Day Eight

I didn't sleep well last night because of the sound of the waves. I thought it was awesome and romantic to hear the real waves at night but then as a light sleeper, I couldn't really sleep since I couldn't "turn off" the sound of the waves.

We started our day earlier than usual and took a walk along the shore and also drove around the town. It's so beautiful everywhere, at anytime.

Snorkeling was one of the experiences we enjoyed the most while we were in Oahu. We decided to do it again and then went to a shop to rent the snorkeling gears. We were very excited that we'd be able to snorkel more in Maui and my wish of the day was to see the sea turtle somewhere in the water. After we got our snorkeling masks and fins, we headed to Whalers Village for lunch. It's a place by the beach where you could find a lot of fine shops and restaurants.

We had our lunch at Hula Grill, which offers great foods and seating in an outdoor setting where people could enjoy the stunning view of the ocean.

We had chicken sandwich and fish sandwich. Their not-so-ordinary ketchup is actually very good; it has the sweet flavor of guava.

After our delicious lunch, we're ready to jump into the water! By taking suggestions from people, maps, and tour books, we'd decided to snorkel at a place called "Black Rock." Finding Black Rock wasn't easy but we were glad that we'd found it. The fishes in Maui are more tropical and more colorful. As we were having fun under the sea, we saw this big sea turtle!!!!!! This was so amazing!!!!

This was me (part of my arm and head) with the sea turtle!

We quickly used our waterproof camera to take pictures of the big sea turtle. We got really close to the sea turtle trying to capture a photo with it. The sea turtle was just inches away from me and all of the sudden, I saw the turtle turning toward me. I got panic and scared but I didn't know how to swim away so the sea turtle literally ran into me! It was an unforgettable experience.

Face to face with the sea turtle.

Following the sea turtle.

Undersea photographer. Good job! You got the pictures of the sea turtle!!! Those pictures are so precious!! Priceless!!!

After meeting the sea turtle, we went back to Whalers Village for some drinks and snacks before we go on the parasailing ride. Yup, first time trying the parasailing. We made the appointment the day before with the company called UFO Parasail and we did the 800 feet with the photo package. It was expensive but I think it was worth every penny even though the parasailing ride only lasted about 10 minutes.

We took the little boat shuttle ride from the shore to the parasail boat. The boat speeds up to open up the parachute.

It was so much fun to soar like a bird high in the sky above the deep blue ocean and see things from the bird's eye perspective. It was so peaceful up there. Feeling the breeze against my face was just so relaxing and refreshing.

We dipped our feet into the ocean.

We had so much fun and our hearts were just full of joy and excitement. Will said that today was like my wishes grant day. Two wishes had been granted: meeting sea turtle face to face and parasailing 800 feet high in the sky. Thank God and thank my hubby for making my dreams come true. =)

Again, we had our sunset dinner at the balcony. The menu of the night was clam chowder, rotisserie chicken with rice, and guava juice.

What an amazing day!

Day Nine

Today was our last day at Maui before we head home. It was indeed the most adventurous day of the trip. We started our day with a cup of kona coffee and a cinnamon roll, then we went to the Boss Frog's Dive & Surf Shop to return our snorkeling gears. It was the best rental place with excellent customer service and reasonable price. We decided to drive to Honolua Bay that's located on the northwest part of Maui. Without clear street signs and directions, we kept driving not realizing that we'd already passed the bay. We kept going and going and we stopped at a very mysterious place. There were stones stacking up in piles here and there. It just made us feel a little weird and wondered the meaning behind those stacking rocks. As we walked toward the cliffs, the view of the coastline was stunning. The scenery was totally different from high above than the sandy beach. We took tons of pictures.

The maze at the mysterious place. Will was the one who actually walked through the trail of the maze. I was just posing for the picture! Good pose!! =)

Some other beautiful places we stopped on the way.We hopped on the car and continued our journey, the road became more steep and narrow. After awhile, we saw the sign that says "one way road." How could you drive on an one-way lane on a winding narrow road thinking that there might be car coming from the other way? We got really nervous and started to sweat by looking at the road ahead of us and knowing that we're lost somewhere on the mountain. It was really scary and there's no way to turn back. We turned off the music and kept sounding the horn when we made the turns. I actually thought that we might hit head to head with an incoming car and fall off from the cliff..... Thank God for His protection! I'm grateful that we are safe and alive. =)We were back to the city around noon time and we went to Costco for some free samples and did some shopping. Then we went back to the condo to rest. We enjoyed our afternoon eating fruits and snacks. It was breathtaking just to stand there and listen to the sound of waves and watch the crystal clear ocean. Will really wanted to bring home the ocean view and he literally turned the living room into a photo studio. We moved things around and took a lot of self-portraits. Here are some of our photos.

