Day 6: Maui to E-ville

Day 6: Maui to E-ville

THB Taking Precautionary Measures

Quote of the Day: 

Well, did he ever return?
No he never returned and his fate is still unlearned (what a pity)
He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Maui
He's the man who never returned

THB handed in his rupiah at the K’alua Square station
And he changed for Paia Plain
When he got there the conductor told him, "five thou more rupiah, bro"
THB couldn't get off of that train!

But did he ever return?
No he never returned and his fate is still unlearned (poor old THB)
He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Maui
He's the man who never returned

Weather:   Raining and windy at 7:30 in Kihei (cancelling a possible early morning snorkel), cool in E-ville

THB and LB decided last night to come back, 3 days early. Pressure was building and we didn’t want to be quarantined away from our loved ones and dogs. Spend a few minutes packing and getting ready to head for airport around 10am for our 1pm flight.

And, now we’re back. Plane was about 90% full and on time.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Aloha, THB

Day 5: Maui

Day 5: Maui

Lots of sirens, blocked off the main road through Kihei for an hour or so. Read that a guy on a moped got hit and hurt severely.

{ed. Note: THB selected A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall lyrics a few days before leaving for HI. Now it seems not only prescient, it seems cruel as things are changing so fast globally. THB does recommend you watch Patti Smith’s version at Nobel ceremony, the one Bob – no relation – didn’t attend}

Quote of the Day: For those of you too young to know where this quote comes from ask somebody a lot older (and preferably someone familiar with American folksongs)

These are the times that try men's souls
In the course of our nation's history the people of the USA have rallied bravely whenever the rights of men have been threatened
Today a new crisis has arisen
The MauiTransit Authority, better known as the M.T.A.
Is attempting to levy a burdensome tax on the population in the form of a subway fare increase
Citizens, hear me out, this could happen to you!

Well, let me tell you of the story of a man named THB
On a tragic and fateful day
He put ten thousand rupiah in his pocket, kissed his wife and family
Went to ride on the MTA

Weather:   Mostly overcast today, possibly reason beach was less crowded

Word of the Day: THB is a climate change collapsarian. Here’s a good word that describes how THB feels: Solastalgia, a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change (sort of like nostalgia except you don’t have to leave home to feel this sense of dread)

THB and LB discuss coming home early for fear that Sunday’s flight will be cancelled (it would only be a day or two early anyway) and agree we’ll decide tomorrow morning.

Pics of fish deleted due to ...  due to .... lack of authorizatioon?

Head to beach below condo, THB snorkels (somewhat murky, mostly same fish as yesterday) and LB rests up. THB comes back for lunch (usual: poke, etc.) and does a bit of e-mailing, mostly to see what has been cancelled on his calendar without him having any say in the matter (nor should THB have a say).

Better pic of the fruit on palm tree

LB is under the reddish umbrella...that is as close as THB got, she wanted no pics of herself in the blog

Post snorkel drying racks 

The dryer, some generator type thing for the a/c

Dinner at the condo, leaving more time for doing nothing again. Leftover pork burritos, quesadilla, pog and rum for LB, club soda and lemon for THB (It’s a no alcohol day)

Decide to come back early. Paradise can be hell if you are feeling like you can't leave.

Book review from 2017, this was THB’s number 2 book that year; the quote in italics is from REM's It’s The End of the World): Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel (novel, paperback): Dystopian set in current times, a flu wipes out 99.9% of humanity within a few days. Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light. Feeling pretty psyched. And it’s the end of the world…THB recommends this book only if you can handle nightmares for a few weeks after finishing it. 

Day 4: Maui

Day 4: Maui

As always, THB has the special

Quote of the Day: 

I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall

Weather:   Better today! No windstorm in afternoon and few clouds during day, maybe high 70s at peak

Ed note: Pics slightly out of order as THB realized whale sighting came before Preserve visit

X marks the no-go spots

There are two parts to the preserve, this is the north cove (we don't snorkel over to the south cove, maybe on another visit)

Breakfast on the deck includes a whale sighting, helped out by the paddleboarders paddling hard towards what looks to us like an upside-down boat dead in the water.

From our deck we can see something floating in the water a few 100 yards out

Paddleboarder investigating

Uh-Oh, maybe too close...time to get down and hand-paddle awaiting re-inforcements

Today the morning snorkel was at the preserve (we didn't go in the first time we visited a few days ago), where you have to walk back from nice big parking lot to a very hard entry, the only one recommended. Very clear, water not too warm yet. Not a huge amount of fish, and most fish were huge for their particular species. Almost no small fish, just one school of vertically dark striped 1-2 inchers.

On way back did some restocking at Foodland, and hit the beach below the condo. Very pleasant. 

