What I didn't enjoy, however, was the flight. Six hours is a long time to be cooped up in an airplane. And as we landed on Maui, it got really bumpy, and my motion sickness started acting up. But then we landed, and we went into the airport, which was open to the warm, beautiful breezes on the island. Coming from freezing cold Utah (where a blizzard was hitting), Maui truly was paradise.
We picked up our rental car and headed to the hotel. Andrew had a really good time driving the Mustang he rented—though it would have been more fun if the speed limits had gone higher than 45 mph.
When we got to the resort, we told the lady at the front desk that it was our honeymoon, and she gave us an awesome deal on a room with a beach view. I would say this was worth the extra money:
It was gorgeous. I couldn't stop just . . . looking. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. And the weather was just perfect. Mid- to upper-70s during the day. It cooled off a little at night, and it was crazy windy a good portion of the time, but it was still wonderful compared to what we left. We couldn't help but laugh at people who complained about it being cold.
The trip was truly amazing. We ate out a bazillion times and simply relaxed and enjoyed the weather and being on the beach. We went snorkeling, which was really hard for me at first. I'm not a huge fan of deep water and I'm not a strong swimmer, and I couldn't wrap my brain around putting my face underwater and still being able to breathe. But once I finally mastered only breathing through my mouth, I got more comfortable and was able to go out quite a ways. It's amazing how from above the water, you can't see what's swimming right beneath your feet.
We went on a dinner cruise one night, and while it was fun, we felt seriously out of place. We were probably the youngest people on the boat, and I can almost guarantee that we were the only ones not drinking alcohol. The servers didn't exactly give us great service, but the food was delicious, and we saw a couple of whales. Andrew had fun taking pictures of me and teaching me about the different lenses (since there wasn't a whole lot else to do).
One of my favorite things that we did was go to the luau that our resort put on. We almost didn't do a luau because they are definitely not cheap, but I'm so glad we decided to do it. The food was so good (especially the kalua pig), and the show was pretty awesome too. And we got leis!
This is my excited face.
Before the food and the show, we had the chance to wander around and look at booths that vendors had set up. We bought a carved tiki from the man that carved this turtle.
Andrew tried on a lava lava and got close enough to get a good shot of them pulling the pig out of the imu (the pit they cook it in).
And then we watched the sunset before they served dinner.
The coolest part of the show by far was the fire thrower. He was pretty dang awesome.
But my favorite part of the luau was when the host made all the newlywed men get up and do a hula for their brides. It was pretty hilarious. Andrew and I were sitting next to an Australian couple that was also on their honeymoon, so she and I had a good laugh as we watched our husbands attempt to hula.
One of my other favorite outings on the trip was the whale-watching cruise. February is prime whale-watching season in Maui. We had seen brief glimpses of them all week. We even saw a couple on the drive from the airport to the hotel. But that was nothing like the cruise. We watched a competition pod of six or seven hump-backed whales form, and it was . . . amazing. I don't know how else to describe it. They were trumpeting at each other and doing head lunges. They're incredible animals. And so huge. Holy cow. Andrew tried valiantly to get good pictures, but they're hard to capture.
We also wandered around Old Lahaina Town, which was full of shops and places to eat. There was this awesome park created under the branches and shoots of a giant banyan tree. It was so cool. We also got hour-long, full-body massages, which was fantastic. I was so relaxed. We walked on the beach a lot, and that led us to the Whaler's Village, which was a high-end mall. We found some cool stores, including one that sold items made of koa wood, which is one of the most beautiful woods I've ever seen. We found a few good souvenirs to bring home.
We spent our last night walking along the beach and watching the sunset. Our resort was right next to some cliffs, and every night at sunset, a torch bearer would light all the torches along the beach, climb the cliffs, and dive off them.
We came across an Asian family, and the dad was taking pictures of his two adorable little girls. Andrew offered to take a picture of the whole family, and he in turn offered to take some pictures of us. Like Andrew, he knew his way around a camera.
And then, we flew home. I was sad to leave because it was such an incredible trip, but I was also excited for Andrew and I to start our real life as a married couple. Which, incidentally, has been a pretty good life so far. Though there would definitely be room for a trip back to Hawaii. I absolutely loved it.
(As a side note, being married to a photographer is a pretty sweet deal. I have a feeling I'll enjoy that perk every time we go on vacation. Andrew took and edited all of these photos [except the few where he handed me the camera so we could have some pictures of him too].)
(As a side note, being married to a photographer is a pretty sweet deal. I have a feeling I'll enjoy that perk every time we go on vacation. Andrew took and edited all of these photos [except the few where he handed me the camera so we could have some pictures of him too].)
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