Wanderlust Britt: On A Beach in Hawaii

Well, Sunday Funday got the best of me! Good food, good drinks, great company and football! It's so hard to keep up with writing and posting when you fall in love with island life or fall asleep to the sound of guitar every night. Everyone that we've stayed with out here are local musicians and have jam sessions every night! There's something about the way of life out here and I have fell in love with it! Everyone out here has the exact same mindset, to live life. Sure, everyone works. Well, most do. But, even though everyone is working there is this underlying attitude that life is not about work. The people living in Hawaii understand well that the secret to a happy life is about what you’re doing outside of work. Work-style is a little more laid back. There is less intensity about it. People get their work done but, it’s not a pressure-cooker environment. Those living in Hawaii like it laid back and want to keep it that way. After all, that’s why they’re living in Hawaii in the first place. To be surrounded by a like-minded group of laid back people is really invigorating and gives one a great feeling.

This Banyan Tree is right outside the area we live in, Lahaina, on the popular Front Street. And it's hard to believe but this is all one tree!

We've woken up every morning to the sound of roosters and the view of lush mountain greenery in the near distance. The people out here seriously live off the land. Chickens crossing the road, and fruit trees in every yard. It's such a refreshing feeling to just get up and go and discover the unknown. Everyone is so accommodating. I've never felt so comfortable around people I've never met. And as much as we feel as we're out staying our welcome, we're not, because they just want us to feel comfortable.

These are just some of the views and sites you run into along the way of the Kapalua Coastal Trail. Jagged lava fields surrounded by lush greenery and unbelievable beaches. Below is the famous site, Dragon Teeth, which is unique rock formation of solidified lava located at Makalua-puna Point.

After about 2 miles of hiking lava fields and tide pools you can't help but keep going. There's so much to see and so little time... or it feels like that way at least. I'm learning to be patient and that everything you want to see will be there tomorrow. But it's so hard because I just want to keep going. And at every single spot I just want to stop and take pictures or swim and snorkel. I've always been a believer that everything happens for a reason. So even when you want to walk 2 miles along a hectic road of traffic just to see some over flowing tide pools or swimming holes, maybe you just have to save it for tomorrow. This was a day that turning around had good outcomes...

Just a short bus ride up the West Maui highway from Lahaina is the beautiful, three-mile stretch of golden beach Ka'anapali. Here, we had our first snorkeling experience as well as a 30 foot high cliff jump off the famous Black Rock. I was nervous at first, but you can't think about it, you just have to do it. The adrenaline filled jump is something else I can cross off my list of life!

I was so nervous looking down at the jump that lied ahead, but I took a deep breathe and never looked back!

A trip to Maui wouldn’t be complete without a hike through the lush greenery of the island, taking in views of volcano-formed mountains, ocean swells, and towering trees along the way. We discovered some tide pool filled lava fields off the Kapalua Coastal Trail, where we watched one of our favorite sunsets on Day 3 over Kapalia Bay. Because we fell upon this at dark, we were so anxious and excited to return and see more! So two days later we rode the bus back to the area and walked the entire trail, which ends at the insanely beautiful Ritz Carlton. On our way back we stopped at Kapalua Bay and decided to go snorkeling, which ended up being a life experience I will NEVER forget. We swam with a sea turtle bigger than ourselves! When I first saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes! It was fantastic! He was so graceful and so relaxed. I thought he would take off as soon as he saw us, but he acted like we weren't even there.

We've really enjoyed the area of Kihei for its beaches, where we decided to have a little photo shoot! ;)

In its authentic form, hula is the most powerful expression of indigenous Hawaiian culture that exists. The chants and music accompanying hula are, in essence, the oral history of Hawaii’s native people, passed down from one kumu hula (teacher) to another.

We stopped at our first Farmer's Market off the side of the road at a bus stop. It was filled with garden-fresh fruits, vegetables and dips and sauces! We got to try tons of samples and left with a strawberry papaya that we later enjoyed on the beach!

It's obvious there’s no need to hunt out romance in Maui, but we feel like we're on our honeymoon every time we enjoy beach side plate lunches and pineapple drinks!