Whispers of a Summer on Maui

Tucked away in the breezy calm of the Pacific Ocean, Maui is the jewel of the <st1:place w:st="on">Hawaiian Islands</st1:place>. There is a blithe aura in the air, and any passer-by will gladly throw up the hang-loose gesture and bellow “Aloha!” in traditional Hawaiian hospitality. Upon arriving in <st1:place w:st="on">Maui</st1:place> it’s customary to be adorned with fresh flower lei, which is precisely how my two best friends and I were greeted when we vacationed to the island two summers ago. We were celebrating LaVon's sixteenth birthday and with one glance at the spectacular views surrounding us she, our friend Alice, and I knew we had chosen the right retreat. After throwing our baggage into our beachfront villa, we went for a jog. <st1:place w:st="on">Maui</st1:place> features sand and shore in virtually every direction, and it’s all as pallid and pure as the summer sun. The vision on that jog was spectacular – azure ocean paired with distant royal mountains – and our threesome was immediately inspired to plan the rest of the week. We decided that we wanted a full taste of Maui; we arranged snorkeling, diving in the Seven Sacred Pools, hiking through the <st1:place w:st="on">Haleakala Crater</st1:place>, and attending a luau. The week we planned for <st1:place w:st="on">Maui</st1:place> seemed to be ideal. We were wrong. Snorkeling proved to be a new experience for all of us, but <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alice</st1:place></st1:city> was terrified of the fish and LaVon forgot to wear her contacts and so she didn’t see a thing. Moreover, the sunscreen that we applied slid off in the water, so our backs baked in the sun all afternoon and we each ended up with gruesome sunburns. During our hike to the Seven Sacred Pools, the three of us witnessed some of the most breathtaking nature that <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:state> has to offer. The path was lined with vibrant flowers and majestic trees; when we finally arrived at the Pools, we were faced with a glorious waterfall. The three of us dove off the shallow cliffs into the cascading water and found ourselves in pure bliss until on the way back we all slipped in a puddle of mud and dirtied our shoes and clothes. --nextpage--Unlike the splendor on our hike to the Pools, our hike to Haleakala was exasperating. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alice</st1:place></st1:city> is fascinated by volcanology, so the idea of trekking four-and-a-half miles through barren and dusty crater-remains seemed appealing at first. After about an hour, that opinion changed. The tedious inclines of the trail combined with the high altitude made our hike to Haleakala the most exhausting incident I have ever endured, and the three of us had sore legs for the remainder of the trip. If there was one thing that could have redeemed any misfortune, however, it was the luau we attended on our final night. Complete with the traditional roasted pig and Hawaiian dancers, it was as through the very spirit of the island had come alive in one enchanting festivity. Not only had that, but the spirit of our friendship seemed to awaken; Alice, LaVon, and I realized that we hadn’t come to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:state> to celebrate LaVon’s birthday – we had come to celebrate being best friends. The week we spent in <st1:place w:st="on">Maui</st1:place> slipped by faster than the flowers of lei wither in sunshine, but the memories I have of my two best friends are embedded in the deepest part of my heart. Our sunburns faded, our dirtied clothes became clean, and our sore muscles went away. The whispers from the island breeze told us more than “aloha” and “mahalo,” though – they proclaimed that our friendship would last forevermore, tied together by the strings of Hawaiian memories.

Arielle Pardes

2008-09-13T04:47:44Z

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active July 2009 Punzabo Winner Whispers of a Summer on Maui

2010-02-09T02:31:44Z

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