Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - Day 14

It was overcast, so we decided that it was a good day to go to the pool ... afterall, it looked as though it were going to start raining at any minute. We were going to get wet anyway. So we went down to the pool and played around for a bit, then it began sprinkling. No big deal, we can stay out in the pool with a little sprinkles. Then the wind began gusting and rain began pouring down ... we decided that since everyone else had left the pool area, we should leave too, since two wooden chairs had already blown over and the beach balls we were playing with had blown out of sight.

Eventually, it lightened up again and then stopped raining altogether, so we went back to the pool for round 2. This time, Timothy had fallen asleep in the hot tub, so I decided to take him up to the room to sleep while RJ and Ryan continued to play in the pool. We were so proud of RJ's progress in the pool. Not only did RJ learn to swim around using a noodle, but he also can go underwater all by himself. He is very proud of himself!


The boys were sleeping and we needed to leave the room so that housekeeping could come and clean. Ryan decided that since he had a few days with no wind or waves, that he would just paddle out at Honolua Bay for fun. When we got there, there were a lot of people out there and the waves were pretty small, but at least there were waves. As the time went by, the waves began to build and there were a few good sized waves that came through. I could see Ryan surf from where we had parked, and since the boys were sleeping, I didn't want to leave the car. I was able to take a few blurry pics from the window of the minivan.


Anyway, the boys woke up and Ryan had come in from surfing, so we needed to get ready for dinner with Uncle Sammy and the rest of the family at Asian Star in Wailuku. We stopped back at the hotel to pick up the map that Uncle Sammy had printed for us and made our way to the restaurant. Thank goodness for the map as it would have been difficult to find the place in its remote location. We had a nice Vietnamese dinner with the family and headed back to the hotel.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - Day 13

Today, we finally drove "the Road to Hana". We decided that we've been to Maui enough times and haven't done it so we decided to go ahead and just do it. We ended up picking up a CD guide in Pa'ia so that we knew what kinds of things to look for on our journey. It was actually quite pleasant to listen to as it gave some historical overview of the Hawaiian Islands. Our first stop along the way was at a bamboo forest. We took a small path down a bamboo forest, which was pretty neat. We didn't go far, because it was a little slippery and I didn't want to have to cross the stream with the kids. Both RJ & Timothy really enjoyed it nonetheless. In fact, it is all RJ talked about for a good portion of the ride. He kept on wanting to go back to it after we left.



After stopping at a few scenic places with spectacular views and/or waterfalls, we eventually made it to the Wai'anapanapa State Park, where we set foot on the black sand beaches and saw some beautiful lava tubes, arches and sea caves. It was definitely a beautiful site to see and well worth the drive alone.

We didn't really stop anywhere in Hana because the weather was getting worse as the day went on. We did stop and take a couple photos at Wailua Falls and that is when the camera battery ran out. By the time we got to the Haleakala National Park at Kipahulu and Seven Pools of Oheo, Timothy had fallen back asleep, RJ was tired and it had started to really rain, so we tried to go to the end of the road and had to turn around, since they had closed the road that led to Ulupalakua.

The drive back went by much quicker without any stops and we finally made it back to Pa'ia, where we drove up to Pukalani to meet up with my cousin Sonya and Uncle Sammy for dinner.
It was a long, yet adventurous day for us and am glad we finally did it.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

It's really amazing how fast a week goes by ... We had to say good-bye to my family after a fun week of family bonding.

Yesterday was our 6th year wedding anniversary, so we celebrated by snorkeling at Black Rock with the family and then afterward, treating my parents to a magic show that they took the kids to while we went out to dinner in Lahaina. We had a nice sunset dinner at Kimo's to celebrate 6 wonderful years of marriage.

Today, we decided to go back to the Maui Ocean Center again, since the kids love it so much. This time, Nico joined us. Afterward, we went to Kanaha Beach Park for a family barbecue. Conveniently enough, it is right next to Kite Beach, so Ryan got some riding in before meeting up with the family for some lunch and good company. It was great to meet up again with Uncle Sammy, Auntie Alice, Irene, Lee & Nicole, Sonya, Al & Shaun. Hopefully we will be able to touch base again before we leave Maui next week.

Anyway, unfortunately, I got my camera wet when chasing after Timothy in the ocean, so needless to say, I will be shopping for a new camera during the holiday shopping season. Fortunately, my dad let me borrow his camera for the remainder of the vacation, so that will have to do for now, until I get my new camera.

