The Road, The Pools, and My Stomach

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I tried to get up early enough to see the sunrise, but no luck.  So instead I went to the gym, got some food, and stepped off the boat with the guys eager to see what Maui had to offer.

We rented another car and decided to drive the scenic road to Hana.  This winding path follows the Northern coast of Eastern Maui.  Along the way are many places for tourists to pull off the road and go exploring in the thick brush or to hangout at the beach.  We stopped at a little shack on the side of the road to see what they had to offer.  No food was purchased, but we did watch a girl split a coconut with a machete (exciting...).  Moving along, the road, full of twists and turns, was having it's way with Eon's stomach.  His stomach returned the favor by removing it's contents on the side of the road about halfway into the trek.  We searched for a place to stop and allow Eon to steady himself.  I'm not sure what the name of the place was, but it was a great beach for watching waves crash against the huge lava rocks that were jutting out the water.  Probably not a good place to swim, for sure.

...it was the eggs... bad choice.

Maui
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The further along we drove the better the views became.  It didn't matter what side of the car you were on; there was always something to see.  Everything in Maui (and everywhere else in Hawaii)  seemed to be greener, cleaner, and more natural than anywhere else I had been.  Eventually, we made it to Hana and continued past the small town to witness the Seven Sacred Pools.  There are actually around twenty different pools as the water makes it's way down the terraced landscape to the ocean.  And the locals would rather you call it Oheo Gulch, but I think the Seven Sacred Pools sounds cooler even if the math is a little off.  Upon arriving, we had to fork over $10 to park, and then proceeded down a trail that disappeared to the North towards the coast.  A short hike led us to the lower pools where a bunch of tourists were swimming and jumping off the rock ledges.  Steve and Eon immediately joined the others while Jon and I took in the surroundings.  Wanting to see more of the pools higher up the hillside, Steve, Eon, and myself climbed up a narrow, rocky path towards the other pools.  We found a much larger pool with less people due to the effort needed to reach this summit.  After a brief swim, we realized how late it was getting and needed to start heading back towards the ship (we do have a show to do tonight!).

The Maui coast from the ship
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On the way back, the long and winding road again took it's toll on Eon's stomach.  But he was not alone!  Not long after leaving Hana, I also lost my lunch on the side of the road (I think it was the eggs... bad choice).  Anyway, it made the rest of the trip back miserable.  Luckily, I was able to rest a bit on the ship before having to perform.  The show went well, although the crowd was a little scarce that night since the ship was staying in Maui for the night.