Hawaii Part 2

On our first day in Maui, Justin had a meeting that morning so he headed out and Jackson and I ordered some pancakes for breakfast. After we ate, we went out to explore the resort and check out all of the different pools. Jackson was so excited to see the pool and kept saying "wawa" over and over again, so I realized that it was time for us to get our bathing suits on and play in the pool/beach. We bought some sand toys and a baby float and went to the "baby beach", which was part of their huge pool system. It starts out a small beach with sand on the bottom and as you get deeper, you are led to the lazy river, rapids, slides, swim up bar, volcano, rope swing, water elevator, etc. Me and Jackson stayed in the lazy river, volcano area, and the adjoining pools. Needless to say, I got some great exercise swimming around while pushing Jackson in his float. He had a blast! We also walked down to the real beach and I let him run around in the sand. I waited to take him to the ocean until Justin could be there to witness Jackson's first time touching the Pacific. That afternoon, Justin was done with his meeting so we chilled a little bit in the room before heading to the Luau put on by his company. It was fantastic! Jackson and I got to meet all of Justin's coworkers and the food was wonderful! I was surprised by how many people brought their babies. There were lots of kids and the entertainment was cool. There were hulu dancers, fire dancers, etc. I wish I had taken my camera that night. We did get one photo from the night. Jackson was in the BEST mood all night. He was charming everyone by saying HAWAII all night, while giving a big smile. We had a classic Hawaiian feast and it was just a wonderful evening with the most amazing backdrop of a perfect Hawaiian sunset to go with it.



The next day was a free day for Justin, so we started out by having breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which was wonderful! Then we headed to the I'ao Valley. This valley is surrounded by the walls of the Pu'u Kukui Crater, which is the second tallest crater in Maui. A little history: This valley is the site of one of the most famous battles that occurred in 1790 and changed Hawaii history forever when King Kamehameha destroyed the Maui army in an effort to unite the Hawaiian islands. When we were there, parts of it felt like we were in the movie "Jurassic Park" with the giant cliffs surrounding us. It was so beautiful! Next we headed to the Maui Tropical Plantation and took the tram ride through the plantation. Halfway through, we got off for a coconut demonstration. Our guide taught us how to properly choose a coconut and demonstrated several tricks of how to get one open. Then we got to sample the fresh coconut. It was a great tour! We then stopped at Cafe O lei for lunch take out and went back to put Jackson down for a nap. Later that evening we drove to LaHaina for dinner. We met some really sweet people who had recommended a place called Kimo's for dinner. We had a wonderful view and ordered some excellent Opakapaka, which was the special that night. It is only available during the months of Dec-Feb, so we took advantage. Then we walked around the town before heading back to Wailea for the night.



Wednesday Justin had another meeting, so Jackson and I headed back to the baby pool and beach again. Jackson had so much fun playing in the sand and water. He napped like a champ that day because he was so worn out! When Justin came back from his meeting , I left to go shopping at our hotel shops. I bought a new dress and shoes to wear at the company dinner for that night. Then we all got ready and went to the dinner. This was another great night! The food was excellent (again!) and Jackson was so well behaved. This time I brought my camera and got some great photos. I really love the ones of Justin and Jackson in their Hawaiian shirts!



Thursday was another free day,so we all went out to the beach/pool together. Justin had a great time checking out the pool with us and did the rope swing several times! :) We also took Jackson down to the beach to stick his toes in the Pacific for the first time ever. Jackson loved the water and just watched it for awhile. We went to the baby beach and let Jackson splash around until he got tired. Then I wrapped him in a towel and gave him his snacks while Justin and I kicked our feet up and laid out with our tropical fruity drinks. It is really one of the highlights of the trip for me. It was a peaceful half hour where we all just chilled out and took it all in. Then we got some lunch and went in for a nap. For dinner that night, we went to Stella Blues Cafe in Kihei and it was an amazing meal!


Friday we woke up and did the breakfast buffet at the resort once again. Although everything was soooo good that we ate there, I have to say that my favorite was the Hawaiian sweet bread french toast....to die for! After breakfast we decided to attempt to drive to the top of the largest crater on Maui, Haleakala. It would be a drive to just over 10,000 feet. We decided to take the drive in hopes that Jackson would nap on the way there. We started on our way and stopped at Zippy's for lunch (had to have Zippy's at least once during our trip!). As we started getting closer to Haleakala, the altitude was definitely climbing. Our ears were popping the whole way up. Jackson was still awake and starting to get fussy. It is not like him not to fall asleep easily in the car, so we wondered if the altitude was bothering him. Then all of the sudden we reached the clouds and our visibility went to zero. I mean, it was difficult to see anything and we were on the crazy twists and turns on cliffs. I know it had to nerve wracking for Justin! As we got higher and higher, Jackson started to really cry...it was a painful cry and we still were in the thick of the clouds. We decided to turn around and just as we made it into Haleakala National Park (at 7,000 ft) Jackson passed out cold and the clouds parted. Wouldn't you know it! We still decided to turn around b/c the last 3,000 feet are nothing but sharp turns and I didn't want to press our luck. We know we'll be back one day and we can try it again then. It just wasn't worth it to chance it. So we headed down and back to the hotel. That night we went to the Shops at Wailea and then had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Next up-The road to Hana!