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iamq trip report: To another hell hole and back!
We're waiting?????
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Darn it! I opened this thread thinking it was pila's Maui trip report!
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"Ane the wind cried, Pila"
c'mon dear boy, time to step up and pay the pauper, who aint lived in Makena for a week!!!! |
"And the wind cried, Pila"
c'mon dear boy, time to step up and pay the pauper, who aint lived in Makena for a week!!!! |
Oh, for the love of God! /:-)
I guess I have to write something now, don't I? Can I eat dinner first sistah? Stay tuned. pila |
sistah you crack me up. Bill I am waiting to see your report too!
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Let poor Pila/ Bill have his dinner first. I'll check in again tomorrow. ;-)
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Dinner has been served, so I guess I can start. Thanks to sistahlou for kicking me in the akahini. =-O And I must say that I don't think I could have come up with a better title myself. Mahalo sis. ((L))
A little over a year ago I began scheming a surprise trip for my partner in celebration of his 60th birthday the following Febraury. Where would I take him? Someplace warm for sure. Mexico? Caribbean? Hawaii AGAIN? I started looking around. After a few false starts I decided on Hawaii AGAIN. Once the islands get in your blood and under your skin, you're toast. Up until recently, Kaua'i has been our island du jour and that was my first thought, but then I started thinking...Marteen had never been to Maui...and I had not been back since at least 1997. Maui it was, and the planning began. We flew over on United from SFO to OGG. The trip got off to a bumpy start. We were boarded onto the 777 and everyone was in their seats. This is good! Hawaii! The captain comes on and says, " I have some bad news". He starts off by telling us that our safety is his primary concern, blah, blah, blah...and then says "This airplane has been flying for the last week with only two functioning toilets. I have reported it to maintainence over and over and they have done nothing and will do nothing to fix the problem. I consider flying a plane with 300 passengers with two working heads a health and safety hazard, so I am hereby declaring this plane unfit to fly. We are not leaving." SAY WHAT? WHAT THE %#*&? Then he says, "Our two option are to fix this plane or for the airline to find another. I any case, we won't be leaving anytime soon. I will be back to give you an update in a few minutes. Thanks for understanding the seriousness of the situation." |
ut oh.. I smell a problem brewing.
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the start of this trip report sure stinks!!!
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I'm flush with excitement, just thinking about what happens next!
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This trip report has gone straight to the dumper.
Moral of the story: Beware what you ask for! |
iamq,
I find your plane incident fascinating because two years ago DH and I flew on a United plane where the one and only toilet wasn't functioning and the pilot, who sounded a tad fed up, said he didn't deem that a safety issue for the passengers and took off. We think he had tickets to a Spurs game that night...either that or a hot date. |
bbq, this trip certainly started out in the crapper.
What a tease you are....more, more, more! |
What a bunch of komedian's!
I do admit that in retrospect it does sound funny, but at the time I WAS NOT AMUSED and I went into full-bore-worst-case-scenario-negative thinking pessimisstic mode. Marteen on the other hand was his usual Susie Sunshine-optimistic-"It will be alright" self. UGHHH. If you were a fly on the wall above our seats what you would have seen would not have been pretty. Judging from the noise and chaos in the plane at this time our little drama was not the only one. People started screaming, yelling, groaning things like, "He's using us as pawns", "What an a*#hole", and other very speeeeschle statements. The poor flight attendants just stood there with uncomfortable looks and did nothing (what could they do). After a few minutes, one did come on the PA and say that there was not another plane available, so the flight would be probably be cancelled. More groans. We could see the door from our seats, and I saw a maintainence guy come on the plane. He did not go to the bathrooms however, he went straight to the cockpit. Hmmm...I'm sure they had an interesting conversation. A first class passenger with friends in our cabin came back to chat with them and said that everyone in first class was on their cell-phones calling United to bitch. LOL! That supplied everyone within earshot a much needed chuckle. So after about 20 minutes of lovely pre-paradise stress the pilot comes on and says, "Well, there is no other plane available and getting you all onto other flights does not look good, so we've come up with a solution. We will bring bottles of water on the plane and place them in the bathrooms that will be used to "flush" the toilets." Now...THIS WAS FUNNY! He went on and invited anyone who felt that this was not an acceptable solution, could deplane. Whatevah! Just get this thing up in the air and get me to paradsie! A few minutes later, bottles of AquaFina were brought on, placed in the bathrooms ans we were on our way. What a debacle. Traveling by air sure ain't what it used to be. #-O I attempted to use one of the bathrooms once, but there was water all over the floor (I hope it was water). GROSS. But, there was hand santizer by the sink, LOL! Nothing more was mentioned, we had a strong tailwind and acutually got to Maui just a few minutes late of our originally scheduled arrival time. more later. |
So when entering the bathroom and getting your bottle of water, did you have to answer "gas or no gas"?
