weekends, a birthday, the Big Island, and SUP

I have failed at my blog updates.

Moving on!  What has happened in the past couple of months?  Welllll... I got a car, which would explain the lack of blog posts.  I've been trying to do as much as possible.  And by as much as possible, I really just mean going to the beach and out in general so I can meet people. 

Not to brag, but my weekends have been pretty amazing.  My birthday weekend, which was at the beginning of May, was spent on a sailboat with some snorkeling and beach time thrown in.  If you decide to come to Maui, take a sailing trip with Paragon out to Molokini for some snorkeling!  The snorkeling at Molokini isn't spectacular, but the sail out there is pretty great.  Plus, you'd be supporting a friend (yay free advertising)!  So Monday of my birthday weekend was spent sailing, snorkeling, and watching some wind and kitesurfing at Kanaha.  Kanaha is located on the North Shore in Kahului.  I would claim it's the windsurfing capital of the world, but I could be making it up.  It's extremely windy at Kanaha which makes for excellent wind-watersports.  Windsurfers and kitesurfers abound with the random gutsy person stand-up paddleboarding (SUP).  There's actually a windsurfing race in June that's held at Kanaha (and yes, I will be in attendance!).  Monday evening was spent having an Aloha dinner at Cafe de Amis with co-workers for an intern who was leaving the next day.  Have I mentioned Cafe de Amis yet?  It's a lovely open-air restaurant located in the beach town of Paia.  They serve crepes and curries and some delicious lilikoi (passionfruit) margaritas.

Tuesday, my actual birthday, began at Grandma's Coffee House located Up-Country in Kula.  Best Chai ever?  Yes.  After, I stopped at Ulupalakua Winery for a wine tasting and to pick up my fantastic birthday present from my brother.  After, I headed down to the south coast near Makena and spent a couple of hours at Little Beach.  Now, Little Beach is a clothing optional beach.  These sorts of beaches are typical in Europe... so if you decide to go and end up feeling a little hesitant, just pretend you're somewhere in Europe.  There is apparently a drum circle there every Sunday evening and sometimes some fire dancers join in.  I know that you're probably thinking of some funny quips as a response, so we'll just leave it at that.  I also ended up at the gym and then had dinner with a friend post-beach.  One of my best birthdays yet, I think.

I ventured all the way around East Maui with a stop in Hana (Ha-Nuh) on one of my weekends.  It's an amazingly beautiful (and sometimes treacherous) drive.  Large tour buses like to drive tourists on Hana Highway... this makes for some unwelcome surprises around turns and questionable driving on one-lane bridges.  There is a red sand beach which takes a little bit of hiking to get to in Hana.  I didn't venture out there this time due to time constraints but I hope to get out there sometime soon.  There's a really good Thai restaurant that's located under a tent near Hana Bay.  It's pretty popular and it took me about an hour and a half to get my tofu pad thai when I was there... so plan ahead.  I ate my lunch at Hana Bay and watched the local school group practicing on their outrigger canoes.  Hana is a small town and it seems pretty close knit.  I'm sure it'd be nice to spend a day or two out there experiencing the slow lifestyle that is lacking a little in the valley due to the mass of people and tourists.

In other news, I took a trip over to the Big Island of Hawaii last month for work.  It was my first trip to the Big Island; I was working the majority of the time, but I did have a chance to check out the Halema'uma'u crater and caldera at night in Volcanoes National Park.  Since I hadn't visited our sister facility on the Big Island yet, I was chosen to transfer one of our chicks.  Want to know more?  Read the new blog about the Maui Parrotbill chicks we've had the privilege of raising!  There are some more recent entries about other species as well if you want to check out the link on the right.  We've actually been in the news a couple of times in the past month.  Hawaiian Airlines is showing a clip about the 'Alala on their flights.  You can check it out here.  We were also on Jeff Corwin's Ocean Mysteries shown on ABC a couple of weeks ago.  Pretty cool, yeah? 

