So, I have previously blogged about how to get an inexpensive massage on Maui.  The secret is that there is a massage school upcountry that has a student clinic that offers one-hour massages for $30.

Well, I am happy to say, Sweetie and I have found another massage school!  Our new discovery is the Aloha School of Massage Therapy in Kahului.  They offer the same thing - they have student clinics where the students practice their massage techniques, and they offer hour-long massages for $30. 

The same caveats apply - you will be getting a massage from a student, possibly with an instructor coming in and out to offer appraisal and assistance.  This is not a fancy massage place with your own room, bathrobes, and scented candles, etc.  There is one large room with individual tables separated by hanging curtains. 

But you know, for $30 (plus tip), Sweetie and I just got some pretty sweet massages.  Both of us thought these massages were better than the ones we got upcountry.  But then, the guy who was working on me said that their school runs from July to July.  So, by June, these students are at the end of their training and ready to take the state exam.  The massages may be less than professional at the beginning of the school year.  Who cares!?? It's $30 for an hour.  Wooo hooo!

OK, no.  It's not really *raining* geckos over here in Maui.  But one thing I have figured out is this - I need to stand back when I open the front door of our house.  I don't know if the geckos just like to hang out at the top of the door frame.  Or maybe they are perched on top of the door.  But every so often, when I open the front door to take out the trash or go get the mail, I'll be surprised when -- *THUNK!* something falls and lands in front of my toes.  It is a gecko that launches itself from the top of the door to the ground.  I let out a girlie shriek the first time it happened.  If it had been a big spider, I may have passed out.  But I love the geckos.  They eat bugs. 

Geckos are our friends. They remind of a friend/former co-worker of mine.  One of our biologists at work, his personal animal menagerie consists of many fish, snakes, geckos and other such creatures.  He would often get new animals delivered at work.  Knowing I love to see all his critters, he would call me into his office when he opened his boxes so I could oooh and ahhh over them.  Except the huge spider he got.  I didn't need to be introduced to the spider.

Whew!

I passed a Chevron station on Thursday where the gas prices were $4.08, $4.18, and $4.28. 

Looks like the average in Hawai'i last week was $3.697, according to this article. 

Not that I am complaining, mind you.  Much as I hate oil companies making obscene profits, I am not opposed to high gas prices, per se.  I may be in the minority with this opinion.  I just thought I'd update y'all. 

Unfortunately, the high fuel prices lead to higher food prices over here and, according to the statements by the leaders of ATA and Aloha Airlines, the demise of two airlines.  Nobody likes higher food costs, I would bet.  That is something I would complain about.  Sweetie has been working to save us money on some of our other amenities - our dsl and our cable.  The things we want but don't *need* as much as.....say......milk and bread.  I am, once again, very thankful that I work from home.  When we don't have visitors, I only need to fill up my tank less than once a month.  Very lucky.  But we still need to eat every day.  Are you cutting back anything non-essential to make up for higher fuel and food costs?

ok Friends,

It is time to let you in on a little secret of mine.  My favorite sushi on Maui.  So far, my favorite sushi anywhere.  This probably counts as my favorite restaurant on Maui because of the absolute yummy consistency.  Other restaurants have better ambiance.  Some places have served me one or two dishes that I like more.  But no place is as consistently good as Sansei.

Sansei in Hawai'i has several locations.  Here on Maui, we have a Sansei in Kihei and Kapalua.  Sweetie and I love to take our guests to Sansei.  Everyone loves it - from his Japanese friends who "tested" the restaurant with some obscure food order to my mom who declared "You know I don't like sushi" and then proceeded to eat everything in sight.  We go there with our local friends.  We go alone.  The food is flavorful and fresh.  The service is good, considering we usually keep our server running triple-time with our non-stop sushi orders.

Sansei has a robust menu, so even you non-sushi eaters should find plenty of good food to enjoy.  Besides sushi, they have chicken, steaks, and pork chops. They have yummy noodle dishes.  I, of course, can't get past the sushi.  I even love the panko-crusted ahi sashimi roll, and I'm not a bit fan of sashimi.  But that roll is delectable.  Other favorites are the tempura shrimp roll, the yaki-maki, the Sansei special roll, and the not-usually-on-the-menu Oops Roll.  Sweetie loves the dynamite shrimp and the miso Butterfish - a couple of pieces of melty butterfish in a miso sauce.  Melts in your mouth!