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we don't care about your stinkin toilets! Now that you have done the teaser, it's time for the pleezer!!
((r))i'2 |
Maybe you should rename this
"Iamq's Tale of Toilets and Tradewinds" .......... |
I can tell you were simply <font color="red"> flush</font> with excitement!
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Geez i'2, it sounds like you need a vacation yourself! :-d
Ahh, I almost forgot! This was the first time we've flown since the new carry-on liquid rules. We don't like checking baggage and almost always carry-on everything. We pack lite. No hiking boots...only one mumu...two bathing suits instead of six, that sort of thing. So I started searching around for 3oz containers. Wow. I had a hard time finding things that would work. Even Nalgene, who makes almost every kind of bottle you can think of, makes 2oz and 4oz, but not 3oz. Finally I came across this product. http://www.easytravelerinc.com/ I bought one and it worked very nicely. The tubes were an interesting alternative to bottles. So, we landed in OGG! That first whiff of warm, moist air is the best antidote for just about anything, even stinky, germ riden toilets that don't flush. We were on the rental car shuttle in no time and we at Thrifty waiting to get our Sebring Convertible. I reserved the car through Discount Hawaii Car Rental. I've never used a middle man before. I had my paperwork and showed it to the guy at the counter and he went to work. After a minute he produced the contract, tried to sell me the insurance, and then gave me the contract to sign. Whoa Nellie! The botom line said $485.00! My quote was around $300. I handed it back to him with my quote and said there must be some mistake. He grumbled and mumbled and disappeared. About this time a cute and perky haole girl who had been standing around behind the counter with the other clerks came forward and asked how we were doing, blah, blah, blah. Where are staying? First time to Maui? How long? What will you be doing? At first I thought she was a superviser or something and chatted her up until she said, "I can arrange a whole range of activities for you while you are here and save you a lot of money, get you on the best boat to Molokini, get you front row at OLL, etc. if you agree to sit through a 90 minute..." Oh brother! We were being timeshare ambushed while a captive audience at the rental car counter! You expect the timeshare song-and-dance that at activity desks in Lahaina, but here? That was a first for me. Anywone else ever experience this? Anyhow, amazed and amused by the ingenuity, I told her no, no, no several times, she backed off, the clerk came back, not as friendly as before with the correct amount and we were on our way. Jeez, that was not a very pleasant experience. Screw it. We got the keys, the car, the map and hit the road! AAAAAAloooooohaaaa! |
Man alive sistah, you are Johnny-on-the-spot with titles! My fav:
"Of Queens and Thrones and How I Survived a Dump in Makena" :-d mo latah! |
Details???????????? Get over your bad sitting on the throne self and give us some real stuff. What difference does it make if you rich folk pay $485 or $300 for a car. It was for a very good cause, wasn't it?
Get it on.......maybe by the time I am back here in a couple of hours, you will have gotten to the real stuff........................???? |
Did you actually wear the crown?
