I ended February by hopping on a flight to Maui to meet my friend Kim. She was so nice to let me stay with her in her beautiful condo. Getting off the plane the air was soft, warm, and moist. Quite a change from winter in the Mojave desert! Whale season is in full force at that time of year and first thing the next morning I was able to see whales breaching right off the coast from our lanai. It's the most incredible thing to see these bus-sized creatures fling themselves out of the water!
I spent most of my time in Hawai'i relaxing, whale watching, snorkeling, and generally having a great time. However, Saturday February 27th was just a tad different. Because of my time living in California, and my friends and family are still there, I get email notifications sent to me of earthquakes. Friday night I noticed that there was a big earthquake in Chile, but didn't think much of it until later when my son called to tell me that there was a tsunami watch for Hawai'i! Luckily he had warned us, so when the sirens went off at 6 am we didn't run screaming from the condo. We watched the news and found out that the waves would start hitting us about 11:20. There was an evacuation order, so Kim and I packed up some supplies and headed out. We, along with the rest of the tourists on the island, went to McDonald's for breakfast, then tried to get some coffee at Starbucks. Unfortunately they were closed.
We wasted a bit of time, then went to our strategically placed park and ride, where we could see Ma'alaea Bay, but were high enough to be safe. Hours passed and the zero hour passed without any noticable change to the bay. By this time we were in dire need of a bathroom, so we hiked into a sugar cane field and found ourselves a suitable restroom. By around 2pm we were given the all clear and headed back to the condo. It was a really long day!
Emergency Tsunami Restroom
The rest of the trip was less eventfull, which was wonderful. We explored the Upcountry, went out on a snorkeling trip, and had many, many cocktails. All too soon it was time to go home. I hated to leave the beauty of the island, and want to go back right away!
Maui No Ka 'Oi (Maui is the best!)
More March and April to follow... Mahalo!
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