Maui '05,  Vacation,  Apr 9, 2005 - Apr 16, 2005     page 10 / 37

It took a few minutes to get really comfortable with the snorkel gear. After I forced myself to relax and breathe slowly, the experience was great! There were dozens of different fish to see, though few large schools. While the tourists swam, the crew prepared lunch. They had burgers, hot dogs, fruit and drinks ready for us when we returned to the boat.

From there we made a 3-mile trip to a location just off of Wailea where the green sea turtle population is high. We got back into the water for 45 minutes or so. Chris and Kevin saw a turtle, but many of us did not, though there were still several fish to view... Once back in town we rented snorkel gear for the remainder of the week. We found that there was plenty to see around the coral reef just out in front of the condo.... including turtles! They are protected animals, so we could not touch them. Instead, when we spotted one, we would simply move very slowly, or float still. The turtles were then easy to watch, without frightening them. Once they spotted us, however, they often rose to the surface, took a breath, then descended to the bottom, hiding among the rocks and coral.

Wednesday we rose early and drove the long, winding road to Hana. The guide books say this trip can take half a day, though we arrived in just three hours from Kihei. The road is very windy and very narrow, though it is well maintained along the eastern side of the island. This side of the island is very damp. It showered several times during our drive. The rain forest there is thick and green. Climbing philodendron and bamboo trees are common. Some of the trees had bright red flowers, a great contrast to the green landscape. Caption:We stopped to view this pool along the winding road to Hana