Maui Wowi - Part I of II !!!!

We left the beauty and splendor of Wintry Wilson on March 1st, headed for warmer temperatures! Our flight out of Jackson was scheduled to depart at 1:20 pm. Our ride picked us up at 11:30 and we headed to the airport. It was a spectacular drive. Wyoming in the wintertime is certainly something to behold. And, what a winter they are having! It's been in full snow mode through the first part of April. Looks like warmer temperatures are now on the way, but during our visit it was winter all the way!

Once we were checked in and through security, the Delta staff made an announcement that our flight would be delayed 2 hours. No explanation. And, they were right. It was delayed, 2 hours. Unfortunately, that caused us to miss our connection in Salt Lake City by 20 minutes. Not to worry. Delta was kind enough to give us a handful of $15.00 meal coupons and put us up in the adequately appointed and somewhat comfortable Marriott Airport Hotel. No ocean view, no lava flows, no macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi and, worst of all, no luggage. Our first night in paradise slipped right through our fingers. The next flight out to Kahului was at 3:40 the following afternoon. We dined in the Delta Sky Lounge, whoo hoo, and headed to the no-so-glamorous Marriott.

Late morning on the 2nd, we checked out of the hotel and headed back to the airport. Everything looked like it was on schedule for our departure, albeit 24 hours late. We boarded our flight and, remarkably, took off close to our scheduled departure time.

How about a little mimosa to start the celebration?

It was a frosty afternoon in Salt Lake City as our Maui bound airliner took off, but we had clear skies. And, no more delays. Finally . . . we were on our way!

We landed in Kahalui at 7:30 pm on the 2nd of March. It was hot & humid! Good bye winter, Hello Hawaii!!! We picked up the rental car and our luggage and golf clubs and headed to the hotel. This was our view that evening from our lanai. Things were definitely looking up!

The following morning, things continued to look up. Humpback whales were playing in the ocean right off of our lanai! Our trip to paradise was unfolding right before our eyes.

We had a 9:30 tee time at the Wailea Gold Golf Course. It was a beautiful day and they let us play as a twosome, which we always enjoy!

A myna bird was strutting his stuff as we made our way from the parking lot to the golf pro shop.

We teed off on #10 -

Several holes into our round we finally saw a mongoose! We had seen them during previous visits to Hawaii, but this was our first one this year. They are strange little creatures that slink around with beady, little eyes.

We saw lots more, so don't worry. You'll get a closer look at them.

Slinky

It was a beautiful day!

And a beautiful golf course!

There are those beady eyes!

Teeing off on #1.

Mongoose playing (slinking) through.

That's Molokini Crater, sitting in front of Kaho'olawe Island Reserve.

Mongoose at rest.

Heading in on #9, toward the clubhouse & restaurant.

After golf, Don decided to head toward Mama's Fish House to see if we could get in for dinner. We drove through Paia, which is known as the windsurfing capital of the world, where professional windsurfing competitions are held. It's also well known for being the last stop on the way to the road to Hana and is regarded as the hippest place on Maui.

We stopped at Mama's Fish House and he said try again a little later. Nothing available now, but they did have some open seating, first come first serve. Maybe later. It was certainly worth a try!

We drove up the road just a bit to Hookipa Beach Park, perhaps the most renowned windsurfing site in the world. The waves there are largest during the winter and smaller in the summer.

We saw a lot of these guys running around. Hadn't noticed any on previous trips. Maui is kind of like Kauai, now. They are taking over, since they don't have any natural predators in the area and even feral cats won't eat them. They are usually too skinny and have a sour taste, lacking the beautiful poultry flavorings of raised fowl.

Surfers at Hookipa.

Oh, look! Another batch of foul tasting fowl. No wonder they're taking over! That's a lot of chicks.

We just happened to be in Maui exactly when the sea turtles were coming to shore to lay eggs. These guys (or gals) are HUGE! What a treat to see them on the beach.

We stopped at Mama's Fish House again, on our way home, but didn't have any luck. We had a reservation for lunch on Saturday, but we would like to have had dinner there. That place books up 5 to 6 months in advanceI

For dinner that night, we settled for the restaurant "Ko" in the Fairmont Kea Lani hotel in Wailea. Turns out it was outstanding. And, it was very convenient, since that's where we were staying! We had dinner there several nights and never got tired of the food or the ambiance.

Here are a couple of things we had over the several dinners we enjoyed at Ko. Everything looked delicious and tasted amazing! Even the cocktails were wonderful.

Sunset on Friday, March 3rd, after our dinner at Ko.

Saturday morning, March 4th, we went for the coastline walk, our favorite trail on Maui, and the sidewalk is right behind our hotel.

Cattle Egret March is the beginning of their mating season. They are all white during the non-breeding season and become washed with orange-buff on top of the head, chest and back.

Another shot of Molokini.

Molokini is a great place to go snorkeling. It's a crescent shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater.

That looks like a difficult place to bury eggs. But, it maybe it's a good resting place before making landfall. This turtle looks exhausted. They are much more agile in the water than on land.

More Shots of Our Hotel Property

That afternoon, we were back at Mama's Fish House. But this time, we had a lunch reservation!

While we waited for the restaurant to open, we walked around the property.

And found more sea turtles!!!

Some were really, really close!

This one looks like it got beached on a rock.

Sea turtle swimming toward shore.

CLOSE UP!

How often do you get to see a Seale & a turtle in the same frame?

After our extraordinary visit with the beaching sea turtles, it was time for lunch. YUM!

A lava flow & a mai tai. They were both fantastic!

Some of our fare at Mama's.

No wonder you can't get a table in this restaurant. It is quite possibly the best restaurant in the country . . . not the state, the country. And the view is unsurpassed! Where else can you see sea turtles before dining?

Upon our return to our room, the whales were playing away.

Sunset March 4th