We said good-bye to my family as they were all packed up and checking into the airport. We will miss having them around, and the boys will definitely miss having their cousins around to play with. It was a reminder that we too, will be leaving Maui soon :(

The 10 day surf report

Ten days and no complaints here. Everyday has served up something for waves. The small days have been shoulder to head with bigger sets. The bigger days have been a few feet over head down the line with triple overhead sets. The bay has mostly been glassy with a few days that were a bit bumpy. These are some set waves I took some quick shots of.. You can get an idea of the size and perfection.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - Day 6

It's picture day! I was a little nervous about the weather, since it said "Scattered Showers" and the sky looked a little gray when I looked out the window. The weather ended up being beautiful anyway. We had family pictures taken around the garden and beach at the resort. The only time the boys would wear the kukui nut necklace I bought them was down the elevator. I had picked up Orchid leis the night before for all the girls in the group. My boys were the difficult ones during the shoot of course, but I think we got some good shots ... I hope! We'll find out when we get back home. The photographer, Joe, told us it would take about 6-8 weeks to get the pictures back, so I told him that I would edit the photos myself, if he just sends me all the raw photos. Needless to say, that will be my big project when we get back home, since I want these photos in time for Christmas.

We had planned to go to the Iao Valley with the family, but decided that we were too tired from the photo shoot to do anything, but go to the pool / hot tub with the Deans. Ryan decided that it was windy enough to go kitesurfing right out in front of the resort. There was already a guy kiting there and come to find out, we were right next to a kitesurfing spot all along. There had to be over a dozen guys kiting out there at the same time as the wind picked up. Ryan enjoyed playing in the waves and had a good time.

5:00 rolled around and we had dinner reservations at 5:30pm for Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in Lahaina, where we were meeting up with Uncle Sammy, Auntie Alice, Irene, Lee, Nicole, Sonya, Al & Sean. We felt bad because we were running late and we were the hosts of the dinner. There were 25 of us total, so we were unable to sit together at one large table. Instead, we were at 3 separate tables that were closeby. They put on a great show and the food was fantastic. We decided to walk along Front Street after dinner, going through many shops, etc. It was another beautiful day in Maui.

Day Five Maui Kite Report

Everyday is family day, but for the bros out there, surfing has seem to taken precedence with five days surfing and two days kite boarding thus far.. The day began at dawn ( That's 11:15 AM for us east coasters ) with a drive to Honolua Bay. And some 4.5 waves that's (10-14 foot faces for us east coasters) that not quite as clean as you come to expect here but still way fun.
After that it was time for some chaos at the aquarium. That's what you call my kids and some of their cousins running around at the Maui Ocean Center. We brought along Teena's mom and niece, Kiana and met up with the Deans there after their Atlantis Submarine ride. We ended up buying a week pass so that we could go back with the kids at a later time.
With some wind coming through the valley and the swell building I was sure today would have been the first day I got to ride Lanes but at last not enough wind on that side just enough to mess up the surf.

When we got back to the hotel I saw a kiter doing a down winder and catching some of the waist to chest high lines that were rolling in in front of the hotel.

Turns out that the local favorite sport to ride here is in between our resort and the next.. Above are some kiting shot taken by Teena from the pool as I kite in front of the hotel. The surf break is called Rainbows and one of these days I'll make it up wind to S-turns which looks good too. All the local rider

Sunday, November 18, 2007

It was a rough night of sleep with the boys waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night. Timothy perked up with an enthusiastic, "Hi", while RJ followed by answering, "Good Morning". Teena was so tired and needed a minute to wake up. Ryan made the kids some blueberry waffles and Teena went for a morning run, this time on the road. Ryan took the boys over to Lola & Lolo's again for daily breakfast. The kids enjoyed going there to be with their cousins. We had planned the night before that we were all going to snorkel at Honolua Bay and that we would leave the resort around 8:00am. While waiting for everyone to be ready, the kids decided to climb the tree outside of Lola & Lolo's room and then head over to the pool / hot tub for a morning swim. RJ decided that he was hungry again, so we decided it would be a good idea to stop at McDonalds on the way to Honolua Bay. As it turns out, we never made it to Honolua Bay, but instead, stopped at Mokule'ia Bay, since it had stair access.




Mokule'ia Bay was a great little beach to spend the day, not to mention that it is absoultely beautiful! The boys enjoyed playing in the sand and all the kids enjoyed playing in the waves. Mom (Lola) even enjoyed watching the kids play on the beach. Marnie & James decided to go snorkeling first. Followed by Ryan & Michael. Dad (Lolo) joined them next and Rosanna, Gary, Nico, Kiana & Briana decided to turn back and never made it out.