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I thought that was a little over the top to post, but nooooo, you, you, you,,,you just couldn't help yourself.
Maybe I could get a job penning titles. On with the show dear man! |
Hey, i'2! That $185 difference is about what my 90 minute massage at the Hotel Hana Maui cost! We rich folk ain't stooopid. I am glad you are enjoying the trip report so much.
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Ohmygod. This is soooo funny.
Looking forward to the rest of it. :-) |
Me, too!
iamq, urar!! :-D (you are a riot) |
Accommodations and location
Marteen and I are not big mega-resort sort of folk. I'm not a huge fan of being squeezed in like a sardine around a swimming pool of screaming second and third graders. It reminds me too much of where I work. It's okay for a couple of hours, but not for a week. We like little cottages on or close to the water. I found one in Makena that ended up being perfect. I was excited, because in all my previous trips to Maui, I had never even been to the Kihei, Wailea, Makena area of the island. I always stuck to the Kaanapali area. Kihei is fine. I would not prefer it as a first choice, but it is not nearly as bad as it is portrayed sometimes on this site. It is a busy and active community that is vital to this area. I called it Kapa'a on steroids We ate here several times and walked the beaches here. There are some condos in south Kihei that have a great beach location and are a particluarly good value. We may end up there on our next trip. I loved, loved, loved Wailea! Green, manicured and generally low key and quiet. Lots of building going on, but it seems like the development of this area is very well thought out and not done in a helter skelter sort of way. Great beaches and excellent snorkeling. I found Makena wonderful, quiet and peaceful.We stayed in a little cottage off the main road between Makena Landing and the Maui Prince Hotel. It was the perfect place for us. Palm trees and ti plants, green lawns down to the water, old lava stone walls, waves crashing on the rocks just below the lanai, turtles feeding in the waters just offshore, roosters crowing in the morning, and much privacy. We were a few minute walk down the lane to the Maui Prince's beach and an easy drive south to destinations south and to Wailea and Kihei to the north. The area is changing. There is a lot of building going on down here too. Homes instead of condos. It seems like cottges as the one we stayed in are a dieing breed in this area as they are being sold for HUGE sums and torn down, with large and very expensive homes built instead. The modest oceanfront house three doors down from ours is being listed at $11,000,000.00! An $11,000,000.00 tear down. ChChChChChChanges! I hope our place remains in the rental pool, as I would love to stay there again. We spent one night at the Hotel Hana Maui.I wrote a review for tripadvisor and when it gets published, I will post the url. I love this hotel and love this area. Hana ain't for everyone and I'd encourage people never to drive over there as a day trip. Yes, thousands do it every year, but I'd rather spend the day at Big Beach in Makena than spend a day driving to and from Hana. The Oheo Gulch was closed because of flash flood warnings the day we were there. What a drag it would have been to have driven all that way fantasizing about swimming in the famed Seven Sacred Pools, only to find them closed when you got there! Ack. Our one night stay in Hana was wonderful. It was my favorite part of the trip. Marteen liked it too, but for him Hawaii is all about the water and beaches and so he preferred Makena to Hana. We flew over in the morning on Pacific Wings and had a bright red PT Cruiser convertible waiting for us at the airport. The flights over and back were spectacular! We flew along the coastline. The views up and down the coast and up and down Haleakala were amazing. Waterfalls stairstepped down the hills and ended by plunging off the cliffs into the ocean. The pilot told us to watch for wild pigs on the runway in Hana. Saw lots of raindrops, but no pigs. At the hotel we were given leis and cold passion fruit juice shortly after arriving. Everyone was all smiles and good vibes. Our room was nice and had a beautful view of Hana Bay. Loved the spa! Martin had lomi and I had hot stone. This was the best massage I have ever had. The spa was small, but lovely. We had dinner at the restaurant there and it was okay, not great but better than I thought it was going to be. We had breakfast included and that was very tasty. We spent a few hours lolling around the pool, walked around town, drove out to Kipahulu, walked over to Red Sand beach and I loved it all. |
aaahhhlooohhhaaaa billy boy! ((R))
are you stahlling', or what? y'all are verry verry funny today! ;;) |
oops... I spoke too soon! :">
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Now why dontcha talk to makai like you do to me? She said the same thing, just in a little nicer way and started it with aloha!
