One of my favorite stops in Maui was the Iao Valley State Park. Parts of Maui are actually quite dry and desert-like, but tucked away in the middle of the island is this gorgeous, green, breathtaking valley. The pictures barely do it justice, but hopefully you can see what a beautiful place this is. I could have stayed here for hours. Just stunning!
Another highlight of the trip was our visit to Haleakala—a dormant volcano that reaches 10,000 feet into the sky. We took a tour up to the top and enjoyed the incredible views.
You can even see the Big Island off in the distance!
After sightseeing at the top, we rode mountain bikes down the hill. It was so much fun! You go from cold weather at the top and it slowly warms up as you make your way down the mountain. We rode through beautiful farm land and enjoyed the smell of eucalyptus and lavender all the way down. It really was a blast! I decided that bike riding is pretty fun…especially when it’s all downhill…on a beautiful island. Not to mention the sexy helmets!
I’d have to say that the best part of our trip was probably snorkeling. We snorkeled in several different places, but the best by far was Honolua Bay.
(Photo borrowed from Google)
The water was great and there were tons and tons of fish. We saw huge fish, colorful coral, stingrays, and even swam with turtles. Oh, and I almost got eaten by a shark here.
Yes—that’s correct. I swam with a shark in Honolua Bay. I was just snorkeling along, minding my own business and I look to my right and I see this…
(not actual photo of my shark, but he looked just like this!)
I froze and looked again. At first I thought I was imagining it, but then I realized that I really was swimming next to a shark. And the shark acted like it was no big deal! He was about 15 feet away from me and he was about five feet long—that’s as big as me! I tried to signal to my husband, who was diving near some coral facing the other direction, but I didn’t want to signal too much, because I didn’t want the shark to think I was signaling to him. Ha ha! Okay, so maybe I wasn’t thinking clearly. Anyway, Mr. Shark swam past me and swam away into a cave. I then found out what it was like to have a mini panic attack in the water. But don’t worry—I recovered and kept on snorkeling. It was a pretty amazing experience—incredible and terrifying all at the same time. I’m pretty sure Discovery Channel will be making a reenactment to show on Shark Week.
In case you couldn’t tell, I’ve officially fallen in love with Maui. It’s so beautiful, so charming, and so perfect. I really think I might have to retire here…or move there immediately. Thank you Maui!
1 comment:
You are so brave, Paigepants! Who swims with a shark?
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