Another week on Maui and I'm fast approaching my one month mark. I feel like I was just in Columbia with all of my friends, enjoying morning walks to Drip for delicious french press coffee, bibimbap with tofu sticks, dance parties, hanging out with the best roomies ever, turning into a 
spinster cat lady, and having miscellaneous random late-nightish adventures (see photo at right - creds to Ashley). I never thought I would say it ever in my life... I miss South Carolina.
Yes yes, I realize that you all probably want to punch me due to annoyance because I currently live in paradise. Cut me some slack, okay? Geeze!
Onward! The storms persisted well after my last update. Hana Highway even ended up having closures due to landslides. Here's a fun link of pictures to check out. The rain has let up a little and we had a beautiful day yesterday. The wind is a bit out of control now; I'm a little afraid to walk outside since I may or may not get hit by a falling tree. Speaking of the wind, we made it out to Kamaole Beach Park I in Kihei today and had a thorough exfoliation thanks to the semi-brutal wind/sand mixture. I'm pretty sure I will still be getting sand out of my hair three days from now. I FINALLY got into the Pacific Ocean for the first time since I've been here. I've never loved getting into the ocean since it's so murky on the east coast. The water is so beautifully clear here though... you can definitely see if something is trying to sneak up on you. It makes it a lot easier to see the honu (sea turtles) as well. Once I get a car, I'll be purchasing some snorkeling equipment and a paddle board. Paddle boarding is the first hobby I plan on taking up. Although, I should actually go paddle boarding before I buy a board? I also succeeded in acquiring my first sunburn today. It had to happen eventually.
As I'm sure most of you assumed, just about everything is more expensive here. For example: I bought real maple syrup in preparation for the banana-mango pancakes (yum!) that I made one morning. It was $10.00. Ten! But so worth it. The last time I checked, gas was $4.55 a gallon. That should be fun when I finally get a vehicle. Unfortunately, some of the local produce and goods are pretty expensive too. A small bushel of kale ranges from $3.50 to $4.50! Thankfully, it's supposedly easy to grow so I shall soon be able to harvest my own kale for kale chips. Which, by the way, are delicious (thanks Sharon!). Kale bits sans the thick ribs + olive oil spread out onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle sea salt. Bake at 425 until crispy (yeah, I almost typed "krispy"). Some grocery stores offer discount cards, but if you don't have a Safeway or Maika'i card at Foodland, a box of cereal can cost you at least $6. Granted, I'm slightly "granola" and prefer the least processed cereals (and foods in general) available. Still, most things are quite a bit more expensive than most places I've been to. Things to keep in mind when planning your trip to visit!
Just so you American readers know, I am now an extra hour behind the CONUS due to Daylight Savings Time... with the exception of Arizona. We don't celebrate that silly DST here, either.
While walking back from my run up the hill the other day, it started misting. Maybe you've heard of the Hawaiian mist? For me, the only thing I could think of equating it to at the time was the Greek tradition of being spat upon. Not that I've ever had it happen to me, but I feel like the mist probably feels like what being spat upon feels like... and this is how my brain works.
It appears that Hawaii is being flooded. Kauai has received relentless amounts of rain and it has been raining here almost constantly for the past three or so days. The last
time I checked the radar, Oahu was also receiving a ton of rain. It's becoming depressing. And cold. We even had thunderstorms! Thunder is a rare occurrence here. It was a bit tricky driving up the hill last night during the rain. Imagine driving up a stream with an occasional waterfall and a bunch of eucalyptus bark in the way. Fortunately, today is looking up so far; hopefully I can fit in another trail run before work. I'm hoping it won't be too slippery and muddy.
Yesterday, we headed down the mountain to check out the supposed 11-12 foot waves at Ho'okipa, which is off of Hana Highway past Paia. They weren't quite that big, but they were still pretty impressive. Next, we headed down Hana Highway a little way and came across some unassuming gardens. We decided to stop to check out some plants, but ended up finding a trail that led to at least three waterfalls. A bit of advice? Always wear hike-ready shoes when in Hawaii. I was just wearing my slippers (Hawaiian lingo for flip flops). Tevas and my feet would have fared a bit better 
with all of the rock climbing, stream wading, and muddy trails that we ended up hiking. It was a pretty great spontaneous adventure.
Before heading back up the hill, we stopped at the Paia Fish Market. As per usual, it was packed. It was apparently featured on the Food Network a few months ago and with good reason. I got the fish and chips which is pretty delicious. I am a vegetarian, but I started eating fish last year. I'm pretty excited about all of my additional options here this time around. I feel like I missed out on experiencing some really good food the last time I was on Maui.
Yesterday I headed into Kahului to open a bank account. I was walking and, surprisingly, managed not to get lost. Hooray! It helps that this island hasn't really changed. Also, the Bank of Hawaii still had all of my information from the last time I had a bank account with them. They must have known...
I caught the bus up to Makawao and had a fish taco at Polli's before making the trek back up the mountain. Fortunately, the interns were making their way back to the apartment and picked up me just as it started to rain. It'll be great if the rains end soon so that I can do more exploring without getting soaked.
What's on tap for next weekend? I'm not really sure yet. Maybe some kayaking, but I'm really hesitant since I still have my east coast lackoftan. Nobody wants lobster skin. Or skin cancer. We shall see.
Another fun fact: the state bird of Hawaii is the Nene (nay-nay). September 26th is Nene Awareness Day, so get ready to celebrate the Hawaiian Goose by visiting me in about six months.
spinster cat lady, and having miscellaneous random late-nightish adventures (see photo at right - creds to Ashley). I never thought I would say it ever in my life... I miss South Carolina.