Guess I understand now why I get on the nerves of some...I don't start with alooooooooooha! Well...........aloooooooooooha, now let's hear more, dear heart! ((r))i'2 p.s. y'all ...I really am enjoying his trip report, but pleeeeze don't let him know, ok? |
So, you flew into Hana? from where? You were able to rent a car there? Interesting
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yah... the fly in to Hana part sounds like the bomb... :D
aaahhhlooohhhaaa icee!! |
Ag,
We flew from Kahului to Hana and back on Pacific Wings. It is a 15 minute flight. They use 9 seat Cessena turbo prop planes. Dollar Rent-a-car has an office in Hana. The hotel made the car arrangements for me. Checking in with Pacific Wings is a breeze too because it is in the regional terminal and you don't have to do all the TSA stuff and agricultural screening stuff. They tell you to arrive 30 minutes before your flight. They flew very close to shore on the way over. On the way back, we were a little further out, but still close enough to see everything. Very nice. I'm taking a break from trimming a tree. I'll be back in ah hour or so... |
Beaches and activities
We spent a lot of time at the beach. The beaches in the Wailea/Makena area are wonderful and the ones we went to never got too crowded. Our favorites were Palauea, Po'olenalena and Malauka. These also had the best snorkeling. A word about the snorkeling. I was really impressed with the amount of live coral. The snorkeling was the best we've had in Hawaii so far and far outshines our favorite places on Kaua'i. I also liked Big Beach, Little Beach and my sentimental favorite, Kaanapali. We didn't do a lot in the way of organized tours or anything like that. One afternoon we drove up to see my cousin and her husband who were staying at the Westin Hotel. We hung out with them at the pool, walked the beach, swam a little by Black Rock and went to dinner at the upstairs part of Leilani's. Loved the pool waterslide at the Westin! If you arch your back so you slide down on your shoulder blades and the heels of your feet, you fly! My cousin's room was on the 9th floor and we had a nice view from their lanai of the whales doing their thing just offshore. It was a very fun afternoon and evening, but we were very happy to get back "home" and plunk ourselves in the cottage's hot tub, watch the stars and listen to the waves wear away the pebbles. The afternoon we got back from Hana we drove from the airport to Paia and then up the hill to the Hui No'Eau Visual Arts Center. What a cool place! It is in what was originally the Baldwin Estate. There are ceramics, printmaking, painting, and other studios that the public and walk through and there is a gallery set up displaying the works of the artists who are working there. I have an interest in pottery, so it was fun for me to snoop around the studio and see what was happening. After that we headed up to Makawao for some wandering and shopping. Love that town! Not as crowded as Paia and I love the cowboy heritage and history. One morning we drove down through the lava fields south of Makena. What gorgeous views over the fields and up Haleakala! We stopped at Ahihi cove to snorkel before it got too crowded. It was a little surgy and the visibility wasn't hot, but we saw a lot of fish. We left just as the hoardes were arriving. next...food! |
Glad you enjoyed your trip, Bill! I just got back from Paris for my Feb. vacation (teacher, too!), and I loved reading your Maui trip. We are headed back to Hawaii for August, and still deciding which islands.
So -- next time for you -- will it be Maui or Kauai?? :) |
Food.
