Daily Times

It had been a busy year and we thought we would go to Maui, Hawaii just to hang out by the beach. On our first trip to Maui, we had driven for three hours in the darkness of the early morning hours to the top of Haleakala, an extinct volcano, to witness the magnificent sunrise over the Big Island.

The summit of the volcano rises to 10,000 ft. At that elevation, the temperatures drop to the freezing mark. So you have to bundle up, in total contrast to what little you were wearing when you began the journey from sea level.

We had also driven on the famed road to Hana which offered some awesome views, including that of a black sand beach, but it was the most circuitous and winding road I had ever driven on, with some 600 twists and turns.

At the end of the drive, there was a chance to relax next to the seven sacred pools and dip your toes in the water, which we did. The gravesite of the aviator Charles Lindberg was not too far away. But we had run out of energy.

On another trip, we had taken a boat to the small island of Lanai and tried our hand at skeet shooting. This was the first time that my wife had laid her hands on a shotgun. Yet she got the highest score. We also checked out the two resorts on the island and admired their beautiful landscaping before sitting down for lunch.

On another trip, we had toured Molokai, once the site of a leper colony. The island offered some great hikes in the hills and awesome views of the bigger island of Maui.

This time we just wanted to just walk along the beach and put our footprints on the sand. But that proved to be an impossible goal. The urge to explore got the better of us.

We wanted to see Maui from the air. We also wanted to go whale watching. And we wanted to check out the fine eateries on the island.

So, by the time we landed, our itinerary had expanded to include a culinary tour of the island, a helicopter tour to the Hana Rainforest, a whale watching tour from the harbor at Lahaina and Christmas dinner at a friend’s house, in addition to walking on the sands.

We did all of these activities. Without any doubt, the helicopter ride was the highlight of the tour. It lasted for 75 minutes and included a half hour stop in the rainforest.

The pilot was of South African origin but you would not have known that by listening to him. I asked him about his missing accent. He said he had migrated to the US in 1993 and nobody could understand him. He just got tired of repeating himself and picked up the American manner of speaking. He proved to be a very able pilot and also a very polite man who answered any questions you put to him. He had flown both fixed wing and rotary wing aircrafts for a quarter-century.

The EC-130 helicopter was made by Airbus, with a top speed of 150 mph. It seated eight including the pilot, but the seating was cramped and almost triggered my claustrophobia. We were provided headphones and mikes to be able to talk despite the continuous noise.

We got great views of the seashore as we took off. Then came some deep ravines, canyons and waterfalls, including a place where the opening scenes of the Jurassic Park movies were filmed. And then we landed in the middle of the rain forest.

The helicopter vibrated throughout the journey. It kept turning horizontally and vertically to showcase the earth and the sky that was all around you, nearly triggering my vertigo complex.

At the rainforest we were met by a tour guide. He was a native of Peru who greeted us in Arabic when he heard our names. He had picked up the language from some Iraqis.

The area was lush green. The plantations included bananas, pineapples and ginger. He showed us how you can cut off and replant a branch from the tree and that the branch would ultimately become another tree.

As we flew back to the main airport, we got some clear views of the road to Hana. The serpentine bends in the grey asphalt provided a stunning contrast to the verdant landscape. I was so glad not to be driving on that road.

The next day we took a two-hour whale watching cruise. The volcanic mountains of Maui were on one side and Lanai and Molokai on the other. The water sparkled in silver under the light of the morning sun. Then we spotted a spouting whale in the distance, then another. Later, we saw black fins erupt from the sea in another spot and then the arc of the whole body. The show just kept going on.

On other days, we sampled the incredible cuisine of the island. Some of the restaurants also had dramatic seaside views. Service was surprisingly prompt, despite the laid back pace which we had become accustomed to on prior visits.

One of the restaurants was owned by a member of the Fleetwood Mac band. Another one was the famed Mama’s Fish house. One of the dishes was Penang Curry. I asked the waiter if it was Thai or Malay and that prompted him to ask me if I was a local.

We walked along the beach every day. On a couple of days, we decided to take off our sandals and walk barefoot in the sand. Nothing had ever felt so good.

Some of the resorts featured water gardens. We saw white swans swimming in one pond, along with a black swan from Australia. We also saw an amazing collection of Lotus plants. There was much to admire in the landscaping.

Finally, we felt the need to get a foot massage. The woman working on me looked Asian. She asked me if I was Asian. When I replied with “Pakistani”, she was surprised. She said she was Vietnamese. My ethnicity has always drawn attention. At last count, the number of ethnicities attributed to me was 21.

And then came the best part, a Christmas dinner at a friend’s house. It was simply lovely, easily the best meal we have had in a long time. While savoring the variety of flavours on the table, we conversed on a variety of topics including life under the Shah in Iran, developments in medicine and the state of solar energy.

On our last day we sampled the cuisine at the Paia fish market. The place has definitely preserved its 1987 heritage. As we entered, we were intimidated by the long lines at the counter. The tables were packed, and there was no seating room. But we found a spot. The service was fast, and the food was tasty.

The six days went fast. Ever since we reached home, we have been missing the sand in the toes, the tropical breezes and the soothing sunsets.

Ahmad Faruqui has toured 36 countries. He can be reached at ahmadfaruqui@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, January 3^rd 2018.