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| The entrance to the popular Whalers Village shops an attraction for many travelers to the area. |
As the holiday tourists arrive in Maui we thought we'd better get to Kaanapali Beach before it became unbearably crowded over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. Yesterday morning, we took off for what proved to be an enriching day.
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| The mountains in Maui on the way to Kaanapali Beach almost don't look real. |
Kaanapali Beach is one of the most popular tourist areas in Maui with hotels lining the gorgeous beach, one after another, from the most posh and expensive hotels and condos to the more moderately priced vacation rentals in some of the older condo/hotel complexes.
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| There are many more hotels along the coast in Kaanapali Beach than are shown in this photo. |
Hotels, restaurants, shops and sports adventure huts and kiosks line the boardwalk attempting to lure takers and shoppers of their variety of offerings. In all, it was a feast for the eyes, not unlike the boardwalks of many major oceanfront vacation locations.
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| With a straight shot on Highway 30, we had no doubt we'd easily find Kaanapali Beach and Whalers Village. |
As we perused the row of hotels and shops, we weren't surprised by the cost of dining at the numerous restaurants nor the cost of products and services. Although prices were high, they certainly weren't any higher than that which we've observed in other popular holiday destinations throughout the world thus far in our travels.
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| The Kaanapali Golf Course is close to Whalers Village. |
Upon arrival in the popular Whaler's Village shopping and dining complex, we parked in the ramp noting the parking fees at $6 an hour. Knowing we'd most likely stay for several hours, we flinched at the thought of paying $18 to $24 for parking.
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| One of the first shops we spotted was "Jessica's Gems." |
Upon entering the Whalers Village Museum we were surprised to discover that by paying the $3 each for entrance in the famous humpback whale museum we'd receive a free parking pass to present upon exiting the lot. For a total of $6 we wandered though the interesting museum, watched a movie about humpback whales and received the parking pass.
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| This old whaling boat was on display in Whalers Village. |
Also, we conversed with the lovely managers from Minnesota, Marie and Terry (small world). Terry had lived in Minneapolis as had Tom when growing up. Oddly, they knew some of the same people. It was delightful sharing stories with them about their passion for Hawaii. I drooled over Terry's profoundly beautiful photography on display and for sale in the museum's gift shop.
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| Koa wood is commonly used in creating interesting decorative items in Hawaii. Click this link for more information on various woods used in Hawaii. |
Marie, his wife, and I chatted about letting go of "stuff" in order to change one's life to a less stress inducing lifestyle. They arrange tours, events and condo rentals in Maui. To reach them, click here.
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| This large Koa wood bowl was particularly interested as we wandered about this expensive shop. |
After touring the gorgeous mall, boardwalk and various sites in the area we were back on our way to Maalaea Beach, thrilled we'd made the effort to get out as our time in Maui rapidly withers away.
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| These handcrafted lacquered lamps caught my eye for their quality design. |
With only six days until we depart Maui next Monday, we're beginning to make preparations for our arrival on the Big island which includes:1. Pack all of our clothing and belongings scattered about the condo.2. Ship a box of leftover supplies to the new house.3. Make the comprehensive grocery lists for each family from their list of preferred foods they provided (upon my request) to have on hand when they begin to arrive beginning on December 6th.4. Organize and arrange all of our receipts and expenses from our time in Maui which we'll report in the next few days.
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| A decorative Hawaiian cape. |
This departure list is considerably easier than many we've had in the past. Throwing in time to clean the condo, cook our remaining meals and finish any last minute laundry, we'll be good to go on Monday morning.
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| These Koa wood hats and caps were priced from $36 for visors to $48 for the full hats. |
We both laugh at how much better we're getting at this part which now is relatively stress free when we no longer have to suck the air out of the no-longer-needed space Bags.
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| Standing at the third floor railing before entering the museum, we spotted a display at a distance, of a humpback whale skeleton, an attraction many check out when visiting Whalers Village. Tomorrow, we'll share close up photos of the skeleton. |
We further lightened our load when we left the small vacuum in Honolulu at the condo for the future use for other renters, tossing the remaining Space Bags.
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| By turning around from the second floor railing, the ocean views were breathtaking from Whalers Village. |
Thanksgiving will be simple for us with two large chickens, vegetables to roast and salad to make, leaving us with a few days of leftovers. As always, we've carefully monitored our remaining perishable food to ensure we use it before departing Maui.
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| There were numerous "chain stores" in the mall and also many locally owned unique boutique type shops. We actually entered several shops to revel in the local merchandise, most of which was very expensive. |
We'll continue to post photos from Whalers Village, the museum and Kaanapali Beach over the next few days as we wind down the treasured time we've spent on the tropical island of Maui, a new favorite on our list of places to visit.__________________________________________Photo from one year ago today, November 25, 2013: |
| One year ago, as we continued to wind down the three months we spent in Kenya, we shared some of our photos. For details from that date, please click here. |
