This is the first day of our sightseeing.
Our first stop is Iao Valley to find Iao needle. This is a very beautiful valley, very misty and mysterious. We were lucky to see waterfalls in the valley, as it was raining the night before. (proof that it's rare: even the tour bus drivers are taking photos of the waterfall hee)
The valley also had a lot of deaths as King Kamahemaha I destroyed the Maui army here, to unite the Hawaiian island. It is recommended not to stray off the paths, in case you stumble upon a burial ground)
After visiting the valley, we went to Paia again, this time in search of flat bread. We spend 30 mins walking down the Paia beach as the high surf attracted a lot of surfers/boogie boarders. It is very entertaining watching the high surf and the attempts to surf the waves
After that, we went to Paia flat bread company for their pizza. They emphasized on organic and fresh food, but it tastes like an ordinary pizza to me =p
After lunch we decide to try the harrowing Maui West Mountains. This is a more dangerous drive as we are right beside the cliff, with areas of mulitple hair pin turns, and .... wait for it.. wait for it.. one lane for both sides of the traffic .. We were told to look out for cars coming in the opposite direction on the other side of the hair pin turn, and just take turns going into the turn. IN some cases, somebody has to reverse back to make way..
In case you are wondering why we are doing this, we are in search of Lorraine shaved ice, per Janet's recommendation.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lorraine-shave-ice-kahakuloa-2
When we are there, she gave us some coconut shavings that's also one of the best thing that I ever ate! I swear that she stir fry them with Gula melaka. And she make the best banana bread too. So if you ever find yourself in Maui and willing to take a risk on the West Maui mountain, look for Lorraine (hey, 20k hits on youtube.. she's famous!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skJoJcL4PBk&noredirect=1
She also has a nice backyard where you can sit and watch the ocean and the mountains that looks like a smiling crocodile.
And no.. it's not just for the shave ice.. it is a really scenic drive up the West Maui Mountain and these photos have not been photoshopped for vibrancy!
Anyway, we got back to the hotel (in one piece) and made our way to Sheraton hotel to view the Black Rock ceremony. For the locals, the Black Rock is supposed to be the place where the soul leap into the spirit realm of their ancestors.
So every night, there's a touristy performance of 5-10 minutes where a Hawaiian guy light the torches and dived off Black Rock, at sunset. Aka, super cheesy but kind of entertaining because of it's cheesiness =)
After the show, we walked back to the hotel via the Beach Walk and grilled ourself a nice steak for dinner at the hotel, with wine and margarita.
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