Now, like most places on Maui, dinner items can be a little pricey.  So, here is the best-kept secret on Maui.  Sansei has early-bird specials.  At the Kihei location, most days of the week, if you get in and order during the first hour, the food is 25-percent off.  On Sundays and Mondays, the doors open earlier (at 5:00 instead of 5:30) and the food is half-off if you order during the first hour.  You cannot beat this!  We just had dinner at Sansei with three friends, and we all saved about $75 off the bill.  It is a great deal for fantastic food.  There is, of course a line in front of the restaurant.  I usually get to the restaurant by 4:30, and I've always managed to get seated in time to order.  At one point, I read that you have to have a Hawai'i drivers license to get the early-bird special in Kapalua.  Not sure if this is true.  If you are in that area, you might want to call ahead and ask. 

Regardless, if you can make it at any time, the food is well worth the price.  It's just nice to save some money.  I figure I'm not giving too much away since only a few people read this blog, and you're not all likely to be on the island at the same time.  Locals don't like to have island secrets shared with mainland folk.  But we'll just keep this between ourselves, shall we?

You can see sushi pictures here:

http://www.sanseihawaii.com/gallery.html

No.

Freakin'.

Way.

Do you remember, at the end of the series of "The Brady Bunch" how Cousin Oliver came around?  And suddenly, bad things were happening to everyone and they blamed cousin Oliver and called him a jinx?  He ended up being a stroke of good luck at the end of the episode.  But, for the record?  I still think he was a jinx.

Do you remember in my blog a couple of days ago, I wrote this:

As for my frequent flier miles?  Maybe I can transfer them to United, who was a partner with Aloha in miles.  *sigh*  I would mention that I also have enough miles with ATA to qualify for a free round-trip ticket.  But I don't want to jinx them. 

Well.  Guess what?

No.  Really.  Guess.  Take a wild crazy leap.

Yes.  That is right.......

ATA Airlines canceled all flights Thursday after filing for bankruptcy as it posted advisories at ticket counters in the handful of cities it still served and sought help for stranded travelers.

To my friends and family on the mainland, I guess you won't be seeing much of me this year.  I flew Aloha Airlines and ATA.  They have always had the best deals.  Now, with higher fuel costs and less competition, I shudder to think how high ticket prices will go.  Thank goodness I got married *last* year, with all the flights back and forth. Those days are over, I think.  I feel so stranded out here.

You can read the whole sad miserable story here: 

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/ata-airlines-discontinues-all-operations/20080403062609990001

Wouldn't you just know it??!

As soon as, for the first time in my life, I accumulate enough frequent flier miles to qualify for a free *something", Aloha Airlines declared today they are halting all passenger service.

Drat.

Aloha Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection n March 21.  I wasn't too worried about it since Aloha has filed for bankruptcy in the past.  I was hoping they would just rearrange things and keep flying.  Then, they declared they were looking for someone to buy them.  The Hawaiian state legislature kicked it up quickly last week to try and provide support to Aloha.  News on Friday was there was a buyer for Aloha's freight service. 

But Sweetie just called me to his computer to see the latest news.  The airline said it would stop taking reservations for flights after Monday, and tickets for flights after Monday will not be honored. 

I guess it's a good thing I had already planned to cancel my trip to California next week.  I have a reservation for a one-way ticket.  Here's to hoping I can get a refund for it. 

As for my frequent flier miles?  Maybe I can transfer them to United, who was a partner with Aloha in miles.  *sigh*  I would mention that I also have enough miles with ATA to qualify for a free round-trip ticket.  But I don't want to jinx them. 

This week's Picture Perfect theme is Illumination.

This picture was taken in February during my mom's visit.  We took her out to dinner at Mama's Fish House.  As I've said before, part of the experience of dining at Mama's is just that - the whole experience from start to finish.  The walkway down to the restaurant from the parking lot was ILLUMINATED by tiki torches, the almost-full moon, and these lights dancing on the archway.  After dinner, we walked on the sandy beach in the glow of the moonlight, listened to the waves, and sat by the tiki torches to savor the night.

It was magical. 

One of my good friends was here visiting Maui last week.  She had a pretty successful trip, with a snorkel excursion, a visit to the Kula Lodge and the Tedeschi Winery, shopping in Lahaina, and some good beach time.

I'll write another blog about the snorkel trip.  I have now gone on three different snorkel trips with three different outfits here on Maui and have a few comments about all that.

