Slice of Life Day 22: Feast of Lele Luau

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 When in Hawaii, everyone said we just had to go to at least one luau. We got ours booked before we ever left the mainland. Our travel agent helped us pick out Feast of Lele on Maui. There were several reasons for this.  The first is that this luau was noted in several books as the best one in Hawaii. The second reason is because it was actually on the beach!

There were about 200 people at our luau, but we had a table for two and it was close to the front. It was a perfect spot. Before the luau started, we were given lei's and also had a photo shoot with the ocean as our background. We had plenty to do before the show actually started.

This is a selfie...not the one the photographer took!

The name of the luau was Feast of Lele. Lahaina, which is the town for this luau, was first named Lele, thus the name of this luau.

This  luau was a journey through four Pacific islands: Tahiti, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Samoa and Hawaii. These are Polynesian islands.  We would get three items to eat from an island for each course. The waiter we had would explain what the food was. We sampled and ate that course. When it was done, the dancers would come and perform dances from that island. Along with this was a narrator who told us the history of that island and how the dances would show that history.

We ate things that we had never heard of...including poi. We had been told to be sure and try that. While there we found out that poi is a condiment (like ketchup). You don't eat condiments alone (like ketchup). When one of our meats was a little salty, the waiter suggested that we try a little poi with it. That would take out the saltiness. It worked. We also found out that poi is made from taro root.

The sky was amazing with the ocean in front of it. The food really was good and the entertainment was awesome! The same dancers would do their dance for that island then change while we ate another course and be back to do more from the next island.

The music was great. The food was, too. The dancers were so entertaining and we could see them so well since we were close.

The whole evening was perfect. We were so glad we saved this activity for the end of our trip. It just made us feel closer to these islands.  The only drawback was: it lasted three hours. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but we were to be ready to board a tour bus in the morning at 3:00. We were going to see the sun rise on Haleakala. But, that's for tomorrow's blog!  Aloha!


Slice of Life Day 21: We Love Front Street

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Today we are going to take a walk down Front Street in Lahaina, Maui.  This was one of our favorite places on this island. It was just fun to see the stores and watch the people.

We would walk down one side of the street and then up the other side. We parked at a small parking lot on a side street. Parking was very hard to find. We would use a credit card and slide it into a machine. There was no one there watching the lot.

 

Being a retired teacher, I got excited to see the King Kamehameha School right on Front Street. On one pass through the street, we saw parents lined up waiting for their children. Sure enough, not long after that, there were students coming out of the school with their teachers. The parents would meet them in the school yard and off they'd go talking about their day.

 

There was a huge banyan tree in the middle of one city square. It was so big actual activities took place under it. One day we saw an art show there. On an early morning when we were there, we saw the homeless just waking up and getting about their business of the day. It was like a town of it's own.

My favorite place on Front Street, of course, is the Lapperts ice cream/shave ice store. I had my first shave ice with ice cream there. We bought it in the store and then went outside and set beside the building watching the activities under the huge banyan tree.





Slice of Life Day 20: Cheeseburger in Paradise

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One of our favorite places on Maui was Front Street in Lahaina. It was full of shops with everything from trinkets to ice cream to clothes! The street was full of island history, too. I will be sharing more about that tomorrow. Today, I want to share a special restaurant on Front Street.

When we got to this street, we had to walk up and down it for awhile just to get the feel of the atmosphere. For part of the street there were stores on one side of the street and ocean on the other. Finally we decided we had to choose a place to eat. Right away Cheeseburger in Paradise caught our eye.

We went in the front door and were immediately led up stairs to a stuffed room. People were almost sitting on top of each other. We thought...What have we gotten into? But everyone was so happy and friendly we followed the lady to a table in the corner. You can see it beside the flag in the picture.

We had a great view of the street and ocean. Our waiter came up and gave us the menu. Then he noticed Darrell's hat.  He asked if he went to ASU. Darrell said, No, we love to visit there though! Well, our waiter had gone to ASU and he soon became our best friend!

We ordered a cheeseburger, of course, and had a great meal. The food, as well as the atmosphere, was great. When we looked at our bill, we realized that our new "friend" had given us a discount since we were ASU buddies! Go Red Devils!

Slice of Life Day 19: Snorkeling on Maui

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Snorkeling is something that many people enjoy. We were told Hawaii is the perfect place to try out this activity. We decided to snorkel on the island of Maui because we had more time there. So, after our orientation breakfast at the Beach Club at our resort on our first morning there, we headed for Snorkel Bob's.

We had seen this store on every island and our research told us that this was the best place to get equipment. They were right. We had a Snorkel Bob's very near to us, so we headed over. We told the guy behind the counter that we had never snorkeled but wanted to try it. Could he help us with that? Yes, he could! He not only rented the equipment but fitted it to us and showed us how to use it. Then he recommended a beach close by.  He even called the store near there to check on the conditions since it was a windy day. He gave us the okay and we took off to Kapalua Bay.

The area looked beautiful. Loads of people were already snorkeling. We watched them for awhile and then sat on the beach and put on our masks and fins. It was tough walking into the water with fins, but we did it. Then we simply laid on the water, kicked our fins, and put our faces into the water. I would swim and look down, seeing all sorts of amazing fish. Then I would look up to see where I was, so I didn't go out too far. Then put my face back in. This time there was coral everywhere with fish swimming in and out...and through my legs!

