Our first few weeks back in Maui have come and gone in a flash. It really feels like we just got here even though it's already been three weeks. We spent the first week reuniting with the beautiful island and more importantly with Kendall's parents, whom we have not seen for a year. It was great seeing them again and receiving some nice comforts from home (Timmy's coffee and Winnipeg Jets gear). To add to the homely feeling, this year, my parents came to join us for one week. After roughly 4 years, the two sets of parents were finally going to get the chance to meet!
Since we wrote so much about our time in Maui last year, I will not bore you with every single detail of what we have done over the last couple of weeks since most of it is a repeat. Instead I'm going to focus on some new and interesting things that have happened.
We spent our first two days in Hawaii on the Big Island, the one with the active volcano. The main reason for flying to see this island was obviously to catch a glimpse of the active volcano, but unfortunately there was no surface lava flow to see so we didn't end up accomplishing what we had set out to do. Instead we spent our time relaxing in Hilo before catching our flight to Maui.
Our plan was to surprise Kendall's parents at the condo. We told them that we would be arriving a couple days later than our actual arrival, so we had an opportunity to greet them with a nice surprise when they opened the condo door. Luckily Kendall knew the access code for the unit, so we got in with no problems around midday and subsequently spent the next 5 hours planning how to spring our surprise.
When time finally came we decided to just hide behind the couch with all of the lights turned off and yell out 'surprise!' when they opened the door. However our plan did not work. We were cleverly outsmarted by Kendall's dad, who out of habit, always yells out 'Hi guys!' each time he enters a rented condo/hotel room. So you could imagine when the door opened and we heard those words we thought that our surprise was foiled ... I tried salvaging our masterplan and in an uncoordinated fashion lifted my head out and yelled surprise. It didn't have the effect we desired, but they were caught off guard just a little bit. Regardless, they were very very happy to see us and we all couldn't be happier to finally reunite!
The rest of the week we spent just relaxing and hitting up our favourite beaches (what else do you do in Maui?). We had about a week to kill before the next reunion, this time with my parents.
When the day finally came, Kendall and I greeted them at the airport with Lei's and then drove them to their rented condo in Ka'anapali. Because of a few flight cancellations, they had a crazy time getting to Maui and ended up flying from Ottawa to Chicago, to Dallas, to LA, to Maui. That's a lot of flying for a one week vacation!
The next day was the “big meet up” between the two sets of parents. We decided that the best place for everyone to meet would be during happy hour (what better time?) at Hula Grill right on the beach in Ka'anapali. It went perfectly and we knew the rest of the week would be just as great.
As I mentioned, my parents were only going to be here for a week, and wanted to see 'everything' they possibly could, which meant that it ended up being pretty busy week by Maui standards. On their second day on the island I took them on the amazing Road to Hana. It was pretty awesome showing it to my parents, as I could easily imagine how they felt seeing the beautiful landscapes for the first time . We did the same stops as last year – 7 sacred pools (waterfall swimming), black sand beaches, cave swimming, forest walk, banana bread, ect. They loved it!
The next day we decided to do something that Kendall and I did not have a chance to do last year – watch the sunrise at the top of Haleakala. We left the condo at 430 in the morning (it takes roughly 1.5 hours to drive up to the top of the crater) and slowly made our way to the summit. Once arriving we were greeted with howling winds, hordes of people and freezing cold weather. Aside from the crazy wind, everything was pretty much as expected. We had about an hour or so before the sun showed itself so we did our best to keep warm. The colours above the clouds from the forthcoming sun were spectacular, and for a moment made you forget about the Canada-like conditions. When the sun finally showed itself it felt like everyone just froze (some people must have as all they had on were shorts and t-shirts), and were instantly captivated by the incredible scene. It was a very special and cool moment that I am happy we shared with my parents and Kendall’s mom.
The next day (I told you things were moving fast) my parents invited us to a 'traditional' Hawaiian Luau. This was another first for Kendall and myself, as last year we decided to skip this part of 'Hawaiian culture'. In Rotorua, we got to experience two similar types of 'cultural' events, called Hangi's, which are traditional Maori feasts/meals. In addition to buffet style dinner, they also include a cultural performance. We were ready to compare our Hangi experiences with the Hawaiian Luau, wondering if they could put on a better show then their Maori cousins. Right off the bat the Hawaiians were ahead as the Luau had an open bar. They also did another smart thing, which was that they had the buffet ready before the show started. At the Hangi's in New Zealand you had to wait until the show ended before you got to eat (cruel and unusual punishment).
The performance at the Luau was pretty good, the fire show at the end was awesome. However overall the Maori's put on a much more interesting show as not only were you entertained, but you also learned a bit about their culture. Rating both shows as a whole, I believe you get better value for you money at the Luau. The open bar was the big seller and all of the events at the Luau took place in one area, unlike in New Zealand as you were ushered around like sheep...
The next couple of days we tried to spend as much time together as possible as we knew that my parent's stay was coming to an end. We took them to a few of our favourite beaches, upcountry to check out a few towns, had a couple of nice dinners but mostly we just really took in each others company. What I will remember most is just sitting around, be it at the beach or at the condo, and talking, learning new stuff about each other and discussing the possibilities for the future and reminiscing on the past. Exactly what I wanted!
It was really sad saying goodbye but I know we will see each other soon (my dad is actually coming to Poland in June!). It was truly a great week, one that I will remember for quite some time. Dzienkuje wam bardzo ze pszylecielscie do nas! Kocham was. Do zobaczenia :)
