Log 45: Hazardous Decisionmaking
“Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.” - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Yemi came to Hakuna Matata from Venezuela on vacation. She chuckled when I told her that I was from Minnesota, because apparently every time she tells someone she's from Venezuela, they hear Minnesota instead. I don't really hear any resemblance. When Yemi arrived, lugging several bags towards the hostel doors, I happened to be sitting outside on the patio reading my book. “You want help?” I called over to her. “No, I’m good!” She called back. I returned to my book, and there was a brief silence. Then, “Are you busy tomorrow?” I looked up, shaking my head warily. “Want to do road to Hana?”
Hana is a city on the far Eastern side of Maui. It's full of beautiful natural attractions like red and black sand beaches, waterfalls, Rainbow Eucalyptus trees, and beautiful natural swimming pools. The road to Hana is a six hour round trip drive that goes all around the perimeter of Maui, with Hana at the far eastern edge of the island and Lahaina at the westernmost point.
Yemi, Carl (he decided to tag along at the last minute), and I left the hostel at 7:00am the next morning, headed for Hana. We arrived in Hana after driving for about two and a half hours - passing the waterfalls and Rainbow Eucalyptus on the way - and spent most of the day laying around and snorkeling at the red sand beach. It was one of the most breathtaking natural sights I’ve come across.
After we packed up our stuff and got back in the car, we had a decision to make. Most people that embark on the road to Hana return on the same route they came on, skirting around the northern coast of the island. This is because past Hana, the road along the southern coast is… rather treacherous. However, the three of us decided that we wanted to be able to say we drove all the way around Maui, so we kept south and hoped for the best.
The road was extremely narrow, with room for only one car most of the way. Most of it wasn't paved, some parts were eroding away, and there were portions of it that were uncomfortably close to the edge of a cliff.
But it sure was pretty. The south side of Maui feels untouched compared to most other parts of the island. On your right, fantastic volcanic mountains rise in the distance, and on your left, vast fields of lava rock that were once molten stretch to the ocean.
We arrived home in the evening, exhausted, but satisfied with our decision to take the road less traveled.
Highlight #1: Yemi left three days after our road trip. The morning after her departure, two women from South London, Elizabeth and Jenni, checked into Hakuna Matata. We exchanged pleasantries, and when I told them I was from Minnesota, they looked intrigued. “Wow, Venezuela! What's that like?” One of them asked. I laughed. I guess Yemi was right.
Highlight #2: About an hour into our journey to Hana, we passed by a roadside parking lot that led down to a popular surf spot. “PULL OVER!” I yelled suddenly to Carl, who was driving. He slammed on the brakes and pulled into the lot. “GILAD! MATAN!” I shouted. I'd recognize that van with the rooftop seating anywhere, and it was sitting in the parking lot. After a couple seconds, Gilad appeared from inside the van, looking confused. His face split into a smile when he recognized us. We chatted for a bit, exchanged numbers, and made plans to meet up at a beach party that was taking place the following night.
That evening, a group of us from the hostel strolled down the beach, searching for said party. Eventually, we stumbled across it, and hung out for a little while. Among the people there were some guys who did fire twirling at luaus and other events, and they had brought their equipment with them. I watched, completely rapt, as one of the guys dipped each end of a five foot pole into some kind of flammable liquid before igniting it and spinning it through the air like a bat-ton. After a few minutes, he brought the fiery pole to a stop, and noticed me spectating. He held it out to me, still lit: “Wanna try?”
I think you can see where this is going.
