Lahaina became a little toy village with the green, cloud crowned mountains hovering above it. The older couple's daughter was first to go up. Handsome strapped her into the harness attached to a winch at the bow of the boat, and gave her instructions that couldn't be heard by the rest of us seated in the stern. Her parents held ready with the cameras, and with a gunning of the motor she was aloft. We did several large loops around, slowing at one point until the parachute drifted down and her feet were dipped in the water (it's called "dipping the wick"), then speeding up again and launching her high into the air once more. After what seemed like just a short time (in reality the rides last between ten and fifteen minutes), she was winched down again. Handsome prepared the tandem harness so her parents could go up together, and the same routine was repeated for them. Marie and I were next to be strapped into the tandem harness. It fit securely around our upper bodies and between our legs, and formed a fairly comfortable seat beneath us. We started from a seated position, and Handsome showed us where to place our hands. Tom gunned the engine, and we drifted effortlessly up to the limit of the 800 foot line. The view was spectacular, and we kept an eye on the water to see if we could see any marine life. The speedboat below us looked entirely too small to be towing us around as it was. It was quiet and peaceful, which surprised me. I figured it would be noisy and windy. Marie and I kicked our feet around and waved at passing boats. Marie slipped a bit in her harness - Calvin said Handsome remarked, "Uh-oh, looks like the little one has a wedgie." We tried to pull her back to a comfortable position, but we both lacked the upper body strength. She was secure, though, and so put up with the discomfort as an even exchange for the experience. Tom slowed the boat and dipped our toes in the water, while threatening to dunk us entirely in. Lucky for him, he didn't, and we bounced back up into the air with astonishing speed. Finally we observed the boat drawing closer to us as we were winched back down again. We grasped the overhead bar and landed smoothly on our feet, and Handsome unbuckled us in moments. Then it was Calvin's turn in the harness, while we documented the experience (as he had for us), in video and still pictures. The winch pole got in the way of the view of Calvin dipping his feet in the ocean, but the video camera captured the experience well, if a bit bouncy. Handsome goofed around, hollering up to Calvin to watch out for sharks (har har har). Then Calvin was back on the boat, and responded to my "What are you going to do now?" question with, "Well, I'm not going to Disney World!" By the time we'd exchanged positions with the transport boat and got back into the harbor, our stomachs were eating right through our spines. I took a quick, nasty little trip to the filthy public bathroom, then walked toward the shops in search of a restaurant. We followed a sign pointing to a lower level of one of the shop complexes, advertising the location of the Blue Lagoon Tropical Bar and Grill. It was situated in a central courtyard area, with gentle fountains, and shady breezes from the palm trees overhead. We ordered drinks - soda for Marie and beer for Calvin, and what turned out to be the BEST pina colada I've ever had in my life, for me. They made it with vanilla ice cream. Man, I'm totally jonesing for one right now. Lunch consisted of an egg salad sandwich and pasta salad for me, fettucini alfredo with shrimp for Marie, and a burger and fries for Calvin. We ordered another round of drinks, and I got mellowly buzzed. It was a fine, fine thing to sit there in comfort, recalling the experiences we've already had on the trip, and looking forward to an entire week more of them. After lunch we decided to walk through the myriad of shops along Front Street in Lahaina. We browsed the many art galleries (one sporting these intense crystalline sculptures, with ghostly images emerging from inside of them into glossy, sculpted glass limbs and figures) and high scale clothing shops, and made the obligatory stops in the kitschy souvenier stores. Marie made generous inroads in the cash we allotted her for the trip, while Calvin and I sweltered in what turned out to be a friggin' HOT day. There were eighteen MILLION ABC stores, and it seemed like we had to stop in every one. Must stock up on dashboard hula chickies, after all! Of course, among these shops there wasn't a store to be had that sold floppy discs for the digital camera, which we were out of. At one point, while walking along the street and commenting on how nice it would be to own the nearby Cheeseburger in Paradise, we were stopped by a woman for some sort of "violation". We're thinking, for what, jaywalking? It turned out that she was just looking for donations for the World Hunger Foundation. We paid her ten dollars to make her go away (while meaning nothing derisive toward that very worthy cause), and continued on our way toward the car. Yet another forty minute drive later, and Calvin and I were back at the Tradewinds Poolside Cafe at the hotel, after changing into our bathing suits. We waited for Marie to finish her leisurely bath in the jetted tub in the room. Several beers later, she was finished, and we decided to do a bit of exploring, as it was still early. We drove south of Kihei through Wailea and Makena, following the road to where it ended in nothing more than a dirt trail that continued its way around the island. This was the ritzy area of south Maui, and the houses were absolutely incredible - what glimpses we could catch between gates and over high walls. We turned around - avoiding the rickety roadside stands selling pineapple and questionable fish lunches to tourists - and followed the signs to Big Beach, which was directly across from the startlingly close Molokini Crater. The white sand beach was virtually deserted, and we spent a leisurely hour climbing