Maui, part 2

Saturday was an interesting vacation day. Almost as soon as we got to a beach, Aaron cut his hand on some broken glass. Thankfully, we were also on the same property as the Ritz Carlton and their security guard was fantastically helpful with his little first aid kit and getting it cleaned up for him.

I fought my way through the choppy bay to do some snorkeling, and when I got back in Aaron had just discovered that a friend of his from Cal Poly had passed away. He was worried about how Joe was taking it, and a few other friends since word was just starting to get out. So that cast a bit of a gray hue on the day. My heart goes out to Andrew's friends and family. 

We had a reservation for a luau that night, and I'm kind of glad we did. I think it helped us get out of the sadness, which I think we needed.

Sunday morning we went and checked out Hope Chapel in Kihei. I can only describe it as being a cross between Flipside and what I imagine Water of Life to be like. Artsy and casual, yet contemporary and traditional at the same time.

After church, we went down to Makena Landing hoping to find a calm place to snorkel and to see some turtles. No such luck.

So we opted for a scenic drive down along the coast, stopped at Big Beach to watch the crazy body boarders and enjoy a picnic on the soft sand. Eventually Aaron convinced me to be brave and we played chicken with the big waves breaking way too close to shore, and I held my first ever sand crab. Yes, I made it 28.5 years without actually letting one dig down in sand in my hands. And I still let out a little yelp and dropped him when he got too close.

We proceeded to Polo beach, again with snorkeling gear in tow, only to discover more monstrous waves. This time we ventured farther out, but got our fill after being sucked under once or twice (once).

Headed back to Lahaina and got cleaned up to eat the messiest greasiest cheeseburger ever at Cheeseburger in Paradise. It was decidedly awesome. Especially the part about sitting out overlooking the waves breaking as the tide moved in and the onion rings.

Yesterday was the road to Hana. I have never seen so much beauty in my life. Aaron swam under a waterfall (at Upper Waikipu Falls).

Unfortunately, we're now boarding our flight home, so the rest of the recap will follow tomorrow or Thursday.