Aloha!

When I opened my eyes on the morning of June 27th, I was lying on a mattress in a tent in Maui, Hawaii. Unlike the previous day, I was able to sleep in a bit which I appreciated! I ate breakfast, walked into town and tried Dole Whip (a pineapple soft serve ice-cream) and then headed over to east Maui for a Pineapple Tour.

It was a total coincidence but today turned out to be National Pineapple Day. Can you believe it?! What are the odds! The day I decide to go to on a Pineapple Tour happens to be National Pineapple Day?! At the start of the tour, we were put on a bus and were taken to the factory where we got to see how the pineapples get processed and boxed.

At that point of the tour, the guides gave each of us a pineapple packaged in a special box is allowed on flights as an additional carry on! I was laughing in my head because my dad had been joking that he wanted me to bring him home a pineapple because it is such a crazy request. But now it looked like I actually could!

Next on the tour, we headed out to the fields and saw pineapples at different stages of their lives. We saw little baby pineapples and mature pineapples ready to harvest. They have pineapples at every stage of development so that there is always an area ready to harvest.

At the end of the tour, the guides cut up a pineapple and handed out pieces to each visitor. They offered up the remaining pineapple top for anyone who wanted to gnaw at it. I volunteered. We then bused back to the gift shop area and I bought fresh cut pineapple which I devoured. I also ate my bagel I had made for lunch.

Next up, I drove towards the road to Hana. A lot of people drive the road to Hana and it apparently is gorgeous but doing so would mean around six hours of driving and I wasn’t particularly interested in driving that much. Instead, I decided to check out the Garden of Eden botanical gardens. The gardens were gorgeous! I saw peacocks, ducks, flowers, a waterfall and some stunning Hawaii views. I took a photo of myself wearing my Hawaiian shirt and Lei.

A couple asked me to take a photo of them in their BMW which I was happy to do and then they offered to take a photo of me in it so I was like “sure!”

After walking around the gardens, I hopped back in my car to cruise back to the hostel. However, instead of giving me the normal route home, my GPS kept telling me to drive around the outer rim of west Maui. It said the highway was closed and that this would be fastest route so I was like “alright, that could be cool.” It was not.

That road that goes around west maui is the scariest road I’ve ever been on. There are huge cliffs, no shoulder, only room for one car yet still allows traffic in both directions and there are curves so sharp all you can do is pray no one is driving the other way. After dealing with the terrible drive for a while, I pulled over at a rare pullover spot and I checked my phone. I had no service but did have an emergency notice saying that there were bush fires in the Olowalu region. I had no idea where the Olowalu region was and I was really hoping it wasn’t where I was currently driving. But, I had no way of knowing and I had seen other cars going this way so I pressed on.

As I drove, a cyclist going the opposite direction was pointing the other way and I wasn’t sure why. Moments later, I was stopped behind a line of traffic on the narrow winding roads of west Maui. People were getting out of their cars and talking. I got out too and asked one person what was happening. It seemed that because the highway was closed, a lot of people were doing the same thing I was, and that small road was jammed from all the traffic. I went back to my car and decided to snack on what was left of that pineapple pizza from yesterday. We eventually moved a few feet. And then we stopped. And then we backed up so a tow truck could turn on this tiny road. And then we stopped. And then we moved. And then we stopped. And then the people going the other way moved.

It was a long slow process, but everyone was in good spirits. We all waved and cheered each other on as we passed the traffic going the other way. And eventually, well after sunset, I arrived back at my hostel. I walked into town and got some Mahi Mahi from that nice fish place I went yesterday and I ate back at my hostel.

The following morning, it was time to check out. I packed up all my luggage, stripped my mattress, said goodbye to some of the people I had met at the hostel and moved the car. I still had some time before my flight, so I went to the beach, read more of that book I’m trying to read, drank some Caprisun and went in the water. It was very relaxing. It was nice to do the whole relaxing on the beach thing because that feels like an essential Hawaii thing to do. Then I got an Açai bowl and banana bread (two things I thought were popular in Australia but also seem to be popular in Hawaii) and drove to the airport.

After returning the car, I did all the standard stuff (checking my bags, security, etc). The woman scanning my boarding pass for the plane said I wasn’t allowed three carry ons and I was like “But it’s a pineapple” as though that would clear everything up. I didn’t have proof that pineapples were allowed as an extra bag but luckily she let me on anyway. Before I knew it, I was back in Honolulu. My uber driver from the airport was telling me about his experiences boxing, his three rules to live by and described his skincare routine for me. I was interested in the skincare because I want to help my dry hands which bleed but the amount of work he puts in is crazy! I was taking notes on my phone. He gave me a whole list of products lol.

At the hostel, I checked in and a guy working there recognized me from a few days ago. Now that I knew the lay of the land here, I walked over to the Waikiki beach area and found a nice Poke Bowl place for dinner. I had never had one before. The ordering process was a lot like Chipotle and the food was good! After dinner, I found a shaved ice place and ordered Mango, Pineapple and Lychee shaved ice with condensed milk. It was soo yummy but the amount the server gave me was CRAZY! I couldn’t (and probably shouldn’t have) finished it all! I could hardly carry it.

I returned to my hostel and met my new hostelmates. Across from me, there was a couple from Germany who were very sweet. Below me, there was a huge man with a beard that only showed up after I had gone to bed. It was my last night sleeping in a hostel and honestly, I was happy about that!

So, I snuggled in for my last night sleep before returning home.