We stocked up on fresh fruit and baked goods for breakfasts at the farmer's market in Kihei. They had spectacular papaya, local bananas and pineapples. They had a nice selection of locally baked breads and banana/nut bread type things and cookies. On our way to the cottage we also stopped at Safeway in Kihei and picked up lunch fixins, snacks and lots of Roselani ice cream (love the haupia and mangos/cream!) The first thing we did after we landed and got our car was to head upcountry to Pukalani in search of Maui's Best Tamales. We both love good, authentic tamales and I had read about this place and remember here_today_gone_to_Maui mentioning in some of her posts, so I wanted to try it. Well, we got to the address that is listed for them in the guidebooks and it was no longer there. It is now a health food restaurant/cafe. We went in and asked the owner where the tamale place was and he directed us down the hill to the shopping mall in Pukalani where the Foodland is. It is a small and very popular operation that is worthy of the drive up the hill. We bought a bunch of tamales to eat later that night for dinner. They ended up being delicious! We had pork, chicken and beef. The masa was firm and moist..not dry and the filings were ONO! That and a tossed green salad and Roselani ice cream for dessert on our deck as the sun set on that first day set the tone for the rest of the trip. Perfect. A+ We had the onion rings at Maui Onion. They were pretty good, but my expectations were high. I give 'em a strong B. Marteen had good sashimi there. We had an interesting and unusual dinner at Tastings in Kihei. They served unique small plates that were very well executed. We had ahi sashimi, ono, ricotta gnocchi, a foie gras terrine, a cheese course and dessert (which I can't remember). Interesting and ambitious,if not a little out of place in Kihei. A- Leilani's at Whaler's Village. Underwhelming meal. Great table service. The manager made the mistake of asking us what we thought of our dinners. My cousin and her husband eat here often and they said that the food is slipping lately. C Alexander's fish, chicken and ribs. After several nights of good, but "fancy" food we were both craving some good ole crispy fried fish and chips. We got what we were looking for at Alexanders. I had deep fried mahi and Marteen had the deep fried ono. We ate it at the counter and then walked across the street to the park and walked along the beach south for a while. Very good! B+ Ka'uiki at the Hotel Hana Maui. We had a very good dinner here. The menu was not very extensive and nothing on the menu jumped out to either of us and said "order me". We never do this, but we ended up both ordering the same thing. Tempura mushrooms that were tender and flavorful and a nice beef tenderloin. Service was okay. I read some awful reiews of this place and it was much better than I had expected. B+ Breakfast was an A. Great french toast and eggs bennie, with tons of fresh fruit. Hailiimaile General Store provided us with our best dinner out of the trip. This is my kind of comfort food! Sashimi Napolean and Duck Confit Toastada were both amazing. Seafood curry and braised pork shank for dinner were great, but the sauce in the curry was like a smooth, delicious river of spices and flavor. Ono! The pineapple upside cake was the winner for dessert. Service was wonderful. A Saengs Thai Cuisine in Wailuku. Great food! The dancing shrimp and the curries were the standouts. It was nice to get up to Wailuku for a meal. B+ Next...highlights |
Highlights
Ending each day with an evening soak/stargaze in the hot tub overlooking the ocean. The smile on the face of the coincerage at the Hotel Hana Maui. |
Fantastic!!! That Marteen sure did land a find in you.....What an amazing birthday adventure!
But didn't you find Hana boring? And those damn cows moo here, moo there, moo moo everywhere. Just as bad as the roosters of Kauai. Kaanapali and Lahaina mo bettah....no?!!! |
oops, hit post too soon...
More highlights. Sashimi napolean at HGS Watching the whales frolic, slap and breach just offshore at Poolenalena Beach. Red Sand Beach Swimming and floating with the largest turtle I've ever seen. This guy/gal had been around the block! Sunning and lolling by the pool at the Hotel Hana Maui, and watching that grey sqaull line on the ocean get closer and closer and closer until to Whammo! Having coffe on the lanai every morning. Watching the nude surfers at Little Beach. =-O Our first meal. It won't take me ten years to return next time. Happy to answer any questions you might have. Mahalo! |
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