i'm already nostalgic

I bet you all thought I had vanished again for another few months, only to continue my Maui report under severe duress and threat of fingernail-pulling, and yet here I am. Anyway, onwards...

If you'll recall from the post before last, I left off on Friday, November 3rd, with April and I getting slowly broiled on the beach while we blissfully snorkelled around. That evening, after surveying and lamenting the sun damage, we changed into some nicer duds (even on Maui, bikinis and board shorts are not really deemed appropriate at a rehearsal dinner). So, at the rehearsal dinner we had our first chance to meet the extended families of the spouses-to-be -- naturally, everyone was lovely (not surprising since Amy and Mike are so great themselves). We ate at the Ma'alaea Grill, and the food was excellent; I had the Cajun blackened Mahi-Mahi and April had some beautifully rare Ahi tuna (plus, the appetizers--Manoa lettuce wraps, crab cakes, and incredible calamari--were to die for). Below, you'll find a picture of me, April, Amy, Mike (on the right) and Brad (the best man). At this point, we are pleasantly stuffed.

The next morning, we awoke with the chirpy birds to another bright and beautiful day and embarked on a caravan drive (with at least four cars and probably fifteen people) to West Maui, where Scott, Amy's brother, promised excellent snorkeling. We ended up north of Kapalua in Honolua Bay, and it was rather amusing to see several snorkeling ships anchored in the waters--while these people paid to be ferried to the Bay, we'd come there all on our own and only having to pay a few dollars to a young boy down the way whose family's property you had to cross to access the beach (they also maintained a surprisingly clean set of porta potties). Snorkeling was good, although the water was a little cloudy. Still, we flippered around for a good hour (after which my ankels were very sore...I actually wasn't totally thrilled about the idea of swimming back to shore from the middle of the Bay--but staying there to drown wasn't really an option).

From Honolua Bay, we drove back down the Western Coast to Kaanapali, where we had lunch--still partially in our bathing suits (with soggy t-shirts over our tops and damp board shorts)--at the Hula Grill. The food was pretty decent, though over-priced for what we got (but what do you expect on a resort beach?). In contrast, when April and I drove to Lahaina later that same evening to meet up with the rest of the gang (all of whom had gone to see Ulalena, a cirque-de-soleil-like production about Hawaiian history and traditions), we had an excellent meal that was quite inexpensive at a small stand-type "restaurant" in The Wharf Cinema Center on Front Street. It's called The Banyan Bistro, and I highly recommend it if you're in Maui; the falafel was wonderful (and if you don't want to take my word for it, here's a little review to tantalize you further). In any case, here's me standing in front of the koi pond in the Center courtyard as we await our meal.

On Sunday, it was wedding day! April's sunburn had cooled enough that she was able to get her bridesmaid massage, and she, Amy and Amy's mom got their hair done up all pretty-like. After much primping and preening, we all headed off to the beautiful Seawatch Resort and Restaurant. The wedding was outside on the lawn, overlooking the most amazing sunset and beach view.

Doesn't April look so pretty?

Aww...

Nope, neither of these pictures have been Photoshopped--at all. It was really that beautiful...

After the wedding, all twenty-five of us (family and friends) settled down for a night of partying and eating (again, excellent crab cakes and a very good meal). There was much dancing and merriment late into the night. And I made the DJ play "Sex Machine" (thank you, Kate!) so all was well.

Monday morning, April and I began our "solo" stay in Maui, but those adventures will have to wait for another post because I'm sleepy and have much grading to do (ergh...students). I'll leave you all with another picture of our stunning condo view: April Writing Postcards, with Palm Trees and Sun.

sensei aviva

On Monday and Wednesday of last week (October 30 and November 1), I endured several grueling hours of karate testing. And a very short while before we flew to Maui (our plane left Thursday at 6am and my testing ended at 9pm the night before), I was told that I had passed the rigourous requirements for the black belt test. These requirements include eight empty-hand katas (a prescribed series of movements and techniques envisioned as fight against multiple, imaginary enemies); three weapons katas (two with the bo--a type of quaterstaff--and one with sais--a pair of pronged short swords, famously used by Raphael, the teenage mutant ninja turtle, and by Gabrielle in the later seasons of Xena: The Warrior Princess); a empty-hand series of prearranged sparring (with two people), called Yakusoku Kumite; a prearranged weapons Kumite, with bos; free sparring; history and terminology; and basic technique--all in front of five black belts of 4th degree rank or higher.

In class today (the first class since I've been back in town) at my dojo, after 3 1/2 years of training in Isshin-Ryu Karate , I received my first degree black belt. My teacher called me "Sensei" as I left the building. This was exceedingly satisfying even though I know that this is only the first, very small, step in my karate education. I've been told that once you receive your black belt it's like starting all over again--the eternal student.

In other news of athletic achievements, April ran the Chicago Marathon on October 22 in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Team-in-Training. She ran for her grandmother, Mollie Miller, finished the 26.2 miles in 4 hours 4 minutes, and was still running strong at the end of the race (she actually sprinted the last 800m). Go April Go!!!

humuhumu-nukunuku-apua'a

Well, April and I have just returned from Maui, and I have many pretty pictures to share. Yes, I know, we're very lucky. But I can also say that there is nothing more depressing than leaving 82 degree weather, sunny skies, and walks along the beach at sunset to return to dreary, grey Rochester in the driving rain. Blah. April and I were coerced (twist my rubber arm, why dontcha) into flying to Maui by our friends Amy and Mike, who wisely decided that this lovely tropical island would be a fabulous place for their wedding. And boy, were they right.

