Hana

Gee whiz; how does nature get it so perfectly and wondrously right every time? Ti and bananas anyone?

These beautiful taro fields are on the Kaenae peninsula. Coincidentally yesterday (4-20-09) the State House Agricultural committee passed a bill which places a five year moratorium on messing with the genetics of Hawaiian taro. Hurrah!

I had some friends that lived in the Islands for a few years whose previous home had been New York. I remember them being flabbergasted at the plants growing wild on the side of the road in Hawaii that they used to pay $20 per stork for from the florist in Manhattan. Case in point, the roadside heavenly Heliconia.

Here is a shot of roommate #1 that captures the tranquil and sweet nature of the lovely Maurizio.

On our hike to the falls I kept asking Dario (roommate #2) if he wanted his picture taken and at his constant refusals GP finally countered " oh come on....per la mama"!  Being the young buck that he is he was the only one willing to suffer the crushing chilly power of the falls and finally asked for his photo to be taken. We all agreed Mama will approve of this one - Jesus Christ, she'd better!

It’s always fun to share your favorite spots with others, so we exposed our Italian friends to the Dumo di Bamboo. There are moments of awe, reverence and intensity as the light fades and floods through the forest canopy. There's also another peculiarity that I'm sure isn't mine alone, but for me it's not possible to go there and not have this damn song in my head at some point!

You see, now it's started... that thing that happens where everything I look at reminds me of a song. Dinner comes accompanied by Thou shalt have a fishy on a little dishy....

Trivia: my first boyfriend was called Michael Waterfall......there's a song that goes with him too, but that's just too embarrassing to share!

As I started my journey home I stopped by Laulima Farm which is a privately owned fully off the grid organic farm in Kipahulu. Want a smoothie? No problem, just jump on the bike located conveniently in the middle of the stand and pedal like hell to make the small generator attached to the bike send juice to the blender. Oh beloved genius! These guys are the real deal and I had the best latte I've ever tasted there, seriously, that I've ever tasted  hmmmmmm.

Here's a side of Maui you don't get to see very often, it's her glorious and beautiful backside. 

That little ledge at the bottom of the cliff is the road. At this part of the drive it's not even paved, just a dusty, pot holey, organ jangling, teeth clattering dirt road surrounded by the vast panorama's that are a stark contrast to the lush greenery of Kipahulu.

And when your wheels hit the tarmac again ahhhhhhhhhh what a sweet moment that is. There was a simular photo on the wall at Maui Coffee Roasters for years that I always loved and so this pici is my homage to the creator of that wonderful snap.