As I stated before, February 23 was the best whale-watching day I've ever had.  However, one day on the beach in March was also pretty good.  We were in the area of the Keawakapu Beach.  This is the southernmost beach in Kihei, I think. 

I had my camera with me to take pictures of T during her day at the beach.  I also got a nice shot of this Red-Crested Cardinal:

So, I had my camera in hand when, suddenly, in the water in front of us a whale popped up!  The whale jumped, the people on the shore said oooooohhh!,

and I pulled up my camera and laughingly said

"Well, I'll just take a picture of where the whale *was* and tell everyone 'this is where a whale jumped.'"

Then, it jumped again!  Right at the edge of my shot:

I kept my camera up.

And it jumped again!

Then I got excited and took a picture of the trees:

And finally, one more shot of the whale before it swam away:

All in all, not a bad day at the beach.

Later on, when T and Sweetie were shopping at Costco, Sweetie was excited to find something he has not had since he was a kid visiting Hawai'i:  Guava Bread.  Yes my friends, pink bread that includes guava concentrate.  It's quite good.  I can't say that it is much different than a regular loaf of slightly sweet bread.  It's bread.  Tastes good.  Makes good toast.  It's just very pink:

We brought it home, sliced it up, and Sweetie cooked us some Guava Bread French Toast for breakfast.  Pour a little coconut syrup on top, eat with some fresh Maui pineapple, and mmmmm......... that is hard to beat.  If you have a chance, look out for it.  Something unique to enjoy.

Aloha!

Hmmmm....

Apparently economic analysts, and President Bush, do not get out to Maui much.  He is "unaware of predictions of $4-a-gallon gasoline in the coming months."

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/28/news/economy/bush_energy_policy/index.htm?cnn=yes

We here on Maui are already looking at $4 a gallon gas.  I just filled up the car since Mom is here visiting, and the car is actually being driven.  Our prices are $3.85, $3.95, and $4.05.  For some reason, Maui gas is even more expensive than Oahu gas, which is much more expensive than mainland gas. I'll have to take a picture on my next run out.  Everything is more expensive out here.  *sigh*

If you come to Maui, of course you have to go to the beach.  If you are anything like my family members - ALL you want to do is go to the beach.  Makes for some pretty easy hosting duties for me.  I give them the car keys, provide a couple of towels and a little cooler, and off they go!

What you will discover if you frequent the beaches on Maui is that the best time to go is in the mornings.  The sun is warm and bright early in the day.  The benefit of mornings is lighter winds.  Maui's Trade Winds are great for keeping the island cool.  They are not so great for calm little days at the beach.  The winds tend to whip up in the afternoon, which means the sand starts blowing and the surf gets kicked up a notch.  If you are planning activities in Maui, I would say - go the beach early, take a lunch, and then plan other activities for the afternoon.  You'll catch plenty of sun and calm tropical sand.

As for whales, Maui has got to be the best place to see them.  In general, whale season - the time when the whales hang out around the Maui County islands to have their calves - is from December to April.  I think it may extend into the first half of May.  I've seen plenty of whales in January, February, and March.  Sweetie and I took his mom out on a whale watch this year in January.  The naturalist on board said the BEST time to see whales is - "From full moon February to full moon March."  My Mom and I went on a snorkel/whale trip in February and we saw more whales than I saw in January. 

But the BEST day?  The best day ever?  I went to the beach with mom on Saturday February 23.  This was a couple of days after the full moon on February 21, which also happened to be the night of the lunar eclipse.  I don't know what was going on in the water that day, but we saw dozens of breaching whales.  We didn't need to go out on a boat.  We saw plenty of whales from the beach.  And for a couple of hours, around 12:00 noon, they were going nuts.  For a short while, we saw spouts every minute.  And we saw breaching whales every five minutes.  It was amazing.  I'd never seen anything like it.  Beautiful.  Nuts.  Pretty nice day at the beach.

Mmm.........

Sweetie and I went to Costco today.  We bought stuff. 

Amongst our "stuffary" are such elements as:

Tuberose

and

pineapple.

They both have very strong, sweet smells.  A tuberose has a very distinct smell.

All of a sudden, our house smells very Hawaiian.  It's kind of nice.

Why have we bought such nice things?

Mom is coming to visit!!  Hooray! 

Should be fun.  I may even go to the beach! Will be the first time since Big Sis and family came to visit in November.

You know how I said - If I could just get someone to open an Indian restaurant on this island, I'd never have to move?

