Adventures in Hawaii

July - August 2016
A 20-day adventure by Diana Read more
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  • 10.1kmiles
  • 9.8kmiles
  • Day 15

    Maui - Day 7 (Mt Haleakala)

    August 8, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    This trip has expanded our horizons in so many ways. Today Amanda and I pushed ourselves over the edge... literally! We booked a tour with Eco-Adventures, a zipline company with minimal impact on the environment and a percentage of our admission going back into preserving the environment. Our tour guides, Kelsey and Shane, were very knowledgeable and extremely entertaining. They kept us laughing as we hiked through Mt. Haleakala to the different ziplines, which grew increasingly longer and steeper. Ziplining itself was incredible! The final step off the platform was a huge adrenaline rush, but once you're swinging a sort of calmness comes over you as you "fly" through the forest. It was Amanda's first time ziplining and I hadn't been since I was a teenager... by the last zipline we were both running and jumping off the platform, wishing the adventure could last forever! Fear of heights? What fear of heights?

    We could have easily called it a day after ziplining, but with only two days left of this amazing vacation we didn't want to waste a minute! We headed to the Kihei Village Shops, where local artists sell their work, and picked up a few souvenirs before heading to the beach. After an early evening swim, we watched the sunset over the Pacific and stars emerge in the night sky. What a day!
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  • Day 17

    Maui - Day 8 (Maui Brewery)

    August 10, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Yesterday was sadly our last day in Maui. We spent it having breakfast on our lanai (thanks to Melissa for the homemade everything bagels), doing some snorkeling and boogey boarding in the Pacific, and taking a tour of the Maui Brewing Company where our friend works as a master brewer. He attended brewing school in the second oldest brewing school in the world, located in Chicago. He then returned to Maui and is the only one on the island with his certification. I didn't realize quite how much science went into the beer brewing process. It was very interesting and both Amanda and I learned a lot! Shout out to JD for the behind the scenes look at the brewery. After the tour we headed back to our happy place.....the beach. There were hardly any people there despite the unbelievable weather so it really felt like our own private sliver of sand. We ended our trip with dinner with friends and "real" shave ice the way the locals do it... with vanilla ice cream and optional red beans.

    As we sit in the airport with the better part of 20 hours of traveling ahead of us, we are filled with gratitude and love for Hawaii and its people. This was truly a bucket list trip that we will never forget!!! Thank you to YWLN for helping to make this dream a reality.
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  • Day 19

    Back in Queens (plus kittens! )

    August 12, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Three planes and 20+ hours later Amanda and I arrived back in Queens. After unpacking and taking a quick cat nap (pun intended), we hopped in the car to pick up the two kittens we adopted right before we left for Hawaii. Coming back to reality after a dream vacation was made a bit easier when we were finally able to bring Tiger and Lily home. Thanks to Bobbi and the Strays for taking awesome care of them!Read more