aloha and mahalo!

maui has been unbelievable.

the sun. the sand. the sea. and best of all. the turtles.

this island paradise at hawaii is nothing i've seen before. snorkeling sites lay 50 feet off the shores, where you can see many different pacific ocean fishes specific to the hawaiian reef. and of course, the turtles that come up close as they leave the sandy seabed for a gasp of air at the surface. the highlight of two days ago was the turtle encounter we had at the shore while snorkeling just 40 ft out, behind some shore rocks. that was some treat. :)

caught a glimpse of the humpback whale on its way down to the ocean floor (yes, just one glimpse) on our cruise out the day before, and it's a pity the whales weren't really active that day. so were the spinner dolphins. :) nevertheless, an awesome time snorkeling inside the Molokini crater and at Turtle Town. just kicked up all that dormant dive desires though. :) perhaps, Oahu. definitely, summer.

spent yesterday on an ardous drive down the road to Hana which was a disappointing scenic drive to say the least. Dessert at the Hana Ranch was unexpectedly good, at any rate, and we also got to hang out at the Black Sand Beach for a little bit which brought back memories of the times i've had at St. John's island--just that the beach sand's black.

and so now here we are on Christmas eve, back in Oahu, as we wait to see what else this pacific island paradise can bring. :)