What else has been happening?  I'm slowly taking the steps to having paddleboarding as my hobby.  I've been twice now.  The first time ended in an unfortunate mishap that involved a wave and rocks and my self and a spiky sea creature.  I went again this week and avoided further injury.  It takes some practice to get balanced on the board, but it's worth it once you get the hang of it.  The trick is to not psych yourself out... especially when there could be certain ocean creatures lingering under you while you paddle.  My birthday present to myself was a roof rack and the next step is to save up for the right SUP that I want.  Last Saturday was the Butterfly Effect paddleboard race.  This year it was a three mile downwinder from Baldwin Beach to Kanaha.  It's basically a paddleboard event for women of all skill level.  It begins with a beach cleanup and, this year, it ended with a couple of events in Paia.  I was a little bummed that I couldn't make it this year and I've decided that I'll definitely be partaking next year.  Check out their website; they've recently posted a video from this year's event!  Because I had to work and wasn't quite prepared to do three miles on a paddleboard, I opted to go to the Maui Brewer's Festival instead.  It was a pretty good festival with lots of beer tastings, appetizers, and live music.  And people.  LOTS of people.  SO MANY PEOPLE.  It was a good time though.

I would leave you with a Hawaiian factoid, but I'm all out of words.

miscelleanous updates and facts

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.

rain rain rain

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.

birds, buses, and beaches

My life this week has consisted of power tools, ladders, nest building 101, passerine banding, incubation, a lot of sleep, a random illness, and then there was yesterday...

Work is going well so far and I'm feeling pretty good about everything. I hadn't done much else up until yesterday, really. Sadly, my first weekend was a waste because of a mysterious food poisoning / stomach bug incident. Day one I was ridiculously sick and day two was spent recovering. Thankfully I haven't developed cabin fever yet but I'm sure it's right around the corner. It's not so easy to get off of the mountain when you're lacking a vehicle.

So, one of the perks with living in an abandoned prison? Weird, creepy things happen. This place may or may not be haunted. I don't even know if I believe in ghosts, but many unexplainable things have been happening as of late. One example: there were mysterious footprints in the incubation room this past week. Nobody had been in there and the next time it was checked, they were gone. Nobody had mopped. This makes me feel really great about having to wander over to the incubation room at night in the dark. And by really great, I mean I am sufficiently creeped out and keep looking over my shoulder. Example two: the interns arrived back from dinner and were attempting to unlock the door but something else locked it whilst doing so. They figured it was me but I was in back of the apartment. Neat. At least the ghost isn't harmful? YET.

Yesterday, I decided to finally get out and explore. I started my trek down the mountain at 6:30 AM and made it into Makawao just in time for the 8:11 bus, which was running a few minutes late. It's about 5 miles and about a 2400 foot elevation change from where I'm living to Makawao. Needless to say, I'm a little sore today. I tried out my hitchhiking skills on my way back up, though, and ended up walking uphill for only about 2 miles.

I took the Upcountry Islander bus to Kahului and transferred to the Kihei Islander bus. The bus costs a dollar every time you get on or you can get a day pass for 2 dollars. I went for the latter option and ended up saving at least 5 dollars. Riding the Maui Bus is great for people watching and meeting a lot of interesting people. I made a couple of friends yesterday. If you follow me on the twitter, you probably saw my commentary tweets.

A brief geography lesson on Maui: Makawao is in the "Upcountry", i.e. on Haleakala. Kahului the main city on the island and it's located in the valley; if (WHEN) you fly here, you will fly into the airport in Kahului. Kihei is on the southeastish side of the valley. I've added a handy map for you to reference (click to enlarge).

I laid on the beach in Kihei for a bit then headed to the busier area in search of some snacks. I ended up eating at Fat Boy Burgers near Kalama Park. Of course they had a veggie burger amidst all the animal burgers... this is Maui, afterall. I opted to get the chipotle-lime sauce with caramelized onions and mozzarella cheese. It may or may not have been the best veggie burger I've ever had. I also had their sweet potato fries, but I've been spoiled by Pawley's in Columbia, SC and I found them underwhelming. I wandered around for a bit more, missed the bus, and wandered around a bit longer. It was a nice break from the cold, rainy mountain... and by cold, I mean I currently have six blankets on my bed. And, I am surprisingly not too terribly sunburned after applying sunscreen at least three times. Soon enough I will look less like a haole and more like a local.

