Maui, Days 3 & 4

When I left you, we had enjoyed ourselves immensely at a luau, slurping tropical drinks and eating lots of fruit. While in Maui, I had absolutely no problem finding enough food to eat. Because I am a dead broke traveler, I brought my own oatmeal (best idea ever) and stuck to cheap appetizers for my other meals for the most part. Because really, portion sizes are outrageous. And so are the prices in Maui.

The only time I had a potential problem ordering was when we visited Fred's Mexican Cafe in Kihei. There were only a couple of vegetarian options, and they were smothered with cheese. I took a deep breath and apologized to our waitress for being picky and ordered the spinach chicken wrap, without the chicken, cheese or sour cream, with avocado please.

She didn't even blink, and the wrap was made exactly how I ordered it. It was amazing.

This is a little more photo heavy of a post, but that's what I like to look at, so there you go.

YUM.

Day 3 was spent wandering in and out of Lahaina.

 Sarah had to have it. It was pretty tasty, too.

 

The banyan tree in Lahaina. This is all one tree, and so pretty.

The Judo Mission

Have I mentioned I love beer? And my companions also love beer?

This was....ok. There was skin on each of the hummus piles, and the roasted vegetables were cold and chewy. So not worth $9.

Day 4 was spent exploring the road to Hana and beyond.

At the Garden of Eden, a little bit of nerd came out as we got to see the rock in the opening sequence of the first Jurassic Park. I'm a fan.

Our lunch: a makeshift quinoa salad and Maui chips.

Charles Lindbergh is buried on Maui, in a very hard to find place. We though this church perched on a point was it. Alas it was not. A very pretty hike though!

My vegan wrap.

Our final day and my thoughts on Maui next!

Maui, Days 1 & 2

So I've left the land of sun and tropical drinks. My days are now drizzly and cold, and I'm ok with it.

Maui was amazing, relaxing, fantastic, rich in culture and HOT. While I don't mind a bit of sun every once in awhile, the heat and humidity there just about killed me! I am definitely a cold weather kind of gal. It took a lot of water, Gatorade and walking breaks, but I made it out alive, and only with a minor sunburn.

I made the best of it though. I present to you a photo journey of the first couple of days as a Maui vegan visitor.

The trip was supposed to be with my husband, but he ended up not going and I lucked out and wrangled one of my oldest and greatest friends to fill in at the last minute. Her name is Sarah and she is adorable.

Our first dinner was at the Four Seasons Hotel to celebrate a milestone birthday for the lovely lady second from the right. Obviously I am the nerd on the left. I had a very expensive version of spaghetti and a delicious Coconut Porter from Maui Brewing. I am officially obsessed.

Our first sunset.

Day 2 - we decided to find the Farmers Market in Kihei. About 2 miles in, we gratefully slurped some shave ice. I didn't get photos of the market, but it was small and full of delicious fruits.

Our second night was spent at a luau at the Grand Wailea. If you ever get the opportunity to walk the grounds, do it! It's an amazing resort to explore.

 I had so much pineapple-y drinks on this trip it was not funny. Blech. But the luau had a buffet with plenty of vegan options, including a stir fry, poi, green salad and roasted sweet potatoes. 

Dorks.

The last act, a fire dancer. So freaking cool.

To be continued....

Tomato. Tomato.

This summer has been a roller coaster of a summer.

I won't bore you with the personal details, but I thought I would share some tomatoes.

You see, this is the coldest summer in Oregon in 17 years. We've had a couple of hot days, but the majority of time it's been in the 60s or 70s. I don't mind it much, but I guess this wreaks havoc on tomato crops.

We finally got tomatoes in our CSA this week. And they are glorious.

Seriously, who would eat store - bought tomatoes after sinking your teeth into this amazing food? It's flavorful, full of TOMATO (and not water!) and, dare I say, meaty? I like salt on my tomatoes, but you could definitely eat one of these babies like an apple.

Our little bag barely lasted one night.

 
Oh yeah, I did that. You'd better believe that crack dip is vegan.