Island Time

 Thursday, Nov. 8th - We are tired from staying out so late. Yup. We were up until 10pm.

The condo is almost out of food but we don’t care. We don’t plan to have the problem we’ve had in past years.

At 5pm we headed out to the Fairmont Kea Lani. We did not plan to dine at the restaurant that had been my favorite for many years... which shall remain nameless.










Instead, we headed to the recently refurbished Ko.








Ko had one of thThe best Chi Chis I’ve had on this side of the island. We chose off the Prix Fixe menu. Oishi Sushi, Lumpia, and Portuguese Bean Soup as appetizers. Entrees included “Paniolo” Bone-In Rib-Eye Steak, Pancit Noodles, and Island Fried Rice. Dessert: Chantilly Cake and Plantation Pineapple Cake.








We rolled home, with many doggie bags, and sat out on the lanai to cool off before heading to bed.

We Arrive

Saturday, November 3rd

This was our first direct flight to Maui. The trip seemed very fast. We met up with our first week’s guests Jane and Ray then headed off to one of my favorite places:  Hula Grill.

Rosemary your Chi Chi quota has been filled.

Jane and I did some grocery shopping . . .

There are a LOT of people on this island right now.











There was NO Haupia ice cream . . . I will be going out tomorrow to find some. Yes, I will!

And to top things off I’m having problems with my little web book. I’m not sure how/if/when I can post to this blog. Hubby wants to take a hammer to ole Zippy and put him out of our misery. I’m not sure I want to stop him anymore.

It was a full day. I just want to say that I made it past 7:30 pm but not by much. I'm glad to be back.

For Work or Play

Wednesday, November 9th

Today was the Scuba dive. Three of the Big Boys, which included the Hubby, met with others of the Scuba Shack at the pier. After a 15 minute ride to Molokini they wet-suited up and donned their tanks, going overboard for a visit to the underwater world.

Hubby said they probably saw every fish depicted on a Hawaiian fish chart

Mrs. Dirtboy and I read and relaxed.

Dirtboy kept himself busy nearly all day by participating in a conference call. Mrs. Dirtboy was not pleased.

We tried to make reservations at Humuhumunukunukuapua’a. They’re booked solid for the next week. I’ve been wanting to eat there for the several years. I guess it’ll have to wait another year more.

At five we headed to Tommy Bahama’s at the Shops of Wailea. I must say they had one of the best chi-chis I’ve tasted. Everyone at my table was of the same opinion.

We enjoyed various selections off their prix-fixe menu: Tortola Tortilla Soup or Bungalow salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

Entrées: Filet medallions with coconut shrimp, “Catch of the Day” grilled with baby bok choy, Alii mushrooms, Molokai sweet mashed potatoes, mango butter sauce, topped with mango salsa or Sanibel Stuffed Chicken, Parmesan-Japanese breadcrumb encrusted, stuffed with cheese & roasted red pepper sauce and seasonal vegetables.

Dessert: Pina Colada Cake, Blackbeard’s Butterscotch pudding, Key Lime Pie

Another perfect day in paradise.

Start of a new week

Monday, November 7th

Sunday was a late night for everyone. We're all moving slow.

Dirtboy and Mrs. Dirtboy drove to the Iao Needle. It’s still there for those of you who are wondering. Not sure what other adventure they may have run into on their way home.

We met upstairs at 4pm for drinks. The ladies were at the dining room table occupied at various pursuits: embroidery, solitaire, reading, and crossword puzzles. The men were on the lanai trying to stir up trouble. There was much discussion over dinner plans and we used Open Table to arrange our reservations.

We are lucky enough to be here for the start of Wailea Restaurant Week, where each participating restaurant has agreed to make a contribution to the Maui Food Bank for every prix fixe entree sold.

Our choice for this evening was:

Mrs. Dirtboy and I started with chi-chis. The boys... beer and wine. A BIG downside to ordering beer and wine are... they don't come with little paper umbrellas.

There were seasoned rice cakes and crushed edamame garnish to sample while we decided what to order.

We ordered: Tempura Ahi Oichi Sushi and "Lumpia" (pork and chicken spring rolls)

NOTE: Tempura sushi is one of the best things I've eaten. I don't even like sushi.

Ono and Walu prepared: grilled, macadamia nut coated, and seared pan-fried.

I've decided I like Ono better than Walu. Only took me two years...

This picture shows the purple potato puree our MidWestern guest LOVED.

For dessert: Portuguese Sweet Bread Pudding, Wailea Estate Chocolate Baked custard and Plantation Pineapple Cake

I have to say that the Pineapple Cake is one of the best things I've ever eaten. However . . . it did not make me cry.

Dirtboy had such a good meal he wants to return. I reminded him that there are 15 other restaurants that participate in Wailea Restaurant Week. We have our work cut out for us.

Travel to Maui

Thursday, November 3: The Hubby and I can hardly wait. We head for the airport early and a mere five hours later land at the Honolulu airport.

Our connecting flight to Kahului was a short one hour layover. Then there's a change. . .our plane is given away to passengers going to Lihui, Kauai. My guess is they've been waiting a lot longer than we have.

So our plane is an hour late. So'kay.

Hubby and I stop at Ray's Cafe for the Paradise Plate appetizer. It has some quesadillas, eggrolls, prawns, chicken teriyaki skewers, and onion rings all with their own sauces. Yeah. I tried one of each then ate the HUGE ring of pineapple where the skewers were sitting. It might have been garnish but for me it was lunch.

Yes, I did the ritual burning my mouth on pineapple. It was really very, very tasty.

We arrive on Maui at three-ish, pick up our luggage, grab our car and head to Kihei. We want to see what's changed in town. Not much. There are lots, LOTS of people. Does this mean the economy is getting better?

There is a choice of three grocery stores in town:

Safeway ... we have these at home, I'm not shopping here.

Foodland: . . . it's my second choice. We'll end up visiting this store, it's the closest to us.

Times Supermarket, it used to be Star Market. The new name reminds me of a newspaper. This is the market where I like to shop.

We pull into the parking lot, I'm getting ready to unbuckle my seat belt and hopping across my lap is:

I scream, I panic, I'm jumping around like there's a hot taro root on my lap . . . I shoot out of the car. I am not riding home with a bee in there. Hubby saves the day by retrieving it. I'm waaay too much of a chicken to do that.

We go shopping. Among the goodies I see . . . Pog, dragon fruit, mango salsa, Maui Onion chips, the Minahune water. . . then I see Roselani! I just want to rip the top open and dig in with a big spoon!

We pack up the car, then roll down the windows because we'd rather have the breeze than a/c and guess what-who flies into my window? Could it be really the same bee?

You know the drill... I scream, I panic, I'm jumping around like there's a hot taro root on my lap. Yes, Hubby saves the day yet again. Soon we are on our way home.

I'll preface this part with . . . we've been paying an additional amount to our quarterly HOA fees because the Home Owners Association decided they wanted to "upgrade" our units.

What I fear is that they'll hire a designer who will do something "trendy" and our unit will look "dated" in a few years. With that said we can continue . . . we park in front of our unit and this is what welcomes us . . .

This sort of encompasses the entire renovation: a cheap, tacky, tropical feel. I think we paid a lot of money for lipstick for the old wahini. You can't really "see" the faux patina. It's lovely.

The friends, and their company, are at the Five Palms for dinner.

We drive over to join them and we're having a very difficult time finding a parking space. It's REALLY crowded. Good for business and bad for us tourists. There's a Sunset Special that looks pretty good:

I side step the food and opt for a chi chi. It's been a really long day.

I'll eat something tomorrow.