Arrived San Francisco at about 3 o’clock PM, once settled we went down to Houlihan’s for dinner. We opted for pot roast – turned out to not be pot roast but was still pretty good. After dinner we felt the exhaustion settle in so we retired to our room, finished off an open bottle of red, and read and then watched Jim Carey in Dick and Jane – cute. We both slept fairly well until about 5:30 AM at which time I got up, showered and dressed, Lar made some in room coffee and we set off for the airport.
We found unimaginable lines for security. We moved about 6 inches every 5 minutes and everyone began to feel they might miss their flights. It got so bad that eventually almost everyone was laughing. I think it was a touch of hysteria! Once through, we had just enough time to grab a cup of coffee and a scone before boarding.
Finally on board at 8:25 AM, we settled in to our seats, preparing for the long dreamed of trip – ( 2,054 nautical miles at a speed of 486 nautical miles per hour). And settled, and prepared, and dreamed and waited – for an hour while the crew replaced an electrical part.
They replaced it.
It didn’t work.
They would send for another.
Not one for approving of shoddy work….and being one who is about to launch herself, along with many others out over the Pacific….I was really pulling for “let’s all get off, have some lunch, step away and let these people DO THEIR JOBS! folks!” but that was not to be.
They began the movie “Up” and we semi-watched that for a while. The wait had brought the 6 or 8 babies and toddlers to their tiny knees. They had reached their limits too, but unlike most of the adults, they decided, all at once to announce their displeasure. At any given moment there were at least 3 screaming. Of course, being social animals, if there were 3 screaming, the rest joined in, just to be supportive.
Once in the air, the babies were still angry. The 5 hours we spent on board that plane will forever be memorialized by the sound of screaming children. The 18 month old or so little girl in the seats behind us added an almost constant tattoo of violent kicking – mostly on my seat back, once in a while to Lar’s. Just in case the torment of screaming didn’t keep us alert.
We purchased $5 lunches – bagel and cream cheese, jam and yogurt, attempted to read, and occasionally watched a bit of Up. They had begun running the movie in an attempt to calm the children while we waited on the tarmac. Once the plane was running they had turned it off and then tried to resume it in the air. They couldn’t figure it out, so started it over. They kids weren’t buying it.
At last the flight was over! And we hadn’t gotten wet. I blessed the crew that had discovered the right part.
Walking into the airport, the warmth of the air wafted over us. The walls don’t go all the way up in the Maui Airport…..they just stop and the blue sky, the palm trees are just out there – beckoning, the air sweet and warm. Our bags were, of course, the last off of two combined flights, but this time we had the sense to rent a cart…which we will always do unless I can find a way to put on one dress and live in it for a week! – (maybe a nudist colony vacation?). There just really has to be a better way!
Having got all our bags and this old bag onto a rental car bus we found a seat for the quick drive to get our car.
I noticed, as we stood in the ever-present line, one clerk, a man about our age, who was really miserable looking. I thought “Oh, I do hope we don’t get him.” Knowing, of course, we would obviously get him. We did. His name is Rae and he immediately seemed to take a liking to us. We were “Ann” and “Larry” and he proceeded to tell us where he’d lived before coming to Maui (behind Gallo Winery in Napa), that this was his normal day off but 2 co-workers had called out sick, that he would otherwise be pouring concrete and then he gave us hints on some great little places for good food, pointed out places and routes on the map, we got our GPS and were off to claim our car.
We stepped outside to a beautiful day – warm, wind, virtually no humidity. Lar had pre-rented a convertible – we had no idea which convertible….so we just stood there. Finally a Hawaiian woman said, “You just pick the one you want.” Lar was a kid in a toy shop! He instantly liked the first one he saw, checked the others out quickly and back to the first. We used the usual sketch they provide to mark dings and scratches, and when complete, you couldn’t see the sketch! Obviously cars take a beating in Maui! That gave me pause………
And then we attempted to stow our 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons. Note to self: Remember that nudist colony? Suitcases don’t go in the trunk of a convertible. And we have no idea how to put the top up.
A young woman next to us was thoroughly covering her own sketch of her car with S’s and D’s and Lar asked her if she could help him put the top up. She stood up quickly, eyes wide, mouth agape and replied “oh my! I have no idea!”
Enter the little Hawaiian lady – demonstrated for the three of us and we were set.
I set the GPS for Buzz’s Wharf – “tell them Rae sent you, they’ll take good care of you!” – and off we went.
Roads with names containing no less than 20 letters or so make map and sign reading tough. We were totally reliant upon the GPS – and then we saw Buzz’s down in a valley to the left with no way for us to get there, we started to question. About 40 minutes later when the female voiced GPS announced “you have arrived at your destination” in front of some houses, we suspected “she” was not our friend.
I had developed a headache and some buzzing in my ears and was probably dehydrating, Lar wasn’t in great shape either – driving along the gorgeous coast all we could think was “water, water everywhere – and not a drop to drink!”
Lar pulled over into a parking lot where I reset GPS lady to the Hyatt Regency, we crossed all the fingers we could – I even crossed my eyes – and we arrived at our accommodations in less than 10 minutes.
It seemed like Disneyland as we drove up the drive, and that sense did not leave us the entire stay. Our bags were unloaded onto a cart and we were escorted by a bellman to our room – 972. As we went, our 60 year old escort pointed out amenities, discussed his time in NJ in a the service at Lakehurst and told us how Shane Victorino’s Dad is a council person in Maui and how he used to baby sit for Sane. They are big Phillies fans here because of that young man. And then he won my heart forever. He went and got me a big glass of ice water. I think I was seeing mirages everywhere!
Our room features a balcony overlooking the mountain and the ocean. A constant thunder of waves hitting the shore accompanies as one sits and watches the ever changing sky. We settled in for a bit and suddenly we both realized we’ve had nothing since the bagel breakfast on the plane, so we set out in search of dinner since it was now 4 PM.
Our destination was the pool-side bar ‘Umalu. I chose a Korean sandwich with kim chee and Lar ordered Maui Waui – mahi mahi fish tacos. I absorbed 2 large glasses of water and 2 pretty much equally large Mai Tais. Lar too had water and sampled three different local beers – his favorite being the Bikini Blond. He liked the beer of that name too! (laughing)
We sat in awe as the sun set with every color in a 64 crayon big box, and then the torches were lit, with fanfare and music. Magical.
Our server had been run off her feet by a huge, unanticipated tour, and came to us and said, “if you love me, you won’t leave!” She was off shift soon and didn’t want a new party. We took pity and sat and enjoyed the view and atmosphere for a while and then drinks in hand set out for a moon/torch lit stroll.
The Hyatt has done an amazing job at designing their grounds. It is dripping with magic in every cave, grotto, waterfall – and of course, God did His thing with the sea – just there – we crossed a rope bridge – thrills in itself, but the extra thrill of 2 mai tais under my belt. We sat on a lounge sea side, stars and palm trees above, waves washing in, peaceful – the stress of travel drifting and ebbing away into the night.
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