Maui Trip - Day 3 (Iao Valley, Tropical Plantation, Snorkeling)

October 27th, 2007

This is the 3rd day of our trip. We started from hotel at around 8.30 am in the morning. We drove for about an hour to reach Iao valley. Some of the things in Iao valley, that are worth mentioning are:

• the view of the needle point that was formed out of lava
• a few hiking trails
• a well maintained park
• a small stream of water and a bridge on top of it
• the view of several surrounding mountains
  

There are a few guys who were jumping into the stream from the top of the bridge. I took a shot using my camcorder. We spent about an hour in the Iao valley. We didn't hike in Iao valley.

We then went to the Maui's tropical plantation. They had a plantation tour for visitors. The cost of the ticket per adult was about $13 for the plantation tour. We boarded the tram and the tour lasted for about 45 minutes with a stop over for coconut peeling demonstration. There were several tropical plants from different countries. The tram ride was nice but not very exciting. May be kids will enjoy it the most. If you are an avid photo or videographer, you would love to shoot the colorful flowers, fruits, garden and the plantation.

We forgot to bring our lunch with us. So, we had to go back to the room to get our lunch. We took the lunch from the room and went straight to Malea beach to board the ship for our snorkeling trip. We parked our car and had our lunch. We had to wait to board the ship. The ship started at around 1.30 pm. The ship was going up and down because of the strong waves. I felt like I was going to have nausea. Due to the winds, we weren't able to dock the ship in Molokini. They took us close to the Makena beach and docked the ship at a location where the water was 25 feet deep. They gave us all the snorkeling gear (goggles and fins). The captain gave a brief overview about snorkeling and the usage of the gear. It was useful.

I was quite excited to do snorkeling. One of the crew members helped me to adjust my goggles. I was one among the last few who jumped into the water. Many expert snorkelers have gone at least 50 feet away from the ship. I was staying closer to the ship, just in case I get tired. Finally, I jumped into the water. It was amazing that I was able to swim in the Pacific Ocean :) I learned to swim only after coming to the US and that too on my own. Snorkeling is an adventurous activity. The view of the coral reef and the underwater life was quite amazing. I saw a huge turle swimming close to me. I wish I was able to go farther and see what else is there. But, I wasn't a dexterous swimmer. So, I decided to stay close to the ship. I spent about 25 minutes in the water and came back to the ship. Wow ! What an experience. I still couldn't forget the moments of snorkeling.

The captain took the ship again to Malea beach. We went back to the hotel from there. We had a swimming session in the pool today as well. Mitra & I enjoyed our time in the pool. Divya (my wife) enjoyed watching us :)