Last Day in Paradise

Today is our last day on the beautiful island of Maui. This has been a very relaxing vacation and I am sad to see it end. But, I do miss home, my daughter and my little Lexi. This morning we went on a snorkel/sail trip. We saw some beautiful fish and a couple of sea turtles. I bought an underwater camera. I am not too sure how well my pictures will turn out. But, I had fun snapping pictures anyway. I can't wait to see Lexi and give her the new Ukulele that I bought for her. Last year in Kauai we bought her one and she loved it so much, but it broke and we couldn't find another one in California. Her request was for us to bring another one back.This is a picture of a sea turtutle above the water.Here is a picture of Bill, Ryan and Katie snorkeling. I didn't get a frontal view, because it is not too pretty of a picture. lol.

This evening, we into Lahaina and had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Kobe. Our chef was very entertaining and the food was delicious. On the way, we passed by the famous Banyan Tree. I am always amazed that this is just one tree every time I see it.

Keke Hula Show

This evening, I walked down to the Whalers Village shopping center to buy some souvenirs. While I was there, they had the Keke Hula show going on.

Day 6 in Paradise

Today we spent the day sightseeing and drove up to the Iao Valley to see the Iao Needle. For the first time on this island, we felt a little bit cold. We didn't expect the weather to be 71 degrees. Not that this temperature is cold, but when you just came from a temperature of 80 degrees, just down the rode, it was noticeably cold. The views were spectacular and it reminded Katie of the movie Jerassic Park. She couldn't get over how beautiful it was.

After our drive to the Iao Valley, we drove to the upcountry and had lunch at the "Hali'imaile" General Store. It is pronounced "Halee-ee-ma-ee-lee." We first learned about this restaurant from the "Food Network" Channel. Rachel Ray, Emeril and Giada have all been here. We shared a piece of their award winning "Pineapple Upside Down Cake" for dessert.

In the Upcountry is a winery that not only has wine made out of grapes but also pineapple. It is so beautiful up here and there is a gorgeous view of the ocean below.

There are some beautiful birds on the island and I am so happy to have captured a picture of this little guy.

Day 5 in Paradise

Today was another relaxing day. I started the day snorkeling with some friends and then spent the day by the pool. In the evening we went to what I consider to be the best Luau on the island. It is the "Feast at Lele." You are served a delicious five course meal representing the islands of the Pacific - Hawaii, Aotearoa, Tahiti and Samoa. After each course there is a dance put on to represent that island.

Day 4 in Paradise

Today, I caught some flack from my family and friends on facebook, that I am spending too much time playing on my computer and not enough time relaxing. So here I am "chillaxin" at the pool and beach.

Day 3 in Paradise

Today was a lazy day spent out by the pool reading and relaxing. After our long drive to Hana yesterday, all we wanted to do was to veg out. In the evening, we went into the town of Lahina and had dinner with a friend that I went to high school with. She and her best friend are here celebrating her birthday. We had a great time reminiscing about our high school days. She also gave me some great tips on using my camera. Here is a picture of me and Gwen.We were playing with different settings on my camera for sunsets. She showed me how to get a more dramatic look.As for this little guy, I'm sure glad that she spotted him before I almost stepped on him!!!

We found Oprah's House!!!

It may not be her house, but it is her gazebo. lol. If you look to the right of the picture, you will see a structure with a point on it. That is the gazebo. While we were in Hana yesterday, we were joking about which house might be Oprah's. While driving along the coast and passing houses, we came upon this one that had multiple security gates in front of the property. You couldn't see the house at all. After passing all the gates we pulled over at a small view spot and looked in the direction of the house that "might be hers" and I snapped this picture. There were two fishermen out on the rocks. We were joking that they were probably her chef and su chef. This morning, Katie told me that she googled famous peoples houses on Maui and they showed this gazebo at Oprah's house. Too funny. She also read that Pierce Bronson lives here, too. Now that is one that I definitely want to find. lol.

We were in Savannah about 5 years ago and took a cooking class with Paula Dean. It so happens that the Bed and Breakfast that we stayed at was run by a woman who was friends with Paula. She told us where her house was and some funny stories. She told us that Paula was looking to move after she found two women lifting each other up to peek over her fence. lol. We drove out to where her friend said she lived and I am sure that we found it, because it looked just like the one on her show.

Day 2 in Paradise

Today was a long but glorious day in Paradise. Yawn. We made the long ride to Hana and to the 7-Sacred Pools. The total milage was only 44 miles, but it took us 4 hours to get there. The reason is that the speed limit is 15 miles per hour and in many spots it gets down to 10 miles especially over these single lane bridges. The scenery was beautiful and worth the drive.This was the second stop on our drive. It was to the Twin Falls. They had a fruit stand with coconuts, pineapple and little bananas.Her are the falls. Bill, Ryan and Katie swam in the pond while I relaxed and took pictures.After 4 hours, we made it to Hana and had lunch at one of the two restaurants in town.

This is one of the cottages at the Hana Hotel.

And here we are at the O'Heo Gulch, most known as the Seven Sacred Pools.

On the way back we stopped by the black sand beach. We were too tired to go down, but was nice viewing it from above.

Finally, we ended the day with dinner at the Pool Side Grill watching the sunset.