Hanakao'o Cemetery

You knew I'd eventually write about a visit to a cemetery.  I seem to find them on my travels and this trip to Maui was no different.  I spotted the tiny red-earth graveyard from the highway on our first bus ride.  Hanakano'o Cemetery was such a stark contrast between the lushness of the Hyatt Resort, the ocean waves, and its tiny, dry dustiness.

Friday morning, the spouses were to meet and walk to Whalers Village.  I felt I had time to see this cemetery, walk back along the beach, and meet up with the group.  This didn't happen as when I reached the mustering point, no one was there.  It didn't matter as I knew the way and figured I'd bump into them.  I eventually did meet up with Jennifer but we separated again while I took some photographs.

I knew approximately where the cemetery was so walked out the Lahaina entrance of the hotel and crossed the parking lot.  The dirt road beyond was gated but only to vehicles so I wandered along the dusty road bordering the graves.  One can learn much about a people by their graves and I soon discovered this was a Japanese cemetery with strong Hawaiian roots.  Most of the graves had weather leis or tiny desiccated flowers in rough clay vessels.  Some had markers that looked to be hewn from the underlying soil while others were simply delineated by volcanic stones.

Despite nearby construction, it was a peaceful place but quickly explored due to its small size.  I then crossed the road and came to Hanakao'o Beach.  Here, seaweed-draped rocks tempted me to check for sea turtles but I didn't want to miss meeting the spouses so turned back.  When I realized they had left without me, I returned to the beach.

There is nothing like an early morning stroll along the seaside even if your sneakers 'leak' but carrying the extra sand was good exercise so I kept slogging through the dunes.

I wasn't alone as others snorkeled, swam, or surfed the waves.  I came across a group learning to fish and a gaggle of tiny and some kids making stand castles.  In one area protected by vegetation, tiny, translucent crabs scuttled across the sand and disappeared into their holes.  There were lots of beach debris to photograph as well as flowers, plants, and boats.  I even spent a few minutes watching the cliff divers plunge into the ocean near the Sheraton Hotel before I left to explore Whalers Village.

Later, Glen and I returned to the Hula Grill for lunch where I had ahi tuna sashimi served with an orchid and gado gado salad while Glen ate their special, a grilled mahi mahi sandwich.  We washed it down with Bikini Blonde.  The Hula Grill has live entertainment and this day, the soloist played an electric ukulele.  During one song, a woman did a hula dance for us.

Using orchids as a garnish was new to me, although I had seen them decorating fruity alcoholic beverages.  It was too beautiful to eat but I have since learned they are a good source of Vitamin C and fibre and are edible.

We had strict instructions to meet for the sunset cruise at 4:00 sharp as the sun would not wait.  This sounds funny but in the past some have complained that the sun set too quickly.  Again, we had a long bus ride to begin our evening (always a good time for networking).  We boarded the Pride of Maui in Maalaea harbour next to the Aquarium.  After a brief safety chat, we left the harbour.  Just as the stern passed the breakwater, the bartender announced the bars were open.  On the upper deck, they served beer and wine,  whereas downstairs was the cocktail bar.  But, who could drink beer when there were whales to be photographed?

The boat encountered several comp pods so we were treated to a wonderful show of flippers and fins.  And no, you don't get tired of watching them and you always hope for a better photo.  However, I might have given up beer for whale-watching but I didn't give up eating.  Dinner was a buffet set up on the lower deck serving hot and cold choices as well as vegetarian and meat-lovers dishes.  The chicken was delicious and the ribs to die for.  I later learned the chef steamed them in pineapple juice for 3 hours and added horseradish to her BBQ sauce.  Something to try as I seek to find the perfect rib recipe.

During supper, the soloist sang happy birthday to Glen and Jim who were celebrating their birthdays during the conference.  Our friends from Québec sang 'Bonne F ete' while Glen stood waiting for his supper.

The sunset (remember that was the reason for this cruise) was beautiful although there weren't enough clouds to make it awesome and the whales had vanished.