Maui Getaway

Have you ever had one of those feelings where you feel really lost and all you want to do is book a plane ticket, pack your bags, hop on a plane, and just leave? It doesn't really matter where you're going to, all you know is you need to leave asap. Well, that was me a week ago. I desperately needed a getaway and the next thing I know, I was already on the plane to Maui.

For the whole week, I stayed at my friend Josh's apartment, which is located in Kahului. Josh is one of my closest friends. We met during our freshman year in college but haven't seen each other since then (his family moved to Maui). I mean... what's better than spending your getaway time with your best friend, right?

The trip began, of course, at the beach. Josh and I walked to what he called the "windsurfing beach". It was absolutely stunning that day; the sky was clear, the ocean was calm, and there weren't a lot of people there. The solitude and tranquility of this beach reminded me of the tv show "Lost", how sometimes the human spirit finds itself in places that have not been arranged by the hand of man.

A Hawaiian trip is not a trip without a little bit of hiking. 'Iao Valley, like a lot of famous sites on the islands, is scared to Hawaiians. In 1790. King Kamehameha I destroyed the Maui army to unite the Hawaiian Islands on this site, making it one of the most famous and bloody battles that changed Hawaii history forever.
Instead of following the paved hiking trial, we decided to be adventurous and set foot on a narrow muddy path (note to self: don't wear shoes unless you want to make them brown). Soon enough, I found myself in a beautiful, untouched Jurassic Park-like jungle, far away from the crowd. As there is no reference to this trail whatsoever, I can only say you'll come across a river after walking for approximately 20 minutes (in mud).

Seeing there are no sandy beaches in Hilo, Josh suggested going to Kanapali Beach on my thrid day there. Kaanapali Beach is one of the well-known beaches in Maui. The water is calm enough for intermediate swimmers but also offer some waves for advanced swimmers or boogieboarders. To me, the best thing about this beach is the cliff you can jump off of. This cliff is like the tiny version of South Point, the perfect cliff to practice my backflips!

We also did something new (well, at least for me) - going to a nude beach. Little Beach is a place where you are free to be whoever you want to be; you can play ping-pong, surf, run around with your dog, all without clothes. In addtion to that, they have drum circles and fire dancing every Sunday, which I found really exciting and fun.

To complete my magical trip in Maui , we spent our last day in Lahaina with our friend, Rosie. Rosie recommended this place called "The Archers". I believe this is a local place because I tried googling this place beforehand and could not find anything about it.

Booking my flight to Maui was probably one of the best decisions I've made in life. I mean yes, you can always just take a day off and consider that as a getaway. But if you really want a true break, both mentally and physically, it is okay to take that badly needed vacation. The work in which you are currently involved isn't going anywhere. I guarantee you it will still be there once you get back. Honestly, if you are sitting there at work constantly thinking about being somewhere else, you aren't really there anyway! So what are you waiting for? Go book that trip you've been long dreaming for, you deserve it.