Pictures from this trip can be found here.
During the middle of July every year I get a few days off as my company shuts down to help the city government conserve power during the brutal heat of Japanese summer. It is a perfect excuse to get away, as most other companies are still open and we can avoid the high prices of peak travel times.
This year we found some cheap tickets to Hawaii, so we arranged to stay with Susan and Dave at their place in Makawao. It had been seven years(!) since we had been to see them.
The flight was on AirAsia, direct from Kansai airport to Honolulu, and then it was a short flight to Maui and we met them at the airport. They both looked great, even though Susan was suffering from a cracked rib after a mishap while testing Sir Isaac Newton’s theory.
Our agenda for the trip was mainly just to relax, eat, drink and spend some quiet time. We went to the beach a few times, and even got to see a big sea turtle relaxing on the beach behind Mama’s Fish House.
Since Susan and Dave love good food just as much as we do, the eating was good. We went out to Pita Paradise, Poi by the Pound, and Maui Brewing Company (two different locations).
We also had some great food at home, with Susan putting on a big southern-style shrimp boil (so good), her Persian rice recipe (so delicious – nicely balanced salt, acid, heat and fat), and a nice batch of grilled fish with Susan and Dave’s friends the Talleys. One day Kuniko and I put together some suigyoza (dumplings in soup) for dinner and everything was washed down with plenty of good beer and wine. It was like a foodie paradise that week.
No visit to Maui would be complete without a trip to see the murals painted by local artists, not the least of which was the beautiful one painted by Alex and Joey. It was impressive how the painted murals really livened up an otherwise plain downtown area. We also had a chance to lay down on the roof and watch the stars, take a long morning hike with Dave around the countryside surrounding Makawao, and did some shopping at Costco and Target with Susan. She also turned us on to great noodles at Sam Sato’s – which turned out to be one of the culinary highlights of a very culinary-focused trip.
By the end of the week we were sorry to say goodbye. We’re hoping that it won’t be seven years before our next visit, and hopefully soon Susan and Dave will come visit us in Japan so we can repay the favor.