Well, I guess someone wants me to stay.

Sweetie surprised me with dinner for our dating anniversary this month.  He would not tell me where we were going, but he said "Help me look out for it" as we drove along South Kihei Road.  I said - "How can I look for a place when I don't know where we are going?"

But, once I saw the sign, I knew where we were going for dinner.

Shangri-La By the Sea - Authentic Indian Cuisine

Woo hoo!  An Indian restaurant on Maui!  There may be another one, but I haven't been able to find one yet. 

The restaurant is located in the Menehune Shores condos.  It's by the ocean, but it was dark so we couldn't see it.  It looked like they have an outdoor seating area.  The waitress said they have been open for about a month and a half.  They do not yet have a liquor license, but she said we could bring our own wine/drinks next time if we wanted to.  The restaurant looked pretty good.  The service was a little casual for a restaurant that seems to try to look upscale.  But, Sweetie said "Hey, we're in Maui."  True, but in California, if I order chicken tikka masala for $17, I get a full meal with daal soup, raita, rice, and papadums.  But.  Again.  We are in Maui.  Most things are more expensive over here. 

They have a pretty good-sized menu.  Chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetarian choices.  Sweetie was pretty excited when he saw Cheese Naan on the menu.  We ordered it before the rest of the food even came out.  He could not wait.  We enjoyed it, but I have to say I preferred the garlic naan that we ordered next.  Of course, as Sweetie likes to remind me, he has had cheese naan in France with brie in the Brie region.  I'm not sure anything over here can compare.  Since I can't compare to that, I will say the garlic naan was fantastic!

We ordered a shrimp saag and chicken tikka masala.  The chicken was great.  The pieces were big and tender and the sauce was awesome.  The sauce was creamy but not too heavy.  There was a lot of sauce which I dumped all over the rice that came with our entrees.  It was tasty - the takeout menu we grabbed says that dishes come mild, and you can order them in medium or hot.  I think next time we should ask for medium.  The saag was pretty good - not in my top three, but close.  I really wanted to try the samosas, but we knew we wouldn't be able to eat that much food.  Guess we will have to go back. 

All in all, it was very good dinner.  I'm sooooo happy I don't have to wait to visit the mainland to get a full Indian meal.  I hope they do well!

There is a beefier review of the restaurant over HERE. 

The restaurant is at 760 S. Kihei Road.  Check times at the website highlighted above.

OK folks, it's time to talk about that all-important subject again:

FOOD!

I'd like to introduce you to my favorite Thai restaurant on Maui.  In Kihei there is a little restaurant in the back (all the way back) of a shopping area on South Kihei Road.  It is called Maui Thai and, so far, it has the best Thai food I have tried on Maui.  Sweetie and I have been to several Thai restaurants on the island.  Some will we return to.  Many we will never return to.  Our favorite is Maui Thai.

It's not that great on ambiance so don't expect to be wowed by the restaurant appearance.  But the food is great.  We love the curries, especially the Panang Curry.  Pad Thai is good - not the best ever, but probably in my top three.  We love the spring and summer rolls.  Sweetie prefers the fresh summer rolls.  I like the spring rolls because, hey - I'll take deep fried over fresh any day of the week!  So, we alternate back and forth on those. 

Like most restaurants on Maui, there are plenty of fish items.  They also have many vegetarian items.  Eggplant is good, but I can't get that too often if I want to share.  We just tried something new. 

Sweetie called them up and said "I want something with fish.  And ginger."  Something like that.

And the guy said "We have a Mahi Ginger Sauce." 

And Sweetie said "We'll take it."

And.....holy crap!  That was YUM!  It was kind of sweet.  Not hot at all (in case you are looking for a non-spicy dish).  Which was perfect because we also had the Panang Curry, which we always order medium but still manages to clear out the sinuses pretty good.  Whew!  It was excellent.  Consistency is key, and Maui Thai has consistently served us good meals.  Not fancy.  But good.

Now.........if I could just get somebody, anybody (ok somebody good) to open an Indian restaurant on this island.....I'd never have to leave.

Whew!

The rain over here in unrelenting.  Which, for me - is ok.  I love rain.  Always have.  Will take a walk outside in the first rain of the season.  Or the third.  Rain cheers me up.  And we got a short but wicked burst of lightning and thunder today, which I don't get to see too often anymore.

Wind, however, is another matter.  Ummm......how do I put this delicately? 

