Today we rose early and flew to Maui.  We were extremely sad to see Kauai fade behind us.  As we drove away from Kahului toward Kaanapali on Maui, we noticed that the landscape was more like the desert at home than the lush vegetation we had grown accustomed to on Kauai.  As we venture to the east side of Maui, we know that changes, but this morning it was a harsh reality.

Making the drive more complicated was fitting our luggage into our convertible.  Let’s just put it this way, the Camaro is a well built car, especially in the SuperSport trim.  However, it was barely designed to carry a family of four, let alone if they had any luggage.  It turns out that roller bags can fit in some awkward places, and power seats are an underutilized packing tool.

Not long after we arrived at our hotel, the Kaanapali Alii, we let out a sigh of relief.  The kids are big enough now that sharing a bed isn’t their favorite and is only done under protest.  Plus they have grown accustomed to beach vacations with rented houses and not small hotel rooms, so we all felt the need to spread out a little.  The resort is a residence resort where people rely on on-site management to use their properties as hotel rooms.  What a steal.  We have a 2,000 square foot condo with two bedrooms, an ocean view, and a full kitchen.  For a week.  It feels great.

After settling in a little, we headed down to the beach.  The currents have been strong everywhere, and Maui is no exception.  I kept the kids close by due to an undertow which was enough to pull me off my feet and at least once disorient me a little.  Which made this next part a little questionable, but the water wasn’t very deep and I knew there were a lot of surfers not far from where we were.  Someone spotted a sea turtle.  Since we had cancelled our snorkeling trip tomorrow based on the sea sickness on Kauai, this was a particularly important find.  I grabbed the underwater camera and my mask and tried to chase him to snap a picture.  I got a few.  All of them of some form of turtle butt.  For enormous creatures, this one was close to my size, they are quite fast and graceful underwater.  The current did nothing to help me, but when I emerged from the water about 100 yards later, I was happy that I had a couple pictures.

I was struggling to keep up. And yes, this was the best I got.

From the beach, we cleaned up and headed to the luau at Old Lahaina.  The event has the distinction of being the most traditional luau on the island and doesn’t get lost in the touristy schtick.  I have mixed feelings about that because personally, I love the fire dancers, but whatever.  Maybe after a few drinks later in the week, I will try to teach myself.

The kids loved the luau, the performance more than the food.  Rylie enjoyed what must have been gourmet watermelon and banana bread based on their price per pound, but everyone was happy.  Chloe and Rylie each got souvenirs, a hand carved wooden turtle and handmade conch earrings respectively.  They even were able to get the picture taken with some of the performers.  Everyone had a great night.