So, many of you have heard there is a storm headed our way
here on Maui. Today skies were
blue, the sun was shining brightly and aside from a gusty breeze now and then,
we had beautiful weather. It is hard to believe that over then next few days we
may receive 5-8 inches of rain, but more on the tropical storm later in this
post. For now, let us begin as I
did, with a two mile run. Took the
usual path but went a bit earlier this am and got to see even more of those
school bus stops. A teenager
waiting by a tennis court, four youngsters seated on a low rock wall in
someone’s front yard, another kiddo hanging out under a mango tree, these are
the unique unmarked school bus stops I get to see on my morning jog. I was out at 6 this morning and the
kids were already waiting, so to me it seems like school must start early here
or the bus makes many stops and takes a long time to get to school. The biggest surprise was arriving back
at the condo and finding about 15 high school students waiting for their bus
right by the Kulakane wall on the street side of our complex. Who knew we had our own school bus
stop?! I half wanted to put on my
best high school disguise and join them to see what it would be like to go to
school on Maui!
But we had more exciting plans this morning than infiltration
the local high school, so I showered up and Greg and I left our condo so the
cleaning service could do their thing.
Knowing that we needed to be out for a few hours, we decided this was
the perfect morning to wait in line for breakfast. Those of you who know West Maui know what I’m referring to,
that’s right, The Gazebo! We had
read about this great breakfast spot with delicious and affordable food and
astounding view to boot. The only
problem is many others have heard about this spot too, so we knew to expect a
long line and a significant wait.
We had nothing better to do this morning, so we took the bus north to
Kapalua and walked back along the highway for about 10 minutes to find Napili
Shores. We wandered the grounds
until we found a quaint gazebo on the ocean front with glorious views of Napili
Bay. A long line already wrapped
around the gazebo and up the steps.
We guessed it would be at least an hour. We lathered up in sunscreen and we waited. Thoughtfully merchants have set up a
few little stands to the sides of the line so as you move up you can watch a
wood worker carving knickknacks, and browse through local jewelry as you move
up the line. We got a chance to
visit with our line neighbors, a couple and their young adult children from
Central Maui; they are on the Westside for vacation. They gave us some great activities advice and talked about
places to eat if we ever come to their neighborhood. The time passed and it was our turn. The waitresses were very friendly and
playful, made you glad you had waited an hour. Hot coffee and a menu of delights brightened our morning, as
we gazed out at the blue waters. The
food was crazy good also. I had
the macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup and it arrived with a mound of
house made whip cream on top of it.
Greg had the loaded pancake combo; bananas, pineapples and macadamia
nut, also with a pile of whip cream on top. We topped it off with some extra crisp bacon and went into a
major food coma! Before we caught
our bus back to our neighborhood, we walked for a while on the beach, burning
off a few of those million calories we just consumed. We saw tide pools, paddle
boarders and snorkelers galore. It
was easy to see turtle popping their heads up here and there in the water.
Then we took the bus to the farmer’s market and grabbed some
more fruit and headed home to bask in the beauty of our sparkling clean condo. We felt good about hunkering down for
the next few days in a freshly polished place. The local attitude about the approaching storm has been
chill. Our favorite checker at the
farmer’s market asked us on Monday, “So how long you guys staying?” When we answered, she became excited,
“Oh, so you’ll be here for the maybe big storm!” Yeah, maybe, wait what…maybe a
storm or maybe a big storm.
Another regular at the market was ringing us up inside on Tuesday and
asked it we would still be here this weekend. Again we got an energetic response, “Cool, you’ll get to see
the that storm that we’ll probably get.
It will be good for your, a good experience.” It seems the locals are
practically endorsing it as tourist attraction. Our condo manager has offered helpful information, but
remains calm. After some
reflection, we felt we would like to have a few more supplies on hand in case
we lose power in the upcoming tropical storm. We are well stocked with water, toilet paper, a flashlight,
etc. We have plenty of food in the fridge, but if power is lost that food will
not keep for long. Greg and I decided to prep our kitchen by adding some canned
foods. We had heard that the shelves of the Times Market had been picked over,
this was not true, there was plenty to choose from. We have a vegetarian
banquet of peanut butter, cookies, baked beans, veggie soup, refried beans, and
Spaghetti-0s. Some these items
would be more pleasant if heated but don’t require it. So we will be well fed if we end up
shut in over the next few days.
We decided to do laundry, so that we’ll have clean clothes
to sit around the house with the next few days as it rains, rains, and rains
some more. We slipped into the
pool between loads, just to soak in the last bits of sun. Laundry is done, a few clouds have
started to roll in and a sprinkle or two.
The forecast says the storm won’t hit Maui until tomorrow night. After
all of our busy running around today, we’ll stay in tonight and eat some
leftover. Hoping for a few
relaxing rainy days.
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