I hate wind.  Hate with a fiery passion.  Hate with the heat of a thousand suns.  Hate the noise.  Hate the shaking.  Hate the loss of electricity.  Hate the lack of sleep all night.  Do you need more reasons to hate wind?  I can't believe that Sweetie managed to be out of town during this entire storm!  He is double lucky, since he would have to deal with my jumping from bed to couch to bed to couch all night trying to find a refuge from the screaming wind.  No such luck.

According to our weather guy last week, hurricane season ended on November 30.  But this storm system has packed a pretty good wallop (what the heck is a wallop?).  Rain since Saturday.  High surf.  Flash flood warnings.  High wind warnings.  I think they've had gusts at the top of Haleakala over 60 mph.  For us regular folks, the wind has been 25 to 40.  The sheets of rain that were coming down this afternoon were coming down sideways.  At one point the visibility was - "I can see across the street and no further."  That's pretty impressive given I can usually see across the valley and to the top of 10,000+-foot Haleakala from that window.  Or, I could if it wasn't in clouds most of the time.

The waves on the north side are high, but as our weather guy says "It's garbage."  Too choppy and sloppy to surf on.  I'm not sure who patrols the shores during high surf warnings, but they only let experienced surfers go out during high wave periods.  Not sure how they figure that out.  How do you get credentials for that?  The locals are probably well known here.  But what about the surf-loving tourists from other states?  Do they need to have a letter of recommendation from competitive surfers?  Surf judges?? A copy of Surfer's Weekly with their picture on the cover?? Not sure how it works. 

According to the evening news, some roads have washed away, along with a house upcountry.  I've been staying firmly indoors because I've seen the streets I drive on in the news - they're a little *achem!*  soggy.  Given the damage that Oregon and Washington have seen this week, Maui probably doesn't have much to complain about.  But I can complain about wind any day of the week.  Just watch me. 

For those of you joining this blog from Holidailies, I’d like to take the time to introduce you to my new home - Maui, Hawai’i.  The pictures are all from my first trip a few years ago when Sweetie gave me the full tour.

I have lived here since August 2006, when I packed up everything I owned, quit my job of 9  years, left my family and friends, and moved across the ocean to be with my Sweetie.  And, did I mention, my father had just died in June?  Yeah.  It was a crazy year for a Taurus gal who has absolutely no problem living her life in a rut.  But then, I had waited 35 long years to find the perfect guy, and I would have gone to the ends of the earth to be with Sweetie.  All in all, I lucked out to land in Maui.

Known as the Valley Isle, Maui was formed by two volcanoes with a long isthmus in between.  Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands and is a fairly young island, in the chain.  Our big volcano - Haleakala - is not a completely dead volcano, and could erupt in the next million years.  Just to warn ya.

Maui has a constant warm weather pattern.  I grew up in the central valley of California - were we only had two seasons a year - winter and summer.  We had a couple weeks of spring-like or fall-like weather, but it was usually either cold or very very hot.  Now, I live in Maui and I have gone from two seasons a year to one.  Warm all year long.  The house we are renting here in Maui has no central heat or air.  None.  We don’t really need it.  It rarely dips below 70 degrees in our house.  It does get warm during the summer, but I don’t mind warmth.  I learned quickly after moving here that I didn’t need to bring but one pair of long pants, one sweatshirt, and no socks (ok - I do wear socks when I go on my walk, but I don’t need them for warmth).  You don’t need them.  Even on a day like together - it has been windy and raining all day long this December 2.  But what am I wearing?  Shorts and a tank top.  Pretty much sums up every day over here.

One advantage of that? I haven’t been sick one day since I’ve lived here.  Pretty nice.

Maui has a windy side - the north.  This is where you go if you want to see a plethora of windsurfers and surfers.  You can go to Paia town and see the relaxed hippie part of the island.  (you can also eat at The Flatbread Company...yummmm). 

Maui has a dry side - Kihei in south Maui.  This is where I take my visiting friends and family to the beach when they come visit (you can also eat at Alexander's across from the beaches).  It is almost always dry there, with an average of about 16 inches of rain a year.  Now, a lot of visitors choose to stay and beach in the Ka’anapali and Kapalua areas.  These are great resort areas.  Nice golf courses, posh shopping, a zillion resorts, nice beaches. 