Down to beach where conditions are ideal. After an hour or two, THB left LB on the beach and had his usual lunch on the deck. Around 1 it was looking pretty nice to THB returned to beach and THB and LB went for snorkel right in front of the condo building. Not super clear, clear enough that THB had no trouble seeing an immense turtle swimming right at him. Saw 2 more turtles and a decent range of good sized fish. The coral here distinctly looks like bleaching has started, not a good thing.

THB takes his first shower of the trip, feels great. One snorkel = no shower, two snorkels = one shower

Maui Brewing pilsner from liquor store next door

Dinner at Da Kitchen, right across the street.  Veggie burger and fries and diet coke for LB, combo plate of pulled (“Kalua”) pork and teriyaki beef with two scoops of rice, green salad, and beer from next door, $48. Pork and one scoop of rice go with us back to condo for a burrito on the deck tomorrow.

Does not look like the high-swirled item in poster

Plus, for dessert THB gets Dole Whip…sort of soft soft serve with extra air added, the special flavor of the day is Pineapple (it is also the only flavor of the day), $5.50.

Sunset Pics: sec (second attempt); zombies arrive again and this time applaud sun's ability to sink in the west in evening...very touching

Palm tree outside our 5th floor condo

Snorkel sightings after Day 4

Green Turtle for sure

Hawaiian Turtle, maybe

Seen everywhere including Raja Ampat

Definitely saw a very large one of these (18+ inches)

Maybe we saw this one

Spotted Boxfish, very pretty, saw 3-5 of these between 2 snorkels on Day 4

Three spot Chromis, when fins are flapping they are intense blue on inside

Banded urchin

Triggerfish, THB thinks he saw smaller ones with only blue stripe on bottom AND larger ones with maybe two stripes

Cornetfish, saw one on Day 3 and one on Day 4 both at least 4 feet long

Saddled snake eel

Goatfish on Day 3 (one spot) in huge quantities; on Day 4 we saw no-spot in maybe only 100s

Zebra moray eel, the one we saw on Day 3 was 4 feet long, all visible

Old goat with water polo cap to cover up bald spot, working great!

Day 3: Maui

Day 3: Maui

THB modeling his new super-duper bald spot protection device: a water polo cap. Works great!

Quote of the Day: 

Oh, what did you see, my green-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'
I saw a white ladder all covered with water

Weather:   Same-same

THB is up at 5:30, 9 ½ hours of sleep! Breakfast same-same except before our first snorkel. We’re at Ulua Beach by 8. It’s also a combo scuba diving, paddleboard and snorkeling spot; since we’re early there are very few people in the water, maybe 5 other snorkelers in the 75 minutes we’re in the water.

Sheep drop? Sheepfish drop? 

Snorkel entrance

Rainbow

Crystal clear water at Ulua Beach

Totally Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

Water is crystal clear, you can see your feet in 5 feet of water without aid, just looking down. The entry is smooth, the reef and rocks start almost immediately on entry. The fish are very large, not too many (LB says it isn’t baby time yet, THB isn’t so sure…) and the water is so clear and THB’s mask so clean that he can see shades of blue on the black urchins, the subtleties of the fish from 5 feet away. Take that, Raja Ampat!!!!!!!!!!

Pics off the internet of some of the more unusual sightings:

Banded Sea Urchin

We saw about 100 of these in a ball, feeding. The ones we saw had a blue stripe on bottom and no top stripe, possibly Black Triggerfish

Cornetfish, we saw just one and it was over 4 feet long

Mottled Linckia starfish

Saddled Snake Eel 

Yellow striped Goatfish, we saw many 100s of these

The Zebra Moray we saw was at least 4 feet long oozing along in a crevice at top of the rocks 

After doing a bit of condo sign-in, we head to beach for a few hours of sunbathing (under umbrella and towels) Back for lunch on the deck, same as yesterday (excellent poke and half a heated up Arizmendi roll, ice tea) plus some seasoned pitted olives.

Quiet time in the condo, THB starts an excellent book by Robert McFarlane, Underland. It’s about what is going on under our feet. THB is a third of the way thru, exceptional. MacFarlane also wrote The Old Ways, on THB’s 2013 book list in the neutral category; when THB looked at 2013 list, there are many very good books from that year.  

Around 1 the beach from our deck also looks crystal clear. We both thought about snorkeling, neither said anything so we just enjoyed the quiet.

Dinner: same-same

Sunset pics:

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People are gathering along the beach for sunset, almost like zombies being called to action

Gone

Other pics:

The pool used to be without the plastic windscreen, it must have really been under utilized then as the wind was really howling when THB took this pic in late afternoon