I can’t believe that it’s been a week since we made that little short trip to Maui and I haven’t even written a thing about it yet! Well, to all those who’ve been asking or wondering the answer is no, that wasn’t our honeymoon. We didn’t get hitched – not yet, at least. It was suppose to be my cousin’s honeymoon and we we’re just suppose to meet up with them for the weekend, but since Uncle Sam called him to duty to serve and protect the country’s assests from internal and external enemies he had no choice but to change his plans. He went to O’ahu a week earlier instead and spent a little bit of his time with us. And since we’ve book everything, from hotel, to car, to ferry, and we’ve already filed for vacation on those days we felt that we should just make the trip on our own and enjoy. And it was one of the best short trips I’ve taken in a very long time. Better than the short Vegas trips we used to take when I still lived in L.A.
The first thing I noticed when we set foot on Maui is that Maui huge. Sugar cane fields, pineapple fields, and corn fields flanked both sides of the highway as we drove along the isthmus from Kahului to Kihei. Unlike O’ahu, where the mountain side is littered with lights from homes, buildings, and bustling traffic, Maui is quite quaint.
Front Street, Lahaina Town
The drive around the northern head of the island was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever driven. Lahaina is one of the must see places on the northwestern head. It is the old capital of Hawai’i and the former whaling rest stops in the Pacific. Most of it’s rustic elements are still preserved till this day even the old town justice hall. The highlight of the drive was the drive through Kahakuloa. At first we were a little apprehensive to drive down there since the road narrows down to a single lane road and zigzags around sheer cliffs and gulches. But the mystery of what’s around the bend just prods you to keep on going and unravel that mystery. The drive was actually beautiful yet dangerous. Passing by the small farming village of Kahakuloa just makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a time warp. It gives you a sneak peak of what life was like before the sugarcane fields and the honeymooners.
view of the Sunrise from 10,000 ft.
On the southern head of the island we drove up to the summit of the House of the Sun – Haleakala. We were crazy enough to wake up at 3:00 am after driving the whole day just so we could watch the sunrise. The drive from Kihei to the summit was about two hours long. Half way through the mountain the air starts to get thin and the vegetation begins to change. By the time you reach 7,000 ft. the terrain and vegetation is eerily similar to that of the Mojave desert during spring time – short brushes, rocky landscape, and dry thin cold air. By the time your reach the summit you look across the caldera and you’ll see the bright red rays of the sun as it try to make it’s way through the clouds almost beneath your feet. As the sun slowly reveals itself it is the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen and will make that 3:00 am wake up time all worth it. I suggest you bring someone special to watch the sunrise with you since it’ll probably be one of the most romantic things you’ve ever done in your life.
