On Thursdays I like to join my friend LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color in focusing on the interesting, beautiful, and happy side of life, joining a small community of bloggers in celebrating the good things. It's our small way of driving away the political darkness that is so prevalent today. So here's some fun Maui images to share.
Lahaina was the capitol of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845 and much of its history is preserved in buildings and exhibitions. I really loved that the people of Maui were so interested in their history. Here is the lovely home of the Rev. Dwight Baldwin, one of the first missionaries to Maui. Mrs. Baldwin (Charlotte) raised six children in this house and entertained a constant array of visitors without the help of running water, electricity, or slave labor.
The sugar industry was big in Maui and I learned a lot about it from the Sugar Museum, which is near the airport. There being no slavery on the islands, contract labor was enlisted from many countries, resulting in the true melting pot that makes up Hawaii today. I liked this little interactive area of the exhibit and had a good laugh at one clever person's answer, shown in the second photo.
Lahaina was a great town for walking. One day I ran across some local dancers performing at the outlet mall, which was great fun. I was impressed to see such young kids keeping their heritage alive.
The bar and restaurant scene was lively in Lahaina. We spent a while at Down the Hatch checking out the locals and the tourists. People watching is always such an important part of vacation, don't you think?
Well, and of course, checking out the sunsets. That was a treat, since we don't see them here in Boulder. From our house they are hidden by the mountains.
Over in Paia, the decor at Mama's Fish House was a constant source of entertainment to me. I must have walked through this restaurant lobby six times going to and from beach at Mama's Cove before I realized that the attendant's stands were marked by huge, real seashells!
Here's another thing I missed for a while. It's on the path to our room from the restaurant. No, I'm not blind; it's just that Mama's was loaded with cool decor and interesting plants and flowers.
There was also lots to see in the neighborhood and in town. Check out this boat garage. Surely the house was designed for this particular boat, since it just fits.
And I loved this old phone booth in Paia. Really captured the spirit of this "hippie" town.
Turtle watching was a big activity. We saw one swimming while we were on a snorkel tour off of Lani'i, across the water from Lahaina, and they regularly swam at Mama's Cove where at least one would come up on the beach each night. As a matter of fact, I practically snorkeled right into a turtle at the cove which scared me to death and also filled me with awe. Those guys are big and beautiful.
But turtle heaven seemed to be at the next beach up from Mama's, Ho'okipa Beach which is known for its wind surfing and surfing. As you saw in the video I posted the other day the turtles come and go all day long there which was super cool to watch. To keep the turtles from being too loved, there's a rock wall to separate them from all their admirers. Those humps that look like rocks in the background are turtles.
But what I wanted to know was how did the turtles know to come up at that particular part of the beach?
Maui was such fun and full of great things to see and do. I sure hope I get back! Aloha, beautiful Maui!
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