Maui: March 17
Today was the first day after my 39.99th birthday. Today I felt like 40,01! Do you
think that I was depressed now that I was over the hill, or was I sad that our
vacation was coming to a screeching halt? No way, today was the day that I went
on our best snorkeling trip this week.
Here was Theresa and I enjoying a breakfast on the lanais. Incidentally Theresa
was so satisfied with the robe she even bought one at the hotel gift shop so we
can remember Kea Lani Hotel ( http://www.kealani.com/index.htm
) after we get home. We had a quick breakfast of a sweet roll and chocolate
croissant while enjoying a great view.
Molikini
We waited for
the boat to arrive at the Kihei boat ramp.
After a short boat ride, which was piloted by Captain Rae, we arrived at Molikini.
Our dive
master (or is it dive mistress? :-) of the day was Amy. She is a self-professed
fish head. She is from Portland, Oregon. She took some video of all of us. The water was clear but pretty
cold. Theresa and I were both happy that we had snorkeling vest to keep us warm.
In fact, I don't think we mind having a full diving suit to keep our arms and
legs warm also. Theresa and I both had goose pimples on our arms and legs.
The water was choppy, so I got a little sea sick. Theresa felt fine and swam
like a dolphin. However, I was most impressed by Amy. She was able to dive down
30 feet to get some close-up photos of the fish. She could also hold her breadth
for a long time. She said that on a good and relaxed day she could hold her
breadth under water for more than 2 minutes and 45 seconds! Wow.
Here are some of the captured stills from the video that Amy took.
[Amy]
[Amy] Here was I under water.
[Amy] Here were Theresa and I.
[Amy] It was too bad that I was not able to dive deeper enough to see this moray
eel. However, Amy took a nice video.
The only thing that spoiled my experience slightly was the sea sickness that
I was experiencing. So I did not touch any of the snacks that they were
serving. Fortunately I did not throw up.
However, while I was trying to calm my stomach down by looking at Molokai, I
was able to spot several dolphins swimming and leaping into air. We also had a
few sightings of whales.
We then got to Turtle Town. We were very fortunate that we saw two turtles.
The female even came to the surface to breath.
Here was a picture of Amy taking a video of the turtle.
[Amy] Here was a picture from the video that Amy took of me (on the left) and
the turtle!
Captured stills from Amy's video:
[Amy]
[Amy]
Theresa and I were so impressed by Amy. She never stopped for a moment. She was
constantly in motion. After all the clients left, here she was getting the boat
out of the water.
We then went to our hotel to enjoy the pool. Theresa was especially intrigued
by the swim-up bar and snack bar at the pool. So we enjoyed drinks, dim-sum, and
a grilled Mahi Mahi sandwich while we were in the pool! Quite an unique
experience.
We then swam and sunned ourselves at the adult pool. It was very relaxing.
Prior to dinner we got our video tape from Maui Dive Shop, returned our
snorkel gear, took a few pictures at the Saint Theresa church 
, picked up an
assortment of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Maui coffee, and specialty
cookies for our co-workers and friends at the Star's grocery store.
Kea Lani Food & Wine Masters 2000
We concluded our evening and also our Maui adventure in a most delightful
manner. We attended "Kea Lani Food & Wine Masters 2000, " a special wine and food dinner right at Kea Lani. Theresa and
I even had a nice chat with Daniel Mirassou, the president of Mirassou Winery.
Here are some information from the Kea Lani Web:
-
Philippe has more than 29
years' experience in some of the
finest restaurants in the world. An advocate of locally cultivated
products, he has developed gourmet dishes, desserts and pastries in
Lyon, Grenoble, Vienne, Vonnas, and Paris.
We had a most delightful and memorable five course dinner.
First Course (by Chef Padovani) Fresh Pacific Oysters, Hawaiian Migonette. *1998
Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc. This was probably the freshest and best fresh oysters
that I have ever had in my 39.99 (okay, it's 40.0001) years of my life.
The chefs and all the helpers were busy cooking.
Second Course (by Chef Padovani) Roasted Portobella Mushrooms, Marmalade of
Maui. Onions and Eggplant Caviar, Crispy Proscuitto. Truffle Oil Vinaigrette.
*1996 Louis M. Martini "Gnarly Vine" Zinfandel. I enjoyed this second
course because I'm a sucker for portobella mushrooms.
Third Course (by Chefs Milliken & Feniger) Brazilian Moqueca with Fried
Polenta and Diced Fried Plantains. *1998 Mirassou "San Vicente"
Chardonnay. What the heck is Moqueca? Someone please send
me an e-mail to let me know :-)
Four Course: (by Chef Padovani) Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast, Pickled Ginger.
Plum Sauce, Macadamia Nut Pineapple Rice Pilaf with Hawaiian Seasonings. *1997
Kenwood "Jack London" Pinot Noir. This was the highlight of the
evening for me, since I love duck.
Fifth Course (by Chefs Milliken & Feniger) Mexican Bread Pudding with Crème
Fraiche Sorbet. *1995 Joseph Phelps "Eiswein." I am not a fan of a
regular bread pudding, but this dessert was a delicious way to finish our
dinner.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the opportunity of meeting two other
couples who have condo's on the island, right past the Outrigger hotel. Theresa
and I were especially interested in carrying on a conversation with Gene and
Daniele. He is Chinese, and she is German. They have four daughters and are
from Chicago. We don't often get the chance to talk to other couples with similar multicultural backgrounds. So it was interesting for us to exchange notes. We hope to stay in
touch with them for they are a very nice and special couple. Here they were
standing besides one of the chefs.
The following morning, we checked out reluctantly after a 1-hour hike on the
trail in front of the hotel. We also saw where Gene and Daniele have their
condo. Believe me, trying to close my suite case that was filled with dirty
laundry and lots of souvenirs was very challenging :-)
Here I was typing on my Palm V. Did I tell you that I got to use my new Palm
keyboard to write my travel journal? Everyone sitting around me, including the
flight attendants were all amazed by the keyboard and how it folds up. It was
quite a hit :-)
Well, in a few hours we got to conclude our Maui Vacation. The best part of
coming home is not doing the dirty laundry or unpacking all the souvenirs, but
getting to see our pets again, especially Rondo and Sunkiss. I wonder Sunkiss
will still know us since this is the longest we have been gone since we got her
last year for our 15th wedding anniversary.
Here Theresa was feeding Rondo some Hula Dog Poi Biscuits: Made with Poi and
Aloha! I guess Rondo did not mind eating wallpaper paste! :-)
I'm not too sad about the end of my vacation. Wait until who we get see in
concert in just a few days ...