When the first group of snorkelers came back, Ryan insisted that Teena go too, but she wasn't about to go without him. So Nico & Kiana decided to give it another shot, this time with Ryan & Teena, while Timothy took his nap and RJ played with his cousins on the beach. Everyone enjoyed their snorkeling adventures until we all got a little hungry. We headed back to the resort and had some lunch. Ryan decided that he didn't have enough time to go kitesurfing, so he decided to go surfing for a little while before our 5:30 dinner at Leilani's on the Beach, hosted by the Picardi family.

While Ryan was out surfing, the boys took their naps and when they woke up wanted to play with Colin & Christian. So we opened up the doors to our rooms and let the kids play between the 2 rooms. Marnie made Teena a really strong Margarita and we had a great time waiting to leave for the restaurant.


We arrived at dinner just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset. The food was excellent and everyone had another wonderful dinner. Since it was still early, we decided to walk around and go through some of the shops at Whaler's Village.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

We got up bright and early and found out that the Dean family's room was right across from ours, so after chatting a bit while waiting for the sun to rise, Teena went for a run on the beach, while Ryan took the boys over to have breakfast at Lolo & Lola's room. RJ & Timothy were so excited to be around his aunts, uncles and cousins: Nico, Kiana, Isabelle, Colin & Christian. Everyone had arrived at the resort late the night before.

Next we all went to the pool, beach and of course, to the hot tub. RJ had become a big fan of the hot tub from the last time we were in Maui in March 2006. After swimming in the ocean for a bit, we decided we were hungry because it was lunch time. We ate some lunch in our rooms and then decided that it was a good time to go on a ride on the Sugar Cane Train with the Dean family. The Sugar Cane Train was a short train ride that took us from Puukolii to Lahaina and back again. The kids really enjoyed the train ride, especially Timothy.

When we got back to the resort, we went to the pool, had a few drinks and went in the hot tub. Later on, we had drinks at the Dean's room before going to the Hula Grill for a family dinner, hosted by the Dean Family. It was a great day of family fun for our 3rd day in Maui and everyone else's 1st day in Maui.

Friday, November 16, 2007

We started the day as usual with Ryan surfing in the morning. He had a late start and the waves weren't as big as the day before. Nonetheless, he had a good time.

Meanwhile, back at the resort, Teena made breakfast for the boys and headed out to the pool for our daily morning swim. Ryan met up with them at the pool and they all headed for the beach and then to the hot tub.

After a big lunch, we decided that it was a good day to drive along the coast of Western Maui. So we drove along some really narrow, curvy, one-lane roads going about 5-10 miles an hour. We made a few stops along the way, taking in the beautiful views of the ocean and the lush green mountains and valleys. When we eventually made it around to Kuhului, we decided to check out Kite Beach, as the wind was blowing somewhat, but not enough for Ryan to fly his nine. RJ had fun picking up pieces of coral and telling us what it was shaped like. We then checked out a couple shops and decided to head back to the resort, rather than greet the Blancaflors at the airport.

First Day

Our family arrived in (808) at 8:08 PM.. After planes, planes and more planes.. All of us were happy to check in to our condo 818. Despite the fact that they had us coming in the next day we're happy to take the room on the top floor.

I ran out for a little dawn patrol at @ Honolua bay, which was pretty much doing it's thing with some overhead sets connecting Middles to the Cave. While he was definitely feeling the time off the water he surfed all that he was served and left in good spirits. Hmm seemed like we were just surfing here on our honeymoon.

Teena slept in (as much as that is possible with the two munchkins) caught a comp breakfast , looked around the grounds and headed to one of the pools. I showed up just as everyone was coming back to the room. We straightened out the room debacle and headed for rounds two & three at the pool.

Being day 1 we need supplies at the Big Kahuna Mart which is conveniently close to Kite Beach.. Since the kids fell asleep on the way to the store Teena wisely recommended that Dad get his kitesurfing in while the kids were crashed out..
This place was awesome, a little tough getting off the beach. I'd been hear way to many time before I and never came close to catching it good. Tired to do the right thing and chat up the some of the locals and that worked out nice because everyone was really nice. A couple of the guys Jerry & Eric seemed to be the heavies (I only say this because they live there and ride for Naish & Slingshot)and gave me the low down. The entire place can be compared to Matanuck on a grand scale. The pro beach is like the cove , EM like the beginner beach. Outside the cove would be deep hole and a whole lot O fun.. Rolling and crumbling waves coming over the reef. I played it pretty safe and rigged the 9m Warro which ended up being plenty.. The one down side is that the trades weren't getting into the inside pro beach but maybe another day..

While I was out Timmy & RJ the two banditos woke up and being all to familiar with kites decided to started solidifying their positions as groms at the beach.
After that everyone was hungry and it was time to eat. We happened upon a little place called wouldn't you know 'Da Kitchen'. It was authentic Hawaiian food, which ended up being pretty good and perfect for the kids.