Maui memories

Is it terrible that I just want someone to feed me baked goods and let me whine/cry about my state of too-tired-to-accomplish-tasks-yet-too-awake-to-successfully-nap?

I know none of you will feel sorry for me, but I'm experiencing just a touch of post-vacation blues today.

Because I recently came back from the beautiful island of Mauiiiiiiii!!!!

It was beautiful. And full of adventure and exploration. And I saw a chameleon crossing the road.

So yes, I'm a little sad to be back. Though happy to be reunited with the cat.

I usually quite love vacation, and then quite love being back home, but I believe because this vacation was so special that I am not quite loving the being home thing. Though I loved my 1 a.m. shower upon my return.

Because the hostel -- which will remain unnamed -- was a liiittle grody. But it was a place to sleep, and I'm so glad I didn't spend money on a fancy hotel because I was hardly at the hostel.

Wow. OK. So I'm rambling. Where to start to tell you about this adventure I just had???

Hmm.

Well we could begin here: I saw an octopus!!!

We were snorkeling (at the mostly sunken volcanic crater island called Molokini), and all of a sudden I spotted this wiggly purple thing near the coral. I pointed it out to Alex, and he let slip an expletive of excitement and shock. Under water, through his snorkel mask, so it was mixed with bubbly sounds, which made it extra entertaining for me to hear.

We also shared a kiss with our snorkel masks on, which was a little rogue and made us chuckle. But we try. Affection everywhere, I say, even in the ocean!

Let's rewind a little. Why Hawaii? Besides the obvious, because duh, Hawaii. Welllll, it started as a trip my brother Riley and his wife Caitlin had planned for themselves. Then Caitlin's parents added themselves to the mix, and then I got invited (or invited myself, I can't fully remember), and voila! Hawaii!

I decided it was OK to spend (a LOT) of money on the trip, because I would see the trip as a way to celebrate my 30th year.

And thennn, less than a week before I left the mainland, someone named Alex, who is cute as can be, surprised me with his own flight itinerary to Maui.

He's the cutest. And I'm so glad he could come.

Everyone's travel schedule was a little different, but between Alex and myself, we did the following:

• Snorkeled
• Hiked a 12 mile trail through the Haleakala volcanic crater
• Kayaked in the ocean (super hard, by the way -- I thought this was physically more rigorous than the hike)
• Swam with sea turtles!
• Saw whalessssssssssssssssssss
• Heard whales underneath the water
• Visited a lavender farm
• Went to the Maui Winery (delicious, particularly their house red and their sparkling pineapple)
• Walked around in beds of (cooled) lava
• Drove "The Road to Hana," which is essentially driving through the rainforest along the coast
• Saw the islands' largest banyan tree
• Swam at three beaches in one day
• Had some beers at the Maui Brewing Co.
• Visited the Iao Needle

It was jam packed, tiring, fun, breathtaking, and worth every pretty penny it cost to get there and feed ourselves while we were there.

I loved being outside, I loved all the animals (I even found a kitty at the winery). I loved sleeping not that much and waking up every day and immediately heading out for another adventure.

Come to think of it, this was the youngest I've acted in a while. Except I didn't join in the raucous beer drinking at the hostel.

But people. This was a trip to mark my 30th, and I must show my maturity at some point, right?

Says the girl who lost her keys one day and had to crash on the floor of her brother's hotel room because she couldn't get into her room at the hostel.

Yes, yes, I lost my keys. And some snorkel goggles, which my sister-in-law dove for to snatch them back to the surface so I could look at more turtles. Good thing one of the Brewers married a former swim team member. Phew!

I did one solo day on the island, after Alex had flown back to LA and my brother and company were planning to do a hike I had already done. That was liberating, and fun, and peaceful. And then crabby, when I got hungry.

I went to the lavender farm that day, and the gift shop smelled so good. All the people working there were super peaceful, probably because they were high (or should I say low) on lavender scent, and I dropped an easy $40+ on delicious smelling products. I also heated up a lavender scone, and even though I followed the directions on the toaster oven, I discovered that even in Hawaii, I struggle to operate toaster ovens.

I picked off the burnt portions and enjoyed the scone with butter and honey and lilikoi jam. It was quite lovely.

The winery tour was quite interesting, and the samples of wine were delish. I had plans to finish off the day with a trip to a vodka distillery, but then hunger got the best of me and I decided a burger would be better for my bod than some liquid potato.

Is this blog post boring? I feel like Hawaii was so exciting, but I don't know how to express it!!!

Perhaps it's that post-Maui fatigue/melancholy that has me unable to muster all the excitement. Also sooooo much happened and was seen while on this epic vacation, that I could be experiencing some amnesia of all the details.

So I will bid you aloha for now and perhaps type some more details when I have caught up on my sleep and am a little more with it.

Much love,
Bailey (who is not quite 30 and who has made it to Hawaii in her lifetime. Yay!)