How I did it: I flew to Maui for five days with my dad.  We rented a car and drove all around the island -- especially those places where the car rental company told us not to.  We went "snuba" diving and snorkeling off Molokini and sped back to Maui alongside dozens of dolphins.  I walked along the beach at sunrise and sunset and watched a live Lū‘au.  We went swimming in coves and explored around forests with waterfalls.  We also enjoyed some shopping in Lahaina, where I talked to many store employees who were often from the Midwest.  The stories you hear from people like that, the five minutes you spend with the pineapple seller on the side of the road, the realization of how life works there -- all priceless.  I'll be adding a new thing to my list: "buy a vacation home in Maui."

Lessons & tips: Just have fun and let go.  I saw a bumper sticker on the side of the road that read, "Slow down, this ain't the mainland!"  It's made me think a lot about how short life is and that now that I'm back to "the Mainland," I often wish I wasn't.

Resources: We just winged it with a map, and while I think it's important to just follow wherever the road takes you, it's also good to read up.  If I went back again, I'd look on Flickr's map for interesting photos and go to those places.

---

Nov 06, 2009, 09:19PM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer