Day 6: Life’s a Beach

My last full day here in Maui and if you know me, you know I’ll be eating up a storm.  This place is packed with good food that is fresh, organic, and as healthy as I would want (or trick myself into believing it has great nutritional value).  Since I was coming down from Huelo, I HAD to stop by Makawao and have my fresh catch of the day with eggs benedict at Market Fresh Bistro.  It was a purposeful breakfast as I was accompanied by Greg from Lumeria.   I’m seriously considering this place for my retreat.

Mix these ingredients together and you have a very happy, certified organic Nikki

Then it was off to film my video… again on a full stomach.. there just isn’t enough time to digest and wait… time is running out.

Of course all that shooting made me hungry so off to my next favorite place for lunch:  Mama’s Fish House.  

First course: lobster guacamole with local chips (taro, bread fruit, plantains)

Second course: Opakapaka ceviche

Finally, a trio of sashimi with various black, red, and macadamia sea salt

Well the whole thing wasn’t just about eating… Mama’s has an Inn that is attached to the restaurant and sits right on the beach.   Possible retreat option… of course!

Imagine yoga on this lawn that faces the ocean and then a quick dip in the water afterwards... or nap in that hammock works for me too

What a day!  Another round of video making (yes my belly is full so I gotta work it off).   Then off to check in the last possible retreat place at the Blue Tile House.  It’s another property that sits right on the beach.  

My head was starting to spin trying to decide which place would be best for my retreat so I decided to go scout out some snorkeling places and where my next meal was gonna be.  I ended up at the end of  Makena at La Perouse Bay where a local friend told me had good snorkeling.  Saw many varieties of fish but it was cloudy and dark… so back towards the Makena resort area to just chill and watch the sunset.   

Off in the distant I see something bob up and down… it looked like a head.  There were no swimmers or snorkelers around so it couldn’t have been a person.  I ignored it.  Then up it came again and again.  Perhaps it was seaweed or some other debris drifting in the waves.   All of a sudden two people come running on the beach with their snorkel masks and shouted towards me, there’s two turtles out there.   What?!  I look closer and it was!  

Oh my!  My heart pounding.  My snorkel mask was way at the other end of the beach so I ran.  I hate running and hate even more running on sand in a hurry.  But when you need to do something, you just do it.  I’ve always wanted to swim with a sea turtle but could never do it because you have to go out far and deep into the sea (you all know the lack of my swimming skills).  These two turtles were about 15-20 feet off the shore at a nearby rock. 

I jump in and WOW!!   Jaw dropping or in this case, teeth biting my snorkel moment.  The two honus (green sea turtle) were feeding on the seaweed growing on the rock.  They were massive!   Their shells were probably about 3 feet across.  They didn’t mind us at all.  I was so close I gently touched her shell and for a moment I stopped breathing.  It was such a magical moment.  

The hono's I saw glided just like this one that was taken by a photographer I know, Adam A. Palmer

I spent over an hour swimming with them and watching them eat.  They didn’t leave and I didn’t want to leave either.  I didn’t want it to end.. until I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore because it was getting cold as the sun was setting.

So I listened to my own belly that was growling.  Next order of business… FOOD!  

Drove into Kihei and decided to try a Japanese restaurant that everyone raves about, Sansei.  Yes, more fish!  

Their award winning, mango crab salad roll.

Poke Duo: ahi and hamachi

Finally, spicy lobster ramen to warm my belly

What a day!  I could not ask for anything more.  My last day could not be more perfect.  Sea food, sea turtles, and a beautiful sunset!  I am in awe at how this whole week turned out.  Nothing planned.  No rules.  No expecations.  It all started with just one mantra:  “Life’s a Beach,” (day 1) which inspired, “I will let my heart fall to the ground and let it be my foundation,” (day 2) which inspired, “Don’t lose your breath in challenging situations but find things that take your breath away,” (day 3, day 4, day 5 and all the way to the last minute).

Maui, I will be back!

I always leave another piece of my heart with you, Maui.

Naked Yoga

It’s been a week since I’ve been back from my vaca to Maui and I have lots of things to share, but apparently writer’s block has hit me… so I thought… ok it was more like I used writer’s block to stall on writing what I’ve been wanting to share… a very memorable and terrifying experience I happen to chance on.  The fear is still haunting me as I write this post… so here goes.

I was determined on this trip that I would face another one of my fears and go sky diving. Well long story short, there were no more launch points on Maui… All the sky diving in Hawaii is done on Oahu.  I was somewhat relieved that I could chicken out of this agenda.. but the better part of me didn’t let me off the hook.  So the next closet thing someone suggested was parasailing.  Nope. Turns out the season is closed for parasailing due to whale migration.  And the next closet thing is zip lining.  Nope.  All sold out.  There was nothing left on the whole island for me to come face to face with my fears… a part of me was relieved…

Until we stumbled onto Big Beach in Makena.  

Over looking Big Beach in Makena Maui

At the end of this vast crescent shape beach is a cliff.  We saw people coming down and people going up.  I asked one of the guys going up what was on the other side.  ”Another beach called Little Beach,” he said, and “it’s clothing optional.”  

My heart starts beating and I could hear myself say, ‘no way!’ but another voice triumphed and I saw another fear bubble up.  I was almost irritated that sky diving wasn’t available as I would’ve opted for that option instead. So being the fear conquerer that I am, I dragged my friend up the cliff with me. 

There was a mix of people.. nude, clothed, old, young, men, women.  No one seemed to give a hoot about anything.  People minding their own business or perhaps they were trying to mind their own business because if you didn’t you’d probably break public nudity protocol.. that is maintain eye contact and don’t talk to anyone.

A naked meditation

So much for protocol!  A nude man and his wife came over to talk to me to offer his service to take our pictures for us.  WTF!  He broke two protocols!  I politely declined.   Not long after that, another man comes over to talk to us and asks permission to take my photo while I was posing for my yoga graffiti.  WTF! again?!  I soon realize that there are no protocols… I made them up to cover up my fears… like I made up my “writer’s block” symptoms so I didn’t have to post about this experience. 

I didn’t even know I had a fear of being nude in public until the situation presented itself.  I sat there for a long time before I decided to go for it. I could hear in my head the debate I was having with myself.  ”Why are you so scared?  Just do it!  You’re never gonna see these people again.  You have a beautiful body.  No I don’t.. I hate my butt.  People will laugh at my funky tan line.  No they won’t.  Yes they will…”  Yak yak yak these two voices debated in my head.   

At the moment I witnessed myself having this debate, I chose to let go.  It sounds cliche, but it felt liberating.  It was a meditation like no other.  The tension melted.  The judgements dissolved.  The voices stopped.  I was in my body.  In my heart.  In my own business like no body’s business.  Completely present. It was pure joy.

Purely Padmasana

 

Yay! for nude beaches!  Check! another fear crossed off the bucklet list!  Hmmmm… nude yoga class next?  LOL