CHAPTER 25
Hawaii had always been a dream of ours, even more so after our months of ice bound servitude at the South Pole. Incredibly, one of the perks of taking a job in Antarctica is an open ended airline ticket home, and a selection of “free” layovers to boot! Thus our drawn out, hopscotch path from New Zealand to Australia, and finally Hawaii.
We were planning on two weeks of total relaxation, so when the plane touched down in Honolulu, we dragged the majority of our luggage to a self storage garage down the road from the airport and abandoned all our cumbersome gear in a snug 4’x4’ unit- bicycles, camping equipment, heavy coats and snow mittens… all we would need from here on out was our swimtrunks, some sunscreen, and a church key.
We caught a quick flight over to the Island of Maui, and took a shuttle across to Kihei where we had arranged for a sea front condo. A quick stop at the LQ to buy some cold libations, and we were on the beach within an hour of landing. We sat there silently in the warm sand, drinking our beer, watching the first of many perfect Hawaiian sunsets. After a few moments, we looked over at each other, and in unison blurted out “Why didn’t we come here three months ago?”
Conveniently, our good friend Dillon lives in Kihei with his girlfriend Dia, and we had the express privilege of their services as local guides to the island. Our tour started with a “locals only” hike to a secluded waterfall deep in the jungle, then sundowners on the beach followed by a sumptuous dinner at the Fairmont Kealani’s award winning restaurant Ko, where Dillon is the manager.
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