Maui has a wet side - the east.   The east side of the island can get from 200 to 360 inches of rain a year.  If you’ve read up on Maui, you’ve read about the road to Hana.  A long, twisting road along the tropical lush coastline, you can stop to see waterfalls, lookout points, and tropical gardens.  You can travel past Hana to the Pools of Ohe’o.  Now, to be honest, this is not my favorite thing to do on Maui.  This tends to be the trip I send my guests out alone on.  Could have something to do with the car crash Sweetie and I experienced on one trip.  I would rather drive up to Haleakala. 

Which leads me to upcountry Maui.  Lovely area.  Haleakala National Park with views of, and hikes into, the crater.  Lots of other hikes on the way up.  Maui’s only winery past Keokea.  The Kula Lodge.  Nice scenery all around. 

There is so much you can see and do here.  We don't have a big metro area, or all the history of Oahu, but there is plenty of whale watching, snorkeling, and sunset-watching you can do here.  Or sunrise - if you want to get up at the crack of dawn and make the trek up to the top of Haleakala (this would be the time to carry that one sweater you bring to the island - it is always freezing cold at the top).

Or, you can just pick one of the beaches and laze around for days  Keep in mind the sun is pretty intense over here and a little beach exposure goes a long way. 

Food - those of you who know me know I could go on for a long time about food in Maui.  I could write several blogs.  Oh!  I already did.  Check out Mauifood tag for my food discoveries.

I’ve also blogged about Maui Time.  There is definitely a more relaxed atmosphere on this island than most anywhere else.  More relaxed than my (short) experience on Oahu.  Certainly more relaxed than California.  Nice to experience.  Also means you have to be pretty patient when waiting for things like.....oh.....landscaping.......or...... maybe.......oven repairmen. 

This is just a small summary.  There are some good tour books you can pick up - through you might want to be careful about leaving that sitting on the front seat of your car while traveling around the island.  Many locals are not happy with tourists discovering their old hidden hot spots.  Last time a friend of mine tried to visit the Blue Pool, they realized locals had let the air out of tires on some other cars.   I try to blog about things as I experience them here on Maui.  For the most part, I’m a homebody.  I don’t go to the beach until people visit.   But I definitely have my favorite spots.  Sweetie and I do want to hike more.  And I’m always up for a new place to eat. 

This week's Picture Perfect theme is "One."

So, here ya go -

After several free but crappy Mai Tais at the Maui luau I attended with my family, I purchased ONE of the real thing at a yummy restaurant in Oahu the following week.  Much better.

 

To check out Picture Perfect, go HERE.

I've been having so much fun with my family visiting!  I've been waiting for my sister, big-bro-in-law, and two nephews to come visit me!  They have spent the last week here on Maui with us, and it has been great. They've spent a lot of time at the beach - the boys love the beach and can pretty much play in the water all day long.  I went with them for two days of sun and waves. 

My sister, bless her heart, is like me - she likes to eat good food!  So I made sure that Sweetie and I took them to all our favorite food spots.  They've gone to Da Kitchen for a plate lunch meal, Costco for a pineapple, Kula Lodge for breakfast, the winery for wine-tasting, Mama's Fish House (for the parents while we hung out with the kids at home), Alexander's for fish and chips, the Maui Bake Shop for pastries, and (my favorite) Sansei for sushi (although I haven't blogged about it yet because shhhhh.....it's a secret). 

We also went to a Luau for dinner and a show.  We had a fancy one in mind that was recommended to us by some friends.  But, Sis, Bro, and I stopped by one of those ubiquitous "discount" booths that are all over the island.  They sell snorkel tours, luaus, helicopter trips, etc. etc. Sweetie told me to go to a bunch and look for one that had tickets for the Feast at Lele.  But, of course, we walk in - and the woman starts a big sales pitch on another luau.  She could have sold us tickets for the Feast, but she started telling us how with this one (the Royal Lahaina Luau), the kids could get in free, and it was fast paced, and good for the kids because they have their own buffet table, etc. etc.  And - altogether it was much less expensive.  So, after consulting with Sweetie, the three of us decided to go for it.  Knowing we were getting a sales pitch.

