Hawaii, episode 8. In which we are hui pu with nature.

Now that I see the above photo again after eight years, it reminds me so much of our more recent (2017) souvenir photo from one of the black sand beaches in Iceland.

FYI, my pineapple shirt did not make the Iceland voyage, although one of my Aloha Stadium Flea favorites did make aloha appearances during our European travels last summer.

Gotta spread the aloha love.

Although oceans apart, these black sand beaches remain for us a reminder of how small a world this pale blue dot can actually be and the six thousand miles (and seven years) separating these photos but a moment in my history. Like that day tour in Iceland, Mari and I would spend our second Maui day exploring the abundant beauty of nature with a welcome overabundance of natural green and blue hues leading the way.

Our second shore excursion in Maui was another full-day adventure which consisted largely of a coastal drive along the very definition of a long and winding road hugging the north shore of Maui fifty miles from our port in Kahului to the easternmost point of the island at Hana.

In case you are wondering, yes, those are surf boards on my shirt.

The Road to Hana is without a doubt one of the most scenic shore excursions offered to NCL cruisers. Even though you are in the capable driving hands of an expert local guide, the drive itself is not for the faint of heart. I have already talked about being from hearty seafaring stock, but if you are prone to landlubbing motion sickness as well, you would do well to avoid the eight-hour long round trip road trip which will bounce you along the narrow but heavenly-viewable shore-hugging route.

Here's a good view of the route you will follow at an island-steady 30 MPH whether you are safely ensconced in a 15-passenger tour van like we were or in your own island rental.

Twists and turns (and turns and twists) and single-lane bridges abound, but the view's the thing and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to ogle tropical views instead of driving warily through them. As much as I enjoy a picturesque driving adventure, there's nothing like sitting back and soaking up the landscape.

Besides, there was a refreshing stop at a local winery along the return route and there would be some local (pineapple wine, of course) refreshment to enjoy as well.

Our heavenly Maui road trip was heavily laden with frequent but brief stops for souvenir photos at lush waterfalls, rainforests, state parks, and beaches. We almost lost Mari (and my new digital camera) to the slippery surrounds of the waterfall she snapped here, so it is definitely a priceless photo.

I thought I would let the photos (and views) do the talking today, so sit right back and you'll see the tale of our island tour unfold.

See ya on the flip side...

Aloha, once again.

If you've been following along (completely engrossed, of course) for the last few years, you realize that this laid-back, let-someone-else-do-the-driving, join-a-tour-group attitude is not really my thing.

No reservations?
No fleamarkets?
No souvenirs?

Okay, there would actually be souvenir shell leis purchased from a local crafter at the perilously photographed falls, but there was no itineraried shopping during our Maui day.

Island life got the better of me, I guess, and somehow managed to make me forget the things I always try too hard to remember.

Mari caught me above in my best auteur pose filming the surf.

Once again, Mari's (lava-sanded) toes are giving you their best high-fives until we meet again to hang ten.

A Big Island aloha next time.

Hawaii, episode 7. In which we set a course for adventure.

I know.

I have a history with my pineapple shirt.

It began back in the summer of 2010 when it became an essential part of my cruise wardrobe.

Norwegian Cruise Line's seven-day round-trip Honolulu cruise was our first cruise adventure and our first return to Hawaii in six years and I made the now questionable decision to pack only (mainland interpretations of) aloha shirts.

When we disembarked the Pride of America a week later, Mari and I hightailed it to Aloha Stadium where my long-awaited and propitiously-planned-for souvenir quilt awaited transport in my empty suitcase-within-a-suitcase.

I also made it a point to buy two authentic (non-fruited) aloha shirts with official "Made in Hawaii" labels as colorful as the cotton to which they had been sewn. Like my favorite L.L.Bean Kelly green polo that I retired from my wardrobe after it appeared in too many of our Irish souvenir photos, my pineapple dappled Old Navy classic is due for a visit to long-term storage.

Mari and I had returned to Hawaii on our own this time because we absolutely fell in love with the Aloha State despite our limited experiences during Mari's previous (committee subsidized) visit in 2004.

2010 would also mark a marriage milestone and we thought a return trip to Hawaii and a first ever cruise would be a perfect way to celebrate 20 years of marriage.

How lucky am I?

We learned (and loved) a lot during that first cruise and I hope to continue sharing with you some practical and fun travel tips so you will be ready for your own cruise adventure.

Let's start with that suitcase-within-a-suitcase schlepped to paradise from the farthest reaches of the Lone Star State.

When you cruise, your luggage is tagged and deposited prior to boarding in a process similar to most airport check-ins. Baggage claim, however, is carousel-free delivery to your cabin a few hours later.

In the meantime, NCL guests are invited to explore the sprawling ship, enjoy a bountiful lunch, and entertain ourselves as only Norwegians can.

While many many amenities of our floating resort impressed me on that first afternoon, it wasn't the pools, the spa, the shops, the theater, the restaurants, or even the grandest of grand staircases that made this bookworm blush so much as the ship's library.

There was a library on board!

Somehow, in all of my research and travel planning I had missed that bit of (essential) information. (The subject of my gush appears in the top two photos above left.)

Approximately two weeks before stepping foot on our first cruise, I had successfully interviewed for my one and only library position, having just completed the school librarian certification process after serving as a classroom teacher for twenty-one years. In addition to celebrating our wedding anniversary, the cruise had become a much bigger celebration as well as a fitting reward for my ever supportive wife.

The surprise library was a little sign for me that I was sailing in the right direction.

As Pride pulled away from Honolulu harbor (Ke Awa O Kou if you're feeling the island love) that July 3rd evening, Mari and I sat out on deck and enjoyed the show with our fellow shipmates. We hardly noticed when the ship started pulling away from port and it wasn't until the fireworks began that we fully appreciated our buoyant berth. The following morning we woke up in Maui where I donned my pineappled pal for the first of two days that week (vacation laundry algebra was at work) and we made our way aft to the ship's theater where we awaited our tour bus departure. Waking up in a new city in the same hotel room was a new experience for us and one which we find more and more irresistible the further we sail from home.

There are no "at sea" days during Pride of America's (sorta) circumnavigation of the Hawaiian islands which means you will wake up each morning in port and not in the middle of the ocean. Our first port of call that Monday was Kahului on the island of Maui.

I snapped the two photos here shortly after arrival that Sunday morning while still aboard.

We would have two days in port, so Mari and I had chosen two full-day shore excursions. Our first would be a colorful and postcard-perfect day trip to the resort town of Lahaina on Maui's west coast. After a relaxing and educational (thanks to the generous and colorful narration of our local tour guide) drive through tropical plantations, Mari and I wandered the colorful village which reminded us both of colorful coastal villages in Maine (except maybe for the palm trees) that we had explored on our honeymoon back in 1990.

After a full afternoon of strolling souvenir-shop-lined streets and refueling with awesomely fresh seafood, we decided to take a little shave ice break and sit along the shore (pictured below the ship's library). Those are Mari's pedicured piggies high-fiving the surf below, by the way.

Apricot Shimmer is so not my color.

We exchanged cameras with fellow travelers (not named Gulliver) for our souvenir photo above under the Brobdingnagian banyan tree in the park in the center of town before heading back to the tour bus that would return us safely "home."

More Maui (and Mari!) and more island hopping next time.