So, last Thursday (Nov. 2), April and I packed up our bags and hopped onto the first of three flights to trek our way across the continent and beyond. The first two flights (Rochester to Pittsburgh and then Pittsburgh to Los Vegas) were relatively calm and as comfortable as being squeezed in a small metal box can be. The third flight, six plus hours across the Pacific, was awful (despite the fact that we practially had the whole plane to ourselves)--we literally had turbelence (and not just mild turbence either) for the full last 4 hours of the flight with little reprieve; they turned off the 'fasten seat belt' sign for about an hour before it went back on and glowed for the rest of the flight--even our flight attendants had to sit down. While that was a rather inauspicious beginning, Maui was wonderful. Perhaps "bad flight, good vacation" should become a new tagline to comfort people after their journey across the not-so-friendly skies.

We arrived on Thursday to pouring rain and encroaching darkness and, though we narrowly missed a big storm that had been raging on and off for the past few days, the weather the entire week we were there was perfect (this makes up for the rainy week in Paris, I think). Despite the rain and slightly confusing directions, we made it to our snug little condo in Ma'alea Harbor (on the southwest side of the island).


Friday, we started our day with coffee with Amy and Mike on the porch of our condo (one of many rented by Amy's parents for the wedding party and guests and also shared with Mike's best man, Brad, a kiwi farmer from California).

{For those who know my night-owlish ways, you'll be shocked to learn that almost everyday in Maui I was up by 7:30 at the latest. I attribute it to the time change--just makes it easier to get up earlier. Of course, blue skies and palm trees, and chirping birds help, too.}

Though we rented our own car, in order to get a sense of the island, we spent Friday morning with Amy and Mike. First, we went to Maui Dive Shop to rent snorkel gear for the week--not only did the woman at the counter give us a great deal (two sets for the price of one), this was by far the best investment we made during the trip. After that, a fabulous breakfast at Stella Blues Cafe in Kihei (city just to the south of Ma'alea)-- I had the Banana Macadamia Nut pancakes with coconut syrup. Best pancakes I've ever had. Next, we accompanied Amy and Mike to get their marriage license, mostly to save time, after which they dropped us off at a beach near Wailea. Now, since we were following Amy and Mike, I have no idea which beach this was (although we were able to find it again on our own later in the week). Maui has over 30 miles of beaches, so my confusion as to exactly where we were is justified.

We thought we were only going to be at the beach for a short time while Amy and Mike ran some errands, but by the time they came back for us we were having so much fun that they left us there. Since we had followed them in our car, we weren't by any means stranded, but we hadn't brought any sunscreen (stupid, stupid--though in our defense it was rainy in the morning and we hadn't realized how sunny and hot it would be by late in the day). This proved to be a huge mistake, as both April and I got sunburnt; I turned a bit purple and itched a few days later, but April turned bright as a lobster and her whole back pealed off in the last few days were on the isle. Poor thing.

Part of what fascinated us so on the beach and ocean that day wereits amazing reefs and the undeniable appeal of breathing underwater (snorkeling is my new favorite hobby, although it's a lot easier to burn when you're floating on your stomach in the water because you can't feel the heat of the sun scorching your back). At the dive shop, we were given this plastic fish identification card, which had lots of colorful little creatures on it that we were sure we wouldn't actually see ourselves. But little did we know that plop down in the water virtually anywhere in Maui where there are rocks and reefs, and you'll find fish. Lots of fish.

Unfortunately, while the Fuji underwater cameras we bought were great, some of the brilliant colors of the fish didn't come out so well in the relative murk of the water. Nevertheless, I'm posting some of my favorite underwater camera photos below (There's one more set of underwater photos currently being developed; I have hopes they'll be better because I tried to get very close to the fish when I took their pictures--the fish were wary but not too perturbed--I'll post those tomorrow if they turned out.)

My favorite fish was the humuhumu-nukunuku-apua'a (aka the reef triggerfish); the unofficial state fish of Hawai'i, they're plentiful in the shallow reefs. The murky pictures I've developed so far didn't do them justice, but this is what they really look like (below). I love the humuhumu-nukunuku-apua'a (not as much fun to type as to say) and stalked them through the ocean trying to get a decent picture (unfortunately, they swim much faster than me).


Since this post is getting rather long, I'll save the rest of the vacation update, including the beautiful wedding photos for another post. On a closing note, April and I were also very lucky (on the many days we snorkeled) to come across a number of sea turtles (at least 5 or 6 different ones)--even a couple huge, old ones covered in barnacles. We tried not to disturb them too much while still getting close enough to get a good look. On Friday, one approached me--whether to greet me as a fellow creature of the sea or to chase me away, I'm not so sure--and I screamed, floundered and got water in my snorkel. I'm not sure what I thought it was going to do to me, but this is not the way to calmly approach sea turtles. After that the two we had been observing hid from us, and I really I don't blame them at all.