I tell my younger siblings all the time, "Never, say never. I've had to eat my words so many times I'm practically a cannibal". As much as I love heat, sand, water, and sun, the desire to visit Hawaii was never there. In my mind, the people who vacationed in Hawaii were the same people who went to all-inclusive resorts and cruises. People like my parents.
In my 30's, I get it now. Hawaii, all inclusive resorts, and cruises make sense after weeks of working 40+ hours a week, maintaining a home, and chauffeuring your teenage kids around. You want to get away, not plan your getaway from life on death row. So you book a cruise where your destinations are planned, you stay at an all-inclusive where your meals are planned, and you vacation in Hawaii every year so your vacations are forever planned.
But none of this age-related mumbo jumbo mattered when I booked my ticket to Maui. Bellingham's winter had started early that year. I couldn't wait for the heat, sand, water, sun, and when I plucked my first guava, I knew I'd be eating my own words again biting into it.
And again,
and again,
and again...
Guavas are everywhere on Maui.
So to passion fruits, coconuts, and any other tropical fruit you can think of and can't think of. The variety was beguiling. I swear my friend and I were equally mystified by the fruits of the island as we were by the varied sands. Red, black, brown, and white, hell, the very colours of the nudists we were amongst at a sunset drum circle on Little Beach. Nude beach? Drum circle? In Maui?? That's exactly what I said. And yeah, it's true. It's usually those you don't want to see nude that frolic about nude.
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In between a naked Gandolf and Ursula (okay, okay, I'm exaggerating) I couldn't help wonder who started this tradition. Was it the Hawaiians? And what is Hawaiian? Beyond the Hawaii emblazoned in our minds by the media, and so easily found all over Maui, what is Hawaii really like? And how is Maui separate?
Thanks to my inquisitive and charming friend, we started talking. We spoke to the woman selling art who lived "up country", to the man selling shaved ice, to the man selling fast food Indian (hold your judgements, it was actually very good), to the guy making flowers from bamboo leaves, to the man selling the best pizza I ever had (at the Kihei farmer's market), and lastly to the lady selling rambutans. Then, we gave up.
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Besides the lady selling rambutans, they were all very nice and forthcoming. They told us a bit about themselves, what they used to do for a living, whether or not they were born in Maui, how long they've been living in Maui, but in the end, I still didn't know what it meant to be Hawaiian.
I officially gave up as we drove under this everlasting rainbow and walked past what seemingly looked like the origin of the hula skirt. When nature itself feeds your preconceived beliefs, you might as well stick a flower in your hair and say "Aloha".
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Length of Stay
One week
Docking Index
6 anchors, you're probably shocked. I am considering how much I love islands and guavas, but after reading Paul Theroux's article about Hawaii I had to deduct an anchor. Apparently I could live on a Hawaiian island for 22 years and I still won't know squat about Hawaiian culture. His article did highlight the possible reasons for its exclusivity, but such wariness of outsiders is extreme in my opinion. Plus, he goes on to explain the social islands within the islands. Maui is just not the type of island I grew up on.
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