4 Days in Maui

Well it's been a while and I realized I never recapped our quick trip to Maui! As soon as Southwest started selling tickets, we jumped on the crazy low fares and booked a nonstop flight from San Jose to Maui! We've been to Maui and few times, but honestly, there's so much to see (and re-see)!

We watch Stranger Things on the flight and arrived 6 hours later! I had also found a great price on a convertible a few days before we left that ended up being cheaper than a regular car, so this was extra fun.

We stopped at Costco (of course) for wine, poke, and water, and we set off to our AirBnb in Lahaina. I had to grab a shave ice that first night (at Local Boys), we saw a great sunset, had a quick dinner and then went to bed.

The next morning, we woke up super early because of the jetlag and went off to get some Malasadas (Hawaiian donuts) before leaving for the Road to Hana. Ok, so this is actually our THIRD time doing this, but we still found lots to explore! 

We stopped to get a pineapple juice and check out the views, stopped at the rainbow Eucalyptus trees, and had some fabulous BBQ in the first few hours.

Next, we drove to the Red Sand Beach in Hana (one of our favorite beaches ever!), climbed 2 hours through the bamboo forests to get to the waterfalls in Haleakaka National Park, and ate some FABULOUS pineapple banana bread along the way.

That evening, we made our way back to Lahaina and had dinner at Lahaina Fish Company. It was a long day of driving and hiking, so we called it a night!

Our last full day, we grabbed some breakfast and drove north to drive along West Maui's "rugged shores". We stopped at Nahalele's blowhole, saw the heart rocks, and held our breath as the roads were indeed rugged and narrow.

After we made our way around the to top the island, we had lunch at Da Kitchen. Spam Musubi is my new obsession - SO GOOD!!!

Once we got back to Lahaina, we decided to head to the beach to catch some sun. Baby Beach ended up being PERFECT! Our AirBnb provided towels and an umbrella, so we brought those and some wine and relaxed in the calm shores for probably 6 hours.

For dinner, we had a fabulous pizza at Lahaina Pizza Company and went to bed. The next morning, we went back to Baby Beach for a few hours before we had to head to the airport to catch our flight home.

Now that we're living on the West Coast, we've decided that Hawaii is too easy to NOT do every year. Next time, we're thinking Kauai (once SWA starts their nonstops) and Kona is probably in our near future as well.

Mahalo Hawaii - we'll be back!

Kyoto, Japan {Part 2}

The one thing Jason really wanted to do in Japan was become a Samurai. Since that's not quite possible, we booked a 3 hour session at Samurai Kembu in Kyoto.  

First, we practiced with our katana sword - learning the basic moves. Next, we put on the costumes and learned a combination that we performed in front of our class. It was fun, but harder than I thought it would be! Then we got to watch the masters give a demonstration of how it's REALLY supposed to be done.

We definitely worked up an appetite, so after the class we went to Ippudo Ramen. I got the Akumaru (garlicky broth) and Jason got the Shiromaru (regular broth). Best. Ramen. Ever. It made a believer out of Jason. This stuff was incredible!

We stopped in at A-Cho, an Arcade in Nishiki Market, for Jason to let out his geek for a while. That night, we strolled in Gion in search of geishas (or geiko, as they are called in Kyoto). No luck. Beyond a few really beautiful streets, this area was actually a disappointment. Overly commercialized and kind of tacky!

Friday morning we purchased an all day bus pass (for 500 yen or a little less than $5) and navigated the bus system.  Kinkaku-ji (or the Golden Pavilion) was our first stop. This place was CRAZY. People were everywhere looking for that perfect shot. The pavilion itself was really beautiful with the sun reflecting off the gold leafing. After walking around for a bit, we grabbed some ice cream (green tea for me and vanilla for Jason) and took in the gardens.

Ryoan-ji was a quick bus ride from Kinkaku-ji. It is known for it's traditional zen garden. We sat here for a while and contemplated life. Or rested our feet. Whatever! :)

On the way out, we met a group of middle school kids who were on a field trip. They wanted to test out their English and we obliged! 

From Ryoan-ji, we took another bus to Arashiyama. There are some really pretty temples here, but we were basically templed out at this point. We made our way straight to the bamboo forest. Once you passed the hoards of people at the entrance, it really was peaceful to hear the bamboo swaying in the wind. We made our way to the top of the hill for some beautiful views. It was like a completely different world just a few minutes outside of downtown Kyoto.

From the temple behind Jason in the photo below, you could hear the most beautiful music. 

We had seen a conveyor belt sushi restaurant during our explorations the day before, so we made our way back there. You could grab things directly off the belt, but we preferred to order what we wanted off a screen and it would be placed on the belt for us to grab. It was super yummy! At the end, they counted up our plates (and priced them based on the color) and we paid our bill up front. Easy! I think we paid about $25 for all of the food below plus a few beers.

The next morning, we had time for one more thing before we had to leave Kyoto. Fushimi Inari was seen as the patron of business, so each of the torri (red gates) is donated by a Japanese business. We got there really early before the crowds got crazy and were able to squeeze in some great shots. You can climb a few miles to the top of the toriis, but we unfortunately just didn't have time.

After this, we caught another Shinkansen back to Narita airport. We easily made it on the flight and each got our own row in economy plus! We were able to fall asleep for most of the way, so that was wonderful.

Final Thoughts on Japan: What an AMAZING trip. It's 2nd for both of us for best place we've ever visited (Jason - Hawaii, me - Italy). The food was the best we've had anywhere and the people were just wonderful. It was such an easy country to navigate and we never really ran into a significant language barrier. Kyoto ended up being one of our favorite places ever and I would love to return.

There were some definite cultural differences, but we enjoyed experiencing them all. We also loved that we felt totally safe the entire time. We also never once felt "ripped off"  by taxi drivers or vendors in the market. Reverence was the main thing we noticed. Reverence of people, food, traditions, etc. We loved it all. What a beautiful place. 

Thanks Southwest Airlines (and United) for making this trip possible. Unless something pops up, we're done for 2014. We can't wait for the awesome things on our agenda for next year though!