The bay was full of people snorkeling as well as just playing in the water. After we snorkeled, we walked the beach. It was just a beautiful place to be.

I would recommend Snorkel Bob's to anyone who wants to snorkel. You can rent the equipment for a day or a week. You can even take it to another island and turn it in to a Snorkel Bob's there. I'm not sure I would ever snorkel again. I think I need more practice. I might just get some equipment and try it in our pool this summer!  I would recommend everyone try snorkeling just for the experience. If you aren't an experienced swimmer, you can use a boogie board and float on that. Happy Snorkeling!

Slice of Life Day 18: Amazing Pools and Waterfalls

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This is our third island where we spent time as we traveled in Hawaii. Maui had so much to offer, we decided to stay four nights there. We stayed in a condo at Ashton Kaanapali Shores. The resort was beautiful with two pools, ocean front beach, and lots of waterfalls.

The large pool was right beside the resort restaurant: The Beach Club. It also was where many of the activities took place. On the first night of our stay, we wandered down to check out the sights of the resort. While heading to the beach, we noticed a show that was happening by the pool. It was full, so we just stood at the back and watched the dancers and singers. The tourists staying here were enjoying it from the restaurant and poolside.

 

On the morning before we left, we noticed that the pool was all set up for scuba lessons. It seemed that something was happening there all the time. Every afternoon and evening it was full of parents, kids and other sunbathers.

The smaller pool was also near the restaurant. This pool was usually inhabited by the quieter people. They would be sleeping, reading or dipping into the pool.  It seemed a lot more relaxed and restful.

The courtyard was full of beautiful waterfalls, bridges and even a gazebo where weddings could be performed. This is a picture of the waterfall that greeted you as you left the registration desk and headed to the courtyard. A beautiful place to grab a soft drink and sit quietly.

There was a small river that flowed through the grounds, going under bridges and ending in a lagoon. Just another wonderful place to walk and enjoy the beautiful sunny weather!

All these pictures were again taken by my big camera. Still no sign of the small one. (See Day 16)

Slice of Life Day 17: Ocean Views from Maui

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We spent more time on Maui than the other two islands.  We seemed to have more to do here.  This island has two other islands close enough to see: Molokai and Lanai. We had a nice view from our condo of Molokai.

We could step out on our lanai (patio) and see the ocean. We weren't right on the beach, but it was not far away. After looking at the ocean from the other two islands, we were used to seeing nothing but water.  Here we could look out and see another piece of land.

Another benefit of seeing this island, was the whales. From mid-December to April the whales spend time here with their new babies. From our room we could see the whales breeching (coming above water) and even blowing. It was a rather peaceful sight.

From Front Street, which was about four miles south of where we stayed, the island of Lanai was close enough to see. It seemed unreal that these islands were that close. Again, this was a perfect place to see whales up close. This is where the whale sighting boats took off. The whales like it between these three islands because it is safer for the babies. Predators don't come into this area.



We were able to see the sunset from our resort. This sunset was different from the one on Kauai because of the Molokai. It actually set behind that island from our view. Again, we loved watching the ocean and all the activities that took place in and near the shores.

Special note about the camera: (see Day 16) I still was without it, but used my big camera with several lens for all these pictures. I did hear from the rental place the next day. They had not found my camera but would keep looking for 30 days!  sigh.

Slice of Life Day 16: Welcome to Maui

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Our time on Kauai was coming to an end. I had taken a picture walk around the gardens while Darrell made a last minute check of the condo and loaded the suitcases into the rental car. We made our farewells to the great little condo and got settled into the car. We were driving to the rental spot and taking a shuttle to the airport to island hop to Maui.

As we were settling into the car, Darrell asked me if I had the map and directions to the airport.  I didn't remember where they were. We started searching. I emptied my purse to the floor of the car. Not there. We pulled out my suitcase and I went through all the "paperwork" we had. Not there. We searched everywhere. As we got back into the car ready to just follow the signs, I noticed some papers tucked beside my seat. Sure enough, the directions and map. We were on our way!

We got to the rental place in plenty of time, but we still wanted to get on that shuttle and get to the airport. We gathered all our stuff, rushed to the check in and got the car cleared. We were headed for the airport. The flight was very nice. I read a magazine that was in the back of the seat. Soon we were on our third island: Maui. We again took a shuttle to the car rental. This one was wonderful. The clerk was very informative and gave us great directions. We were headed for Kaanapali Shores. When we checked in at noon we found out our room wasn't ready for us yet. They suggested we have lunch at the resort restaurant: The Beach Club. So we did!

The restaurant had a great view of the resort's large pool. It was a laid back feeling. We really liked it and went back there several times during our stay. When our meal was finished, we got a call that the room was ready. So we got the key at the main desk and headed for our new condo.

This resort was more like a hotel complex. The room was very nice. We had a kitchen, living room with a lanai, large bedroom, bathroom, and a washer/dryer right in the room!  We began to unpack. After a few minutes, I couldn't find my small camera.  It was a nice Cannon to take with me when I didn't want to take my big camera. We couldn't find it. We searched everywhere. Finally, I called our last condo. It was not there. Then I called the rental place, but had to fill out forms online. I did all that. They told me they would let me know if it was found. I remembered all the trouble we had had with that rental place when we checked in. I was trying to be hopeful. But, as of right now, no camera. I decided I was not going to let that ruin this awesome vacation. but it was hard.

More about the camera in later posts!  Tomorrow we begin our Maui adventures!