Once More Unto The Beach, Dear Friends

Travel Story

I was sitting in a work meeting one day when I received a text message from one of my friends. Ever the professional, I checked it immediately. "Wanna come to Maui with me and the fam?" Obviously yes. I'd never been to Hawaii and had to use up some vacation time before the end of the year, so the next thing I knew my flights were booked and my bags were scrupulously packed (I fear airport security so I go overboard making sure my bags don't seem the slightest bit suspicious). A few weeks later I was off but - the horror, the horror - flagged going through the security line at YVR. The guard pulled my paperback of War and Peace out of my bag. "It showed up as something really dense on the scanner", he said. I, screaming internally, laughed along with him and got on the plane. In the distance I think I heard Tolstoy spinning wildly about in his grave. I spent the week waking up with the sunrise (thanks jet lag), drinking coffee looking at the ocean, drinking rum looking at the ocean, drinking tequila looking at the ocean... You get the idea. It was a blast. Every day I was relaxing on the beach, reading and turning as red as red can be despite my best efforts (I don't know what it is to tan - I come in two colours: Pale and Lobster Red). We also took in several amazing local sights, like the Nakalele Blowhole and Makena lava fields, and snorkelled constantly. There's nothing like swimming with the sea turtles, my dudes. My favourite memory was on one of our snorkelling promenades about the reef, when my friend's dad pointed behind me and yelled "TURTLE". I expected it to be far off in the distance, but when I turned around a massive turtle was cruising by about a foot away from me. I'd never seen sea turtles before this trip and getting so up close and personal with them was a real hoot for me. Seeing one directly behind me was a bit of a shock at first since I have spent my life fully believing I will be eaten by a shark at any moment, so turning to see a large sea creature jaunting about in my personal bubble did give the ol ticker a bit of a fit, but it all turned out okay. Overall it was a lovely, relaxing trip punctuated only by the annoyance of having to exist in airports for extended periods of time. I can't wait to go back!