Boot Camp Paradise

Helloooooooo people!

I thought it was about time for a Hawaii update and as the pace of life is nice and slow here so I can't be blaimed for leaving it till now!
I've had lots of time to learn about the island in the last 2 weeks and our 'Maui Revealed' guidebook has hardly left my side whenever I leave the studio.
The island is actually pretty tiny and i've written up a mini list of things I want to achieve while here (no surprise there then).

My routine mainly consists of 2 things, beaching and kitesurfing. Not a bad routine!
Seeing as it's the best place in the world to do it I'm kiting often and doing the mingle thing with the locals. Kahana Beach doesn't seem to have the same localism issues that Kite Beach does and i'm really enjoying the freedom that taking to the sea alone gives me. In fact i'm full blown obsessed with it and the thought of not being able to kite 5 times a week makes me break into a sweat.
Maui is very varied and beautiful and there are many things to do when you have a car and the desire to explore. The boys don't seem so keen about the hikes as i do though so I'm getting out there and back to nature with myself for company.

Since my last post Buck has 'sort of' behaved himself with no more random scary incidents occurring whilst on the road. Until yesterday that is, when he ran out of gas halfway up the mountain while I was on a rare drive alone. Cheers Buck.
There I am trying to be all independent when I get left in the extremely undesirable situation of knocking on random residential doors trying to blag a lift back to my house for the forgotten gas tank. Did i mention our fuel gauge doesn't work!?

There are a few places that have become our regular day visits, these are Paia, Ho'opika, Baldwin Beach and Big Beach.
Paia is a very quaint little town with a surfer type population and oozes Maui charm. The buildings are wooden and painted all sorts of bright oolours, palms line the roads and little (pricey) boutiques suck peoples bank accounts dry. There's a great little coffee shop called Anthonys where we've become VERY familiar faces and i'm able to walk in and say 'the usual please' which is novel.

Ho'opika is a stretch of coastline with a small beach on the North shore that is widely known as the best windsurfing spot in the world. A pretty impressive claim for a little piece of island! It's fun to watch them zooming up and down like ants on a water motorway but no kiters are allowed so I can't join in there.

Baldwin Beach is beautiful, a golden strip of sand with artistic looking driftwood poking out of the sand at all angles. It's a great place to chill and i've taken to drinking a beer and listening to music as the sun goes down here.

Big Beach is Loz's favourite as there is a dangerous shorebreak present most of the time, perfect for bodyboarding. This wave is known for for its injury count and it's not unusual for people to break their necks and backs from being thrown over the lip and down onto the sand. Therefore I'm very careful when I go in the sea there and never turn my back to the ocean!

So last Monday we ventured to Twin Falls, a set of fairly touristy waterfalls buried in the jungle along the North Shore. Aside from giving the jurassic sized mosquitoes a tasty lunch it was a fun day trip and I got an extra buzz by wondering off the beaten track and discovering a much prettier and secluded waterfall away from anyone else. Playing under the falls was like something straight from a movie scene and I loved it. There are many more to be found but they will come during our road trip to Hana (more on that later).

On Tuesday we snuck down to Baldwin after dark and attempted a BBQ on the beach. Previous travellers had left a surprisingly well built fire pit made of reef stone accompanied by driftwood logs to sit on and although we had our fair share of problems (like Loz forgetting the grill for the meat!) we made some mean burgers and you know what they say...it's more about the experience than the food. Well, it was with us anyway!

Last Thursday I was itching to take the car and get some time in the mountain so I tried one of the small hikes mentioned in the guide book called the 'Waihe'e Valley Trail'. I was one of very few people on the trail and it was amazing to be walking around in the lush vegetation. However, as the sun began to set and the wind started its evening whisper in the trees above me the jungle definitely begun to take on an eerie atmosphere and I was glad to get to the end. I had to cross two swinging rope bridges and boulder hop some streams which added to the mini adventure but is probably as close to being Indiana Jones as i'll ever get.

I've been busy organising a few trips for us in the upcoming days but hurricane Felicia which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm is set to hit us tomorrow and is likely to keep us housebound for a day or two. Later this week i'm hoping to do a loop drive of west Maui and visit some of the sights in that part of the island, apparently there's an ocean blowhole formed from lava erosion which is worth a look.
Also, i'm dragging the boys on a 2 day road trip around the island which involves staying overnight in a remote little cabin in Hana on the eastern point. I'm really excited about it and know it'll be a feast for the eyes :)

It's just started raining, I can hear the drops on the wooden roof above me which is weird as it's the first rain i've had for almost 3 months. Had almost forgotten what it was like...bet you hate me for saying that?!

Anyway, time to watch some Dexter on the ipod and dream about kitesurfing (I wish i'd been born in a tropical location with wind as I know i'd be a professional by now!)

Ciao for now.