Post-making the journey back up the hill, I joined some of the interns at Polli's in Makawao. It's a little Mexican restaurant with lilikoi (passion fruit) margaritas. We met some more locals and enjoyed some good food. Everybody is generally quite friendly here and most are interested in what we do up on the mountain. It was a pretty great day overall. One of my favorite parts was walking down the hill and watching the sun rise over the island.

Today I shall do some domestic things before returning back to work tomorrow. I'm hoping that I can stretch out these sore muscles so I can hike around the lava tubes up the hill after it warms up some. My work schedule will hopefully be changing quite a bit soon, so I'm going to try to take advantage of my set schedule for the remainder of this week. If it ever stops raining after work, I'll start my trail running up the road. Hooray for being able to do things outside during the "winter"!

Did you know that the state fish of Hawaii is the Reef Triggerfish? Also known as the humuhumunukunukuapua'a. Have fun pronouncing that one! :)

new adventures

Well friends, it's been over a year since I last updated this. Catch up: after returning from Belize, I was a veterinary technician in South Carolina up until almost a month ago. Since last month, I have resigned from my job, hung out in San Francisco for a few days, packed my entire life into boxes and suitcases (after giving away the majority of it to Goodwill), attended a fantastic going away party (thanks friends!!!) and boarded a plane to Maui on February 14th.**

** I also found a home for one of my two kitties. The outdoor one still needs a home... any takers in South Carolina?!

Fifteen hours later, I landed in Kahului and two days later I started the job I've been awaiting for years. So now, I am a Research Associate at an avian propagation facility for endangered Hawaiian birds run by the San Diego Zoo and the Hawaiian Endangered Bird Conservation Program. I had an internship with this program in 2006 and ended up staying a year with a seasonal position. Although I won't be discussing the details of my job, you can find out more by checking out the blog (link on the right!).

Things you should know: I work and live in an abandoned prison on the dormant Haleakala volcano. I'm sure there won't be any volcanic explosions while I'm here, but it's entirely possible you'll hear about some unexplained things happening in the apartment. Weird things. GHOSTY THINGS. I'll just preface this blog by saying that creepy things definitely happened the last time I lived here so don't be surprised if there are some slightly hysterical posts. Just saying.

My first few days have been spent getting settled in and reacquainted with the schedule. My body is adapting fairly well to the time change (currently 5 hours behind EST) and tonight is the first night that I haven't felt like taking a nap at 6 PM HST. I was pretty excited to find out that my favorite restaurant is Paia is still open (Cafe de Amis) and I was able to have a delicious vegetable curry wrap with mango chutney and raita last week. My favorite grocery store, Mana Foods, is still around as well. Nothing has really changed in five years... it's almost like a time warp. The only noticeable difference so far is more traffic and a bit more development in general. It's still amazingly beautiful.

Yesterday was the Pacific Whale Foundation's World Whale Day at Kalama Beach park in Kihei. We headed there after work in time to enjoy some reggae / island music, hippie dancing, and good food. It's been pretty cloudy and rainy over the past few days, but the sun broke through just in time for it to set. There was a mass migration of people from the festival to the beach to watch the sun set and, fittingly, there were a couple of whales breaching right off of the beach. I've seen many, many sunsets and this one was by far the most beautiful. The image on the right doesn't really do it justice. It's pretty unbelievable that this is my life now. How did this happen? I'm not complaining.

Tomorrow beings my weekend. I'll probably lay low tomorrow since I still things to do to get settled. Maui has a pretty reliable and cheap bus system which I think I'll explore on Tuesday and find my way to the beach. I have to get the first sunburn over with at some point, I suppose. It'll take me about an hour and a half to walk down the mountain into town and the bus stop, unless somebody offers me a ride. Hitchhiking is actually a pretty good way to get around on the island if you don't have transportation. I've been told that if you're going to hitchhike, Maui is the place to do it. One of these days I'll get my own car. One of these days...

I think you've been sufficiently caught up... stay tuned for more updates!