Day three brought us adventures in the coastal city of Lahaina. Car travel in Hawaii is measured in time, not in miles. We were told it would take us about an hour to get there from Wailea, but we made the drive in about 40 minutes. That sounds about right.
Lahaina is a bustling town with a bunch of shops and places to eat. We ate breakfast at Longhi's, enjoying a fresh-baked quiche with a side of fresh pineapple. The pineapple was extremely sweet and juicy and was so refreshing! We learned that Dole pineapple is from Guam, whereas "generic" pineapple that can be purchased at the local supermarket is from Maui. We'd choose Maui pineapple over Guam pineapple any day. Another example where it pays to get generic over brand.
We walked along Front Street to check out "the largest banyan tree in the United States". We heard that the tree was so large, it took up an entire city block. I was quite eager to see this spectacular tree, expecting to see a tree trunk with the diameter of a city block! Words cannot express the disappointment I felt when we arrived at the banyan tree and saw bunches of branches rising from the ground instead of one super-huge "mega trunk". Apparently, this banyan tree shades almost an acre of the park and reaches upward to a height of 60 feet by way of its aerial roots, which grow into thick trunks when they reach the ground. There are 16 major trunks in addition to the original trunk in the center. Lana and I felt suckered as we stood in front of the banyan tree, listening to the birds chirping and observing the mounds of crap on the ground from the aforementioned birds. Poor tree, it gets no respect, no respect at all.
Next up was an underwater
dive in the Atlantis IV submarine. We took a small cruise boat out to
where the sub was located. The view around us was beautiful, with clear,
blue waters below and fluffy, white clouds above. As we were boarding
the sub, our guide joked over the loudspeaker "Some of you are
asking why this submarine is called the Atlantis IV. Well, in a couple
of minutes, you'll be able to see Atlantis I, II, and III." Is
it too late for a refund?
We descended to a depth of around 135 feet and saw many different types
of sea creatures and plant life. We went around in circles a few times
and basically just observed the same schools of fish in the same coral
complex over and over. It was somewhat unfulfilling, since we didn't
see any Loch Ness monsters, Jonah-eating whales, or boat-crushing, monster
octopi. I was hoping to sell my exclusive pictures to the National Enquirer
but it looks like I'll have to wait until my next vacation.
Once back on dry land, we had a few hours to kill before our dinner cruise. We visited a few more shops, including Lana's Boutique, and took a few pictures with the local folk. The pegleg sea captain tried to hit on Lana, but I kicked him in his good shin and told him to get lost. He barked,"Wooden you know it. Th' good ones are always taken. Sea you later, laddies!" What a weirdo.
Our dinner cruise was on the Spirit of Lahaina, and we enjoyed all-you-can-eat food and drinks as we watched the beautiful sunset. The food wasn't too bad, although we were slightly confused by the blue dinner rolls. We thought we had a little too much to drink, but the digital pics don't lie. Whatever. The night wasn't as romantic as we thought it would be, and we knew it was going to be a long night when the captain introduced himself as "Captain Bobbie". He had a surfer-dude appearance and was wearing the stereotypical captain's white uniform white short shorts (think Love Boat). I was pretty sure he wasn't a certified captain, but why spoil the night by questioning his credentials and sending the crowd into a frenzied panic? On the drive back to the hotel, I vowed to always do more research before booking activities.
