Special Guests

Sunday evening Rob, an old friend of Jo's from high school came to visit. He was visiting Hawaii for a wedding and planned to come hang with for a few days after the ceremony . We kept it easy Sunday night and made plans to take Rob over to the town of Lahaina to do some snorkeling. We were out the door and on our way early monday morning. But, before hitting the beach we stopped at this fantastic place along the way for breakfast called Lulu's. The waitstaff there was awesome, and they brought us out an order of their malasadas to start. These things were serious! On top of that the main courses that everyone ordered were just as amazing. I went with the Cajun Ahi Benedict. It was spicy and flavorful, and the hash browns were crispy and crunchy! The staff and food were truly fantastic. I can't say how much you should give this place a try if you're out here.

Then it was off to the beach for a little snorkeling. The beaches in Lahaina are on the West side of Maui and are incredibly calm. They're the perfect place for snorkeling because the shore drops off to a coral reef about 25 feet out. We slapped on some sun block and dove in. We explored the ocean floor together and on our own. There were fish of all colors shapes and sizes. I wish I could have had a camera to take photos. At one point Jo and I were greeted by an unexpected guest. A massive sea turtle went right by us, and it was so close I could have touched it! The only way I can describe the experience was that it was like the opening scene of the original Star Wars movie where the giant star destroyer ship zooms by. Trying to put this into words doesn't quite do it justice!

After our snorkeling adventure we stopped by Ululani's for some shave ice. I went with the No Ka Oi (which I think was mango, guava, papaya) and a scoop of haupia ice cream on the bottom. It was serious business, and a whole lot of sugar. Everyone got something different and we passed them around the table. I also recommend the almond, pineapple, green tea, and pineapple flavors! (There's food bringing people together again)

We ended our day in Lahaina by walking through the shop lined streets in true tourist fashion admiring the galleries, storefronts, and all that was for sale. As we came to the end of the strip we found ourselves in the Banyan Tree Park where these massive trees rose up out of the ground with their twisted branches and dangling vines! At the entrance to the park was this wonderful "Aloha" made out of flower petals. Quite an amazing way to end an amazing day.

The Beach

Today we kept it simple. I spent the morning writing, reflecting, and looking into other job prospects since my schedule has been open. After that Alex and I rolled over to Kamaole Beach to  go for a swim. From when I first considered coming back to my actual arrival here I have had a strong desire to swim in the ocean. No scratch that. It's been almost more of a primal urge churning in my head as though the ocean was calling me back here.
Sitting on the beach with Alex we had a really nice talk about the beach, and how swimming in the ocean was a cleansing experience. A spiritual experience. I thought about when I was a little kid and how much I loved going to my extended family's summer house in South Kingstown, RI. Running up and down the shore and jumping in and out of the waves. But, as a teenager my viewpoint changed, and I remember hating the beach. I hated the fact that sand would get into everything. It wasn't until I was in my early-mid twenties that I rediscovered my love of the ocean. Upon this rekindling I have found deeper appreciation, inspiration, and gratitude for the grains of sand against my feet; the movement of the waves; the sun against my skin and disappearing behind the clouds; the pure experience of being at the beach.

Revisiting Ho'okipa

Early this afternoon I had my interview over at the Community College of Maui. I think it went well, but I'll keep my fingers crossed to hear back soon about a second round interview. I'm always uncomfortable when it comes to being interviewed. I'm not one to try and "sell myself" to people. I've always had more of a walk softly with a big stick kind of attitude. But, I think its experiences like these that force me to come out of that shell. Whether I get the position or not I'm still happy to have had this opportunity. And, just as I was about to leave for the interview today the box I shipped from home arrived. I was quite excited since this meant that I didn't need to go buy another bottle of sunblock, shaving cream, etc... and that I finally had my bathing suit and back up hard drive.

The other night Jo brought me down to Ho'okipa Beach Park, which is such a beautiful place. I remember coming here when I came to Maui for the first time about a year and half ago. It's hard to tell from these pictures, but the waves were huge, at least 10 feet high. We sat there eating apples watching the surfers ride the waves. If you look closely at the sunset pic you can see little specs on the water towards the bottom right, those are surfers waiting for the right wave.
As I reflected on the previous paragraph I thought about how these surfers might be a reflection of our own lives. How we sometimes wait around for something to happen, like the surfers waiting for a wave. Then when its time  we step up and move all at once, like a surfer paddling with and riding the wave. Everything is a fluid movement. It's not separated into bits or pieces. There's just a fluidity to everything. I found myself wondering do beginnings and endings truly exist? Is life just a fluid movement?

Final Destination

As the sun came up over the Bay area this morning I loaded my bags into the back of Andy's car. Before piling in and heading over to SFO I snapped a photo of us, and then it was time. I almost didn't make my flight because I had to go back to the ticket counter to get a hard copy of a boarding pass. Note to remember; apparently TSA won't scan your cell phone. But, I made it to my gate just in time and settled in for the five and half hour flight to Honolulu, and then a brief thirty minute flight to my final destination, Kahului.

I'm actually here. I made it. I stepped off the plane in Kahului, and my friend Jo came to pick me up. She greeted me with a big hug. Then we went back to her place to drop off my bags, and suit up for the  beach. However, a box that I had shipped before I left Boston had not arrived so I had to borrow a pair of trunks from her fiancé Alex. We hit the beach as you can see. While we were in the water we saw whales off in the distance. They would come up out of the water every so often. We could just see their dorsal fins and water being spouted out of their blow holes. I was pretty amazed. 

Seriously though, I fly 5000 miles away from everything I've ever known to this tiny little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and when I get off the plane I see whales!? I've never seen a fucking whale in my entire life! Not to sound cheesy, but the way that everything has sort of just fallen into place for me to end up here has left me speechless. And, when I was in the ocean I had another bout of laughter that was just so intense. My friend Jo started asking me if everything was okay. I was practically on the verge of laugh-crying. You know when you laugh so hard tears start rolling down your face. I kept thinking to myself; "I'm here, I'm really here."

After a quick dip in the ocean we stopped by this place called the Coconut Fish Cafe for a quick snack. We grabbed an order of coconut shrimp, which came with this amazing pineapple sweet & sour dipping sauce. It was the one. Trust. 

I was so beat from traveling all day. My internal clock was just about fried at this point, but I felt really good inside. I was proud I had made it this far. I even had some good news to share with my friends over dinner tonight. I received an email asking me to come in for an interview at the University of Hawaii - Maui Community College Campus on Monday. Even if I don't get the job I feel honored to be called in for an interview. The past 10 days of traveling have been so surreal. I really can't think of any other way to describe the experience. And, although I'm far away from everything I know, slightly missing family, friends, and the regularities of Boston I can honestly say my heart feels at home.

Back Yard with a View

This morning after waking up quite a bit early followed by 3 cups of coffee Andy and I walked down the road from his place to what was basically his back yard, or Half Moon Bay State Beach. This was my 3rd or 4th time here and I really enjoy the diversity in the landscape, which ranges from the beach to flat grassy straights, and rolling hills. Its one of the many aspects that seems to draw me back here. It's truly a beautiful place. On some mornings the fog is so thick you can't see more than a few feet in front of you. 

Later on that afternoon we drove down to San Mateo to run a few errands. I snapped a quick shot of the side street above that intersected with El Camino Real, which is this incredibly long street/highway that runs through a pretty decent part of California down to Mexico. I was pretty amazed at how many churches/missions we drove past on El Camino Real. It didn't hit me until after this just how much influence the Spanish Catholic church had in the formation of the state of California and the west coast.