And you know? - it was pretty good.  We got there pretty early, so we were almost first in line.  One thing the sales woman doesn't tell you - different companies reserve different tables.  So, even if you are first in line - you have to sit at the colored table set up for your ticket agent.  The woman at the luau counter told us that Expedia.com reserves most of the center tables.  Something to keep in mind - that may be the best bet for tickets.  Although - thanks for our spot in line - we got pretty good seats.  Center of the stage, one table back.  Keep in mind - the tables are long ones with 10 or 12 people on a side.  Yes, the shell lei they give you is probably cheaper than the ones you get for free at Hilo Hatties.  And yes, the Mai Tais really tasted nothing like a mai tai.  But hey - they were free with dinner, so you could have as many as you wanted.  And yes, the "authentic Imu Ceremony" where they unearth the Kalua Pig was basically two guys hefting the pig into a pan, then holding it up for the crowd.  No ceremony there. 

BUT - the food was good.  And that's the important thing, yes?  Kalua pork was good, kalua turkey was a little salty, Lomi Lomi salmon good, mahi mahi good, salad good, Hawaiian sweet potatoes good, poi......well, the poi was poi. 

The show was good too.  I thought the dancers were good, the musicians were good.  The MC was a little bit of a speed freak, which was a bummer because I couldn't understand about one-third of what he said - he talked so dang fast.  But my nephews' eyes were pretty glued to the stage the whole time, which I took as a good sign.  And I enjoyed it. 

So, all in all, a great evening.  We had fun.  We ate a ton of food. We watched the show.  That's what it's all about.

Yup.

Once again. Count this one as #6 for me. The sixth car accident I have personally seen behind our house in the last year and two months. Again, remember how I mentioned My Least Favorite Sound? (go there and check out the Dane Cook bit - it never fails to crack me up!)

Well, this evening's crash didn't even sound that bad. I heard the screech and a couple of vague *Cruuuncch!*s. Looked out - one SUV on the side of the road with a hanging rear bumper. Figured she had been hit and the other driver took off. Can't see the full intersection because of a tree. She looked ok - saw her get out of her car and look at the bumper. But then, a couple of minutes later, I hear sirens. Getting louder. And louder. And two police cars show up, soon followed by a siren-y third. Pretty impressive. The police NEVER show up after accidents around here. But I guess there were two other cars sitting in the intersection because I saw them finally pull over after the cops showed up.

Funny thing - our rental manager was just at the house today. He walked through the house and said to me "Oh, the traffic noise doesn't sound that bad." We've mentioned it as a possible reason for moving. I said something like - well, it's pretty bad on Friday and Saturday nights. People drive crazy.

And......oh look, it's a Friday night. And I've seen crash #6. And I'm not counting the one that occurred when I was gone that sounded so bad, Sweetie got dressed and ran down to the intersection to make sure the guy who got hit was ok.

Best thing I can say is, 3 police cars are a sight better than one ambulance, any day in my book. Ug. SLOW DOWN PEOPLE.

oh...and also...I'm not counting the accident that Sweetie and I were in that totaled his poor wagon. 'Cause that was all the way on the other side of the island. Yippee.

Well, I feel that I can now sympathize with the poor folks living in the Midwest and eastern states who are being pummeled by these freezing storms.  Today, it is cold here in Maui. 

How cold, you ask? 

Cold enough that I have to wear a T-shirt instead of my normal tank-top. 

Yowzaa!  It’s downright chilly!  

Brrrrr.......it appears that Winter does arrive in Hawaii.  Yesterday, the temperature at the house dropped to a brisk 74 degrees.  Can you believe that?  Plus, it has been raining all day and night.  My sweetie and I made our regular trek to the Bake Shop this morning.  As we sat at a table with our coffee and newspaper (and PC Magazine for him), the rain started pouring down in sheets.  There were two rivers of water on each side of the street.  It was taking everything in its path down the hill and out to sea.  They’ll be talking about this on the news tonight, you bet.

Why is it that, everywhere I live, the local news is obsessed with the weather?  In Sacramento during the summer, all they talk about is how hot it is.  Record heat wave, high temps, blah, blah.   In winter, each local station has a reporter up at Blue Canyon every night, shivering in the snow, telling the folks back home “It’s SNOWING up here!”  Not a fun gig.  Piss off the station manager and Whoops!, your next assignment is reporting on snow conditions up at Blue Canyon.

In Hawaii, it makes sense that weather conditions can be important.  We have surf advisories every night (usually for Oahu).  We have the Severe Weather Tracker.  We have the occasional vog alert.  Vog?  Is there really such a thing? 

Yes.  Vog is volcanic smog.  Another uniquely Hawaii phenomenon that I have learned about. 

So, for the weather-obsessed out there, it is currently raining and 75-degrees outside here in Maui.  Hope you are all staying warm and dry, wherever you are.