Safari luck in Hawaii...Today's flights to Maui cancelled...Luckily we made it to Maui yesterday...Love the new place! Here comes Hurricane Ana!

The clouds have begun to roll in as Hurricane Ana makes her way to the islands. View from our lanai.

Thursday afternoon we arrived in Maui after a relatively painless 39 minute flight along with the usual two hours of waiting time at the airport in Honolulu.

For once, we weren't charged for excess fees for overweight baggage although, we were assessed $120 for the four checked bags, two large, two small. For the first time in a long time curbside check-in was available allowing us to avoid the long lines of travelers trying to get out of Hawaii before the arrival of Hurricane Ana.

Last night, we heard that all flights to Maui are all being cancelled started today. Had we not left Honolulu on Thursday, we've have been stranded with no place to stay other than moving to a pricey hotel. Safari luck prevails. Now, lets see how it does when the storm hits tonight.

View of Maui taken during the 39 minute flight from Honolulu.

As soon as we picked up the rental car we were relieved to be on our way with the good directions the property owner provided for our new home over the next six weeks.

View from our lanai.

As we pulled out of the Enterprise lot we noticed a long line of traffic moving in and out of what appeared to be a Costco parking lot. The car was loaded with our luggage but how convenient it would be to shop for food and supplies.

We decided to chance it and shop for bottled water, non-perishable foods and a small amount of perishable items (in the event the power doesn't go out after all). An hour later we were shocked by the $604 we'd spent and challenged as to how we'd fit it all in the car.

Surely, we'll be spending time by the pool as soon as the storm is over.

Somehow, with the utmost of creativity we managed to fit every last item, including huge bundles of toilet paper and paper towels, into the luggage jammed vehicle.

A pretty flower in the yard.

In no time at all we arrived and couldn't have been more thrilled with the first floor ocean view condo. Not only does it have virtually everything we could possible need or want, its appealing, spotless and exceedingly comfortable.

The grills at our disposal in the yard. What a view while flipping a burger!

The thoughtful owners left a gift bag for us filled with macadamia nuts, a lovely bottle of white wine, chips and cookies. What a pleasant surprise. We've been lucky with property owners in our travels, seldom having any type of issue often overjoyed with their kindness.

The grounds at the condo complex. We'll take more photos soon.

This condo is roomy, a much appreciated aspect after having lived in the most recent tiny studio, hotel rooms and cruise ship cabins.

Our digital equipment was quickly set up with a good WiFi signal, each with our own plug in which was quite a novelty. The furniture is very comfortable.

Since July 31st each property in which we've stayed has been less than 200 square feet. We eaten every meal out hoping that after the huge food purchase at Costco, we'd feel up to preparing dinner.

Beach Bum BBQ & Grill where we dined last night.

After hauling everything inside, putting everything away, unpacking our luggage and getting settled, we were too pooped to cook. Also, I'm still a bit under the weather with a recent virus.

Tom finally ordered a beer to celebrate our first night in Maui.

Dining out one more night was fine with us. We took off at 7:00 pm for Beach Bum's BBQ & Grill for a great dinner, a mere two minute drive from our condo. If we weren't so tired, we could easily have walked. The food was great and worked well for my way of eating. Finally, we both felt as if we really were in Hawaii, dining outdoors on a quiet evening in a more remote location.

My dinner, barbecue chicken and ribs made without sauce but seasoned well. Tom helped me eat the ribs while I ate the dark meat of the chicken, bringing the chicken breast home in a doggy bag.

Today is a new day and we'll enjoy chopping and dicing once again to make our favorite bread-free sandwiches and coleslaw, a dinner we both have missed. Plus, with a washer and dryer in the condo, I'm actually looking forward to our first load.

Tom's dinner, pulled pork sandwich, fries, coleslaw and cornbread. The bill for the dinner including one beer, tax and tip was a total of $53 which we thought was reasonable.

With the news on constantly, we're carefully watching for hurricane updates. As soon as we know something, we'll add a note here to keep our readers well informed.

Stay tuned.
______________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, October 17, 2013:

As our days at Camp Olonana came to a close, we attended a dinner in the bush, presented
by our hosts. Again, a fabulous evening. For details of that day, please click here.