among the rocks and tidal pools, collecting coral and gaping at the luxury houses just beyond the public beach. After a time I got tired of trying to balance on the rocks in my flip-flops, so I abandoned Calvin and Marie to their activities and made my way back to the beach to sit and wait for them. As I sat, a stretch Mercedes limousine pulled up. The driver emerged, extracted a rolled up red carpet from the trunk, and rolled it away from one of the rear doors. He then opened the door, and a couple dressed in chique-casual shorts and blouses stepped out onto the carpet. He handed them both a glass of champagne, and as I stared at all of this, a heavyset Hawaiian woman in a traditional garb approached them, bearing a large book. I shifted my position a bit, and could see the words "Just Mauied" (groan) scribed in white on the back window of the limo. The four of them made their way down the beach, apparently opting for an intimate surf-side marriage ceremony. I watched the proceedings in interest until Calvin and Marie finally returned to the car. We headed back to the hotel to change out of our bathing suits and into dinner garb. On the way to Tony Roma's, we stopped at several stores, including an internet cafe, before finally purchasing floppy discs for the digital camera at a drug store. Once seated at our table, Marie proceeded to stare and simper at what she deemed to be a cute bus boy (Calvin and I couldn't see it, ourselves). The three of us plowed our way through identical steak dinners, and groaned through the cheesecake for dessert. We returned to the hotel well after 10:00, and pretty much collapsed into bed. June 17 - Snorkeling at Molokini Crater and Coconuts Dive Site Another early morning for us - it seemed like I scheduled all of our activities for the trip to begin at the crack of dawn. Fortunately, I'd gotten into the habit of showering the night before, so the next morning all I'd have to do is throw my hair into a pony and go. We drove the (thankfully) short distance to Ma'alea Harbor to go snorkeling with the Pacific Whale Foundation on the Ocean Oddessy, a mumble foot long double hulled catamaran. Big. Very big. Calvin and Marie had stuck a couple of transderm patches behind their ears the night before, to ward of the seasickness they're prone to. I've, fortunately, never suffered from it myself. We arrived early for our 7:30 check-in, so we hung about in the adjacent cafe until it was time to leave. After about 45 minutes, a crew member of the Ocean Oddessy rounded us all up in the courtyard, to give us the obligatory "our lawyers recommend we tell you this" speech. The 121 passengers (we learned this number well, as they did a headcount after every snorkeling site) marched like lemmings through the complex, along the crosswalks, and down to the boat slip. Crewmember Brad and Captain John greeted us at the gangway, and ushered us one at a time onto the boat. Calvin, Marie and I claimed seats in the front of the cabin, next to the windows and in front of the TV/VCR, which was playing the Discovery Channel's Blue Planet series. Many of the passengers opted to sit in the upper, outside deck, but we knew that we'd be sick of the sun and wind by the end of the day. The captain came on over the loudspeaker, instructing us on safety guidelines and recommending that we "shoot for distance" and keep downwind if we needed to hurl off the side of the boat. We stayed seated as the boat coasted out of the harbor, and as the crew members performed their first headcount of the day. After passing the breakwater, we picked up speed and were soon cruising along at 35 knots toward Molokini Crater. An older couple with a young boy sat across from us. We spent some time pondering if the boy was adopted or some other relation, as he looked nothing like either of the couple. Next to us was a family with a couple of young children, including young "Max. Max! MAX!!", who was incredibly misbehaved throughout the trip. Behind us, a pair of middle aged women chattered away in Swedish. We passed the time exploring the boat and snapping pictures, and were served a continental breakfast of muffins, fruit, and juice. We arrived at the crater after about 30 minutes. Calvin, Marie and I had brought our own snorkel gear, thereby bypassing the gear-hand-out frenzy that ensued. We rinsed our masks in a soapy solution to prevent fogging (it worked great, didn't fog up once), then got in line to leap off the back of the boat. One of the female crew members on deck was tossing floating noodles to anyone who hollered for them - they certainly made it a whole lot easier to relax and observe. The deep water was a bit cooler than the bath-like water at the shore's edge, but it took only moments to get used to it. Calvin, Marie and I moved away from the crowded water around the boat. Our florescent snorkels made it easy for us to spot one another among the other bodies - and the "dry" feature worked as advertised. Several other snorkeling tours anchored at the crater as well, making it very necessary to watch out for other people as we snorkeled along. We saw many of the same fish that were present at Black Rock, but not in huge numbers. A squid was curled up on the cement block anchoring the boat, so we took turns taking deep breaths and diving as far down as we could to get a good look at him. The sea coral was beautiful, and swimming hand-in-hand with Calvin was even more so. We wisely kept away from the sharp edges of the crater, where the waves were making the area choppy and dangerous. We were called back to the boat after about 45 minutes. Getting back aboard was quite a bit more difficult than getting off. The boat was pitching heavily in the waves, and it was necessary to take the fins off in the water, carry them in one hand, and negotiate the heaving ladder. Back on board, crewmember Brad was sitting on the upper deck providing instruction on the various local sea life. The conditions at Lanai, our intended second site, turned