Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 16
5/3/2010
We awoke to very hazy conditions this morning--Lanai was completely obscured and obviously Molokai as well. Sun was still coming through the haze. Trade winds and normal conditions aren't expected to return until late tomorrow or Wednesday. This tightens up my picture-taking schedule somewhat and puts a trip up Haleakala to see the sunset somewhat in doubt. We've already decided not to do a Hana trip this year, and we don't see this decision as much of a loss, even though I was looking forward to driving back from Hana along the backside of Haleakala.
Patty slept in a bit this morning (7:00) and we didn't have any solid plans for the day; get some sun, possibly go to Cafe O Lei for dinner. As it turned out, Cafe O Lei isn't open on Monday so we opted for Da Kitchen, a new place recently opened on Front Street. We were hoping it would be as good as the Kahului location.
We finally bumped into Allison on the way out the door--this was the first time we've seen her since we checked in and it was nice to chat with her for awhile.
I tried to pay the ticket I got in Honolulu using the internet address supplied on the ticket, but the violation number hadn't been entered into the system yet by clerical staff. It's been twelve days since the ticket was wrote, so what the hell? Tried by phone and got the same message. This time I was directed to call another phone number--which of course is not toll-free--and am told by the wahine that this "sometimes happens". When I attempted to probe deeper and find out who is responsible for getting this info into their computer system, I was stonewalled. Nice. Guess I'll have to either a) pay by mail, which entails putting my credit card info on the form which is then mailed with the ticket, b) wait to see if the ticket info hits the system before we leave and pay by phone or internet, or c) ignore the ticket and see what happens.
(post note: payment was mailed in on May 8 but wasn't charged to my credit card until August. Guess "Hawaii time" has a special meaning when it comes to government employees)
Meanwhile weather conditions became dreary, mostly cloudy and muggy today. I would say it has been the worst weather day we've had in Maui since our 2002 trip. The sun came out briefly in the afternoon but it didn't hold up for long. Strong winds are bringing the clouds from the windward side of Maui over to our leeward side of the island.
Aroma d'Italia
We've eaten at several "repeat" restaurants during this trip, for one reason or another. For Kimos, it's the memory of our wedding night dinner, plus the delicious sunset views. BJ's (now Lahaina Pizza Company) has its incredible pizzas although I must say the quality has recently slipped. Aroma d'Italia is a puzzler--something intangible is going on here--the food isn't the best, the setting isn't great, it's next to a parking lot--but there is something which keeps drawing me back. (Patty, on the other hand, doesn't care if we return here or not). This was our dining choice for tonight; the food was good--pasta with sausage and peppers--but not remarkable. Service was friendly but could have been quicker. But this place relaxes me in a way I can't readily explain. Mostly, it's just a feeling I get when I walk into the place--a family-run restaurant which embodies aloha. Maybe that's what it is.
Traffic was heavy going both directions as we drive south from Lahaina. No idea why northbound traffic should have been this heavy at "pau hana" time until we see smoke on the mountainside just south of Olowalu. Then Patty noticed flames on the mountain and we saw choppers hauling water buckets from the ocean to the mountainside fire. It was a stark sight. Returning to Lahaina just after sunset, the fire was still going and it seemed more spread out.
Smoke from the West Maui Mountains fire
Flames edging closer to the main highway
All in all, another great Monday night on our favorite island!
Previous: 5/2/2010--Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 15
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