Old Skool Airline Tickets Time was circa 1994. How exciting, I was going to Maui! I invited my best friend Nick to join me and we couldn't wait!!!
Neither of us ever stepping foot on Hawaiian soil before, we just knew that this was going to be an amazing trip!
It all began with being treated like a princess from the moment we checked into our hotel The Fairmont Kea Lani located in Wailea, Maui - where the staff was amazing!
Everything had been booked under my name, so both Nick and I both got a real chuckle everytime he would be referred to as Mr "B". He is of Asian descent, and we were both like "really?!" **Giggles**
SO many times were we mistaken for "Honeymooners" - can a guy and girl not travel together as friends, without these assumptions?
Anyhow, with neither of us being over 25yrs at the time (we were both just barely 19); we couldn't rent a car. So we did the next best thing. We hired several tour operators to show us "mainlanders" around, and we packed our roller blades! Taxis here and there in between.
Neither of us ever stepping foot on Hawaiian soil before, we just knew that this was going to be an amazing trip!
It all began with being treated like a princess from the moment we checked into our hotel The Fairmont Kea Lani located in Wailea, Maui - where the staff was amazing!
Everything had been booked under my name, so both Nick and I both got a real chuckle everytime he would be referred to as Mr "B". He is of Asian descent, and we were both like "really?!" **Giggles**
SO many times were we mistaken for "Honeymooners" - can a guy and girl not travel together as friends, without these assumptions?
Anyhow, with neither of us being over 25yrs at the time (we were both just barely 19); we couldn't rent a car. So we did the next best thing. We hired several tour operators to show us "mainlanders" around, and we packed our roller blades! Taxis here and there in between.
 Check out the Roller Blade Bag and my reading material 'SeinLanguage'  A couple of preserved brochures |  Our Lanai (Balcony)  Ay Ay Capitan! |
I recall our first night (as it really stood out for me), we decided that we wanted to check out the local lay of the land, as well as go grab a bite to eat!
So we put on our blades (yes we travelled with our inline skates), threw a backpack over our shoulders and hit the pavement. Once we found a good place to stop and fill our tummies, we also were curious as to how far we had gone.
We found out that we were now 9 miles from our hotel (so 18 miles round trip), not too shabby! Anyhow, on our way back we were skating under some trees and then
all of a sudden I got sooooo freaked out!
There were frogs the size of my palms falling out of the trees! OMG..It was raining frogs!!
I am not the type of person who handles situations like this too well.. Nick found me beyond amusing! I certainly gave him quite the laugh!!
So we put on our blades (yes we travelled with our inline skates), threw a backpack over our shoulders and hit the pavement. Once we found a good place to stop and fill our tummies, we also were curious as to how far we had gone.
We found out that we were now 9 miles from our hotel (so 18 miles round trip), not too shabby! Anyhow, on our way back we were skating under some trees and then
all of a sudden I got sooooo freaked out!
There were frogs the size of my palms falling out of the trees! OMG..It was raining frogs!!
I am not the type of person who handles situations like this too well.. Nick found me beyond amusing! I certainly gave him quite the laugh!!
 The color on these pix suck! :(  Above the clouds, heading to Haleakala  Sunset from our Suite |  Sights from the Sugar Cane Train  Such interesting Flora |
Check out my fun shorts! lol So much beauty to be seen on this island of tropical wonders, it was amazing!
We did so much touring and sightseeing (as usual), and with each activity I had a change of wardrobe. I remember one experience where the staff made reference to me as being a "moviestar"! (Yup dont'cha know, I'm famous in Peru!)
Another thing I was completely amazed by were all of the exotic fruits that I had never seen before! Now while I'm not exactly the type who enjoys these exotic goodies, I knew that my family would. So I bought up a bunch of the most interesting finds! (More on this later)
We did so much touring and sightseeing (as usual), and with each activity I had a change of wardrobe. I remember one experience where the staff made reference to me as being a "moviestar"! (Yup dont'cha know, I'm famous in Peru!)
Another thing I was completely amazed by were all of the exotic fruits that I had never seen before! Now while I'm not exactly the type who enjoys these exotic goodies, I knew that my family would. So I bought up a bunch of the most interesting finds! (More on this later)
 Ankle deep mud on this hike! |  Fairmont Kea Lani |
On one hike, I totally slipped on my butt as we hiked through a bamboo forest!
It was sooo slippery!
We saw gorgeous waterfalls & some of the best beaches in the world!
Now while I absolutely love the fantastic views, I'm really not so much a beachy type of gal.
But I wanted to make sure that I got to at least enjoy a couple of hours with the warm sand between my toes. Not being much of a water person either. I surprisingly also wanted to squeeze in some time at the beautiful pool; ya know to throughly enjoy the wonderful lush & tropical landscaping at this beautiful resort.
So on our last day I planned nothing else, but to go to the beach, go to the pool, and then to relax in our huge deep soaking tub, all before heading to the airport and then making our way back to the Mainland!
It was sooo slippery!
We saw gorgeous waterfalls & some of the best beaches in the world!
Now while I absolutely love the fantastic views, I'm really not so much a beachy type of gal.
But I wanted to make sure that I got to at least enjoy a couple of hours with the warm sand between my toes. Not being much of a water person either. I surprisingly also wanted to squeeze in some time at the beautiful pool; ya know to throughly enjoy the wonderful lush & tropical landscaping at this beautiful resort.
So on our last day I planned nothing else, but to go to the beach, go to the pool, and then to relax in our huge deep soaking tub, all before heading to the airport and then making our way back to the Mainland!
 Hula anyone? |  The happy "Honeymooners"! lol |
For some odd reason, I hadn't checked our boarding passes prior to the day of departure - like not until after my nice long soak in that amazing tub!
Here's where things got a bit crazy!
I had assumed that the flights were quite a bit later than they actually were! Yikes - panic took over. I was scrambling and going a bit nuts. We had to go - like leave right away!
Luckily I had all of my bags packed and I had all of the tropical goodies (to be handed out upon my return) in a big sack.
We caught a cab and kind of hurried (Hawaiians don't know how to rush or hurry - actually, they have no sense of time whatsoever...hugely frustrating to me who is always expecting things to happen on schedule and in a New York minute!)
Getting to the airport without a minute to spare, we literally had to run to the gate! To top it off, I got held up along the way! Because little did I know that I couldn't bring ANY of the fruit with me! I had to dump the entire bag. What a waste!
Out of breath we made it on board. Whew! Although come to think about it, I really wouldn't have minded missing that flight after-all! We had throughly enjoyed every aspect our trip! Aloha & Mahalo!
-T
Here's where things got a bit crazy!
I had assumed that the flights were quite a bit later than they actually were! Yikes - panic took over. I was scrambling and going a bit nuts. We had to go - like leave right away!
Luckily I had all of my bags packed and I had all of the tropical goodies (to be handed out upon my return) in a big sack.
We caught a cab and kind of hurried (Hawaiians don't know how to rush or hurry - actually, they have no sense of time whatsoever...hugely frustrating to me who is always expecting things to happen on schedule and in a New York minute!)
Getting to the airport without a minute to spare, we literally had to run to the gate! To top it off, I got held up along the way! Because little did I know that I couldn't bring ANY of the fruit with me! I had to dump the entire bag. What a waste!
Out of breath we made it on board. Whew! Although come to think about it, I really wouldn't have minded missing that flight after-all! We had throughly enjoyed every aspect our trip! Aloha & Mahalo!
-T
The one and only time I spent time on the beach!