out to be less than optimum that day. The captain opted to take us to "Coconuts" instead, an area off the coast of South Maui heavily populated with fish and sea turtles. As we cruised along, a shout went up that dolphins could be spotted off the bow of the boat. The captain stopped the boat, and we all gathered around the railings to watch them speed around, up to and away from the boat repeatedly. It was if they were providing us tourists with a show, to make sure we got our money's worth out of our vacations. We got some excellent video footage, though still pictures were hard to capture. The dolphins finally moved along, and so did we. Arriving at Coconuts, we again donned our snorkel gear and were among the first to leap from the boat into the water. Calvin spotted some moree eel (eels?) right away, which startled me in their resemblance to the characters in "The Little Mermaid". I could hear their voices and everything. Freak. I had the honor that day of being the first to spot the sea turtles. I had dived down to get a closer look at the coral, and spotted a slumbering turtle underneath an outcropping. I immediately swam up again, and getting Calvin's attention, shouted an incoherent "Look, turtles!" before remembering to spit my mouthpiece out. Not being one to hog such an experience, Calvin called other nearby folks over, and soon the area was swarmed. As we looked closer, we could see quite a few other turtles hanging out under various overhangs. We were instructed to never interfere with a surfacing turtle, as they require oxygen at regular intervals, so when one started to float upward, we all stayed at a respectful distance. He spiraled around as he rose, eyeballing all of the spectators as if to say, "Well? What are you looking at?". I swam upward as he did, and stuck my head above water as he surfaced. A gasp, gaping his mouth, then he dove under again, to settle back under his outcropping. Other turtles emerged from their hiding places after that, some surfacing for air, others coming to curiously inspect the snorkelers. One was so close to me I could have touched it, but I was mindful of my instruction, and didn't. I just floated while he gazed, staring me, it seemed, straight in the eye. Throughout, we could hear other swimmers, exclaiming through their snorkels, "This is so cool!" I surfaced and looked around for Calvin and Marie, whom I'd lost in the turtle fuss. I spotted Calvin's green snorkel nearby, but couldn't see Marie. Finally I looked up on the boat, and she was waving from the railing, camera in hand. I waved back, and one of the crew members approached in his kayak - I had forgotten that hands waving in the air was meant to signal distress. I apologized and assured him I was fine, and swam back to the boat ladder. By this time I was famished, and the scent of lunch cooking was making my hunger worse. Soon we were all seated with our paper plates full of BBQ chicken or gardenburgers, pasta salad, pretzels, and soda. I myself chose the gardenburger - it must have been flavored with hunger because it was just about the best tasting damned thing I've ever et. Our seats were occupied by children enthralled with Spongebob Squarepants playing on the TV, so the three of us seated ourselves outside at the stern of the boat for the ride back to the harbor. On the way, we stopped at Turtle Bay just south of the harbor, to watch the myriad of sea turtles surfacing around the boat. Finally, we took our original seats as we idled into the harbor, docking at last after 3:00 in the afternoon. We were wiped as we staggered back into the hotel room. Marie opted for a nap while Calvin and I took a restorative shower, then drove off in search of drinks. A short drive down the street, we pulled into Lulu's (looked for a website but there ain't one) parking lot and climbed up the stairs to the third story deck. I loved the open air seating catching the breezes from the ocean. I loved even better the Coronas that went down like water - I had four of them, plus a Mai Tai. Calvin and I gabbed over steamed clams and onion rings (me), and a grilled chicken sandwich and fries (him). 80's music was playing, which of course made me happy, and Calvin and I indulged in one of our most excellent conversations about life, the universe, and everything. We were reluctant to leave, but we knew that Marie would probably be waking up hungry by now. We took a quick turn through the Jack-in-the-Box drive-thru and brought it back to her. It was greeted with an "Aw-RIGHT!", and she made short work of it. Afterwards, we decided to take a walk along the beach across the street, in the twilight. We passed a park inhabited by drunk teenage boys hooting lewd comments at us, and had to restrain Calvin from beating their heads in. Buzzed that I was, I was video camera dorkette and tried filming everything in the dark. Marie kept saying "the button the button the button" in a nonsensical way, and Calvin was making exasperated noises at me to turn the damn camera off, we couldn't see anything anyway. We gazed at the beautiful beach-front houses, lit from within, and mourned the fact that we'd never in our lifetimes be able to afford such places. We walked along, played in the surf, and gazed at the stars for an hour or so, then walked back up to the hotel. We could hear music coming from Tradewinds, so we decided to sit for a little while next to the pool and have a final drink. A Hawaiian man was seated on a stool at the edge of the pool, strumming a guitar. A woman (who turned out to be his wife) dressed in a lava-lava (sarong), danced traditional hula steps in sync with his music. I had some sort of frozen concoction, and sat relaxed, taking occasional pictures and video of the performance. The palm trees lit from beneath were dramatic against the night sky, and the whole scene was drenched in Hawaiian ambiance. <- <- Go back to Part One of the Hawaii entry

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©Laura Charon 2000 - 2003.