After a few hours of photos session, we were out again to the mall for more shopping. While we were driving, we saw this big rainbow! We stopped our car to take the picture. How amazing! I always get so excited when I see a rainbow. The promise of LOVE!

For our last supper at Maui, we went to a special restaurant called "Mala Ocean Tavern." It was like a pre-celebration for our first year anniversary and my birthday. Their food was very unique and we had a really great time there but I think it was a little pricey.

House Special Edamame Salsa and Chips

Seared Ahi Bruschetta

My Big Fat Greek Salad

Whole Wok Fried Fish

It's time to pack and get ready to go home. We have to leave the hotel by 4:20 in the morning to catch the flight from Maui to Honolulu and connect the flight back to LA. This trip was very special to both us and we had so much fun together. We will definitely visit Hawaii again in the near future. We loved Hawaii. =)

Day Seven

Greetings from Maui, Hawaii.

Aloha! Here we're again after skipping two days of posts of our trip. We were just having too much fun and couldn't find time to update at the end of the days. But before I try to catch up our Day Five and Six, I'll write about what happened today since the memory is fresh, plus, it's so far the most romantic day of the entire trip.

We said goodbye to the island of Oahu this morning and flew in to Maui, which was only 30 minutes away by flight. Maui is extremely different from Oahu, totally the opposite of Waikiki/Honolulu. It's very relaxing, calm, peaceful, and BEAUTIFUL here! Now I know why honeymooners love to come to Maui. I feel like we've just started our honeymoon and this is the seventh day of the trip. heehee =P

We rented a car at the airport and we stopped at MacD for a quick lunch. Even MacD is more expensive with more than $7 for a meal. After lunch, we drove along the only road along the coast to the west side of Maui. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. The ocean is crystal clear with colors of turquoise and different shades of blue. We stopped somewhere on the road just to take a longer look at the ocean.

After about thirty to forty minutes of driving, we'd arrived to our place, "Mahana," which is a beachfront condo. This place is operated like a hotel but some unites are owned by vacation home owners. We checked-in but the room wasn't ready till three so we went to the beach and also did some grocery shopping at a supermarket across the street.The golden pineapples are extra sweet! One gallon of milk is more than $9!!!!! We bought some water, juice, and even some simple dinner. Trying to cut down the cost since we've already spent a lot of money on foods and shopping.

When we went back to Mahana and got the key, we headed up to our room which is on the fifth level. (We wanted to stay at a higher floor but there's no availability.) When we opened the door and stepped into the condo, we dropped our jaws. WOW~ WoW~~ wOw~~~WOW~~~ This place is super beautiful and cozy, newly renovated, and the view from both the living room/kitchen area and the bedroom is unbelievable! The ocean is just right outside. The condo is a one-bedroom with a kitchen fully equipped, two full baths, living room, and a balcony that has access to both the bedroom and the living room. The oceanfront view is breathtaking.

We decided to have our own sunset dinner at our balcony. Menu for tonight's dinner was lasagna, buffalo wings, mexican rice, potato salad, chicken, and a glass of guava juice. (Foods we bought from the market. heehee)

It's just very romantic and perfect. We watched the sunset while having the dinner, enjoyed every moment of it. =) Some photos we'd taken by ourselves by stacking the chairs and using the remote control.

Thank YOU Jesus for giving us the opportunity to enjoy Your magnificent creations. No words or pictures could grasp the beauty of the ocean You created. Every drop of the water of the sea is Your love for us and the sound of the waves truly reminds me the love of Christ is just so wide, long, high, deep, unconditional, everlasting, and abundant.

Thank you, my dear hubby, for agreeing to extend our honeymoon to come to Maui. Thank you for booking this beautiful condo for us to enjoy. =) Let's continue our adventure here in Maui, Hawaii.