Where's the Beach?

Along Highway 30
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Another day on Maui.  This time we explored the Western side of the island.  By way of Highway 30, we made our way around the coast to the town of Lahaina.  A little tourist spot kinda reminded me of the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco.  After finding a place to park the rental, we walked over to a row of restaurants and shops that ran parallel to the shoreline.  Most of the buildings sat over the water giving you a great view of the ocean from your table.  We stopped in at Cheeseburger in Paradise (or Cheeseburgerland, as it said on the wall).  It wasn't quite late enough for me to be hungry, but I had to get something.  So I had a banana smoothie while I sat and watched people wind surf and parasail back and forth outside.  An internet connection at the Buns of Maui (bakery) caught our attention (and our 8 cents a minute), but soon we were off to find a beach.

The West coast
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We stopped at a bay around the Napili area (can't remember the bay's name).  The water was clear and warm, and the beach wasn't too crowded.  Steve and Eon got busy with some snorkeling while I floated out in the ocean.  Jon was also relaxing on the beach.  Eventually, I tried snorkeling a little myself.  Having never done that before, it was amazing to see so many different kinds of fish swimming around just a few yards out from the shore.

...so many different kinds of fish...

In Lahaina
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Coming back to the ship, we had to back track around the Southwestern part of the island even though just continuing around the Northern shore would have been quicker.  Apparently certain sections of highway are very dangerous and are outlawed for rental cars.  I guess since we only paid for partial insurance we wouldn't want to fish the car out of the ocean after having driven it off a cliff.  Of course, there is the whole dying thing too.

I have to admit that, so far, Maui is my favorite.  There is a lot to see and each side the island has it's own personality.  Water sports, beaches, hiking, trails, and all the tourist crap like shopping and eating; Maui has a good mixture of everything.