Prologue

After reading my 7 day journal, you could probably feel we had a lot of fun. At the same time, we had high expectations too. Our verdict: Maui is overrated and overhyped by all these travel guidebooks. For example, the Haleakala crater is special but not that special. Biking down it is fun but not that fun. The sunrise is awesome but not that awesome. The twin falls on road to Hana is beautiful but not that beautiful. You get the idea. Nevertheless, I would still recommend it to anyone. Just don't set the expectation too high.

This visit to Maui made me even more appreciative of California. Scenic road? We have Highway 1 and the 17 mile drive in Carmel. Challenging bike route in the mountains? We have Mt. Tam. Ocean kayaking and surfing? We have Pacific Ocean too. Beautiful beaches? Just head to So. Cal. Aquarium? Check out Monterrey. Golfing? We've got Pebble Beach and Harding Park. BTW, this was taken at 900 ft in Palo Alto but I think it is almost as pretty as what I saw at 9000 ft in Maui.


Our rental car earned an honorable mention here. It was a Hyundai Accent without power lock, power window, remote key. So glad it still has A/C! I have not driven a car like that in 16 years. Too bad I forgot to take a pic of it.

I wish I have visited:
-Wai'anapanapa black sand beach. We were a few miles from there on the road to Hana. Too bad we had to turn back.
-Seven Sacred Pool. Also on the part of road to Hana we didn't travel.
-Iao Valley. It is a state park on the Western mountains of Maui. Judging from the reaction of the kids to the Eastern mountain (i.e, Haleakala) I decided not to go.
-Kapalui.

Finally, I gotta try stand up paddle surfing next time I visit Hawaii.