The second part of our vacation was the "working" part of the vacation. Our hotel and most meals were paid for at the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel and Spa( http://www.grandwailea.com/). It was a beautiful and relaxing place to spend a few days. We arrived on a Wednesday Morning and Larry's scheduled shift was Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. for registration. I was there to help. It felt strange NOT to. We met some wonderful people as we worked the registration desk. Each meal we shared tables with different people from different areas of the world who are successfully improving their lives with their careers with Tahitian Noni International. It was wonderful to see the business from that end. All I ever see is the view from corporate HQ and manufacturing. 
That evening they had an opening reception down close to the beach. The next morning we went to the general session and then spent the afternoon at the beach. The water was wonderful. It wa even warmer than the water at Tahiti, at least as far as I could remember. We spent an hour in the water and actually spent time talking to some distributors from Atlanta, Houston and Florida. The water was very clear.
I loved the grounds of the Hotel. I wish that I could grow Hibiscus at my home. I love the beauty of the flowers and they come in such vibrant tropical colors.
On Friday we had a "free" day (as compared to having to go to lunch on Thursday) and so we rented a car and went to the top of Haleakala Volcano. This is a dead volcano and the crater reminds me of Craters of the Moon on a larger scale. So we went from sea level to 10, 023 feet in a period of 3 hours. We also went through clouds into a beautiful blue sky, the only time we saw a truly clear blue sky the whole time we were onMaui. You could never tell from looking at the surroundings that this area of the island gets 35 inches of rain a year. Can you imagine what we could do with 35 " of rain in a year?
From the top of the volcano, it was so cloudy below us that all we could see was the crater and above. It almost floated. As we came back down the very windy highway, we crossed into a heavy rainstorm. From there we went to 'Iao valley, which gets 435 inches of water a year. It was like a jungle and as we were at the end of our day(there was a dinner we had to be back for at 5:30), we didn't have time to explore it. What we did see was quite lush.
It was a great day and there is so much to see that we didn't get the chance to see. HOWEVER, I think the big draw for me on Maui was the beach and the relaxation that it afforded us. I think that this is the first vacation Larry has really spent time on the beach relaxing. It was very nice. And that is how we spent our Saturday was once again on the beach.
Sunday was the long flight home. After arriving in Salt Lake, we found that our luggage didn't make it on the Delta flight, as the belt at the Seattle airport had broken and the bags weren't transferred. So much for the end of our dream vacation.
That evening they had an opening reception down close to the beach. The next morning we went to the general session and then spent the afternoon at the beach. The water was wonderful. It wa even warmer than the water at Tahiti, at least as far as I could remember. We spent an hour in the water and actually spent time talking to some distributors from Atlanta, Houston and Florida. The water was very clear.
I loved the grounds of the Hotel. I wish that I could grow Hibiscus at my home. I love the beauty of the flowers and they come in such vibrant tropical colors.
On Friday we had a "free" day (as compared to having to go to lunch on Thursday) and so we rented a car and went to the top of Haleakala Volcano. This is a dead volcano and the crater reminds me of Craters of the Moon on a larger scale. So we went from sea level to 10, 023 feet in a period of 3 hours. We also went through clouds into a beautiful blue sky, the only time we saw a truly clear blue sky the whole time we were onMaui. You could never tell from looking at the surroundings that this area of the island gets 35 inches of rain a year. Can you imagine what we could do with 35 " of rain in a year?
From the top of the volcano, it was so cloudy below us that all we could see was the crater and above. It almost floated. As we came back down the very windy highway, we crossed into a heavy rainstorm. From there we went to 'Iao valley, which gets 435 inches of water a year. It was like a jungle and as we were at the end of our day(there was a dinner we had to be back for at 5:30), we didn't have time to explore it. What we did see was quite lush.It was a great day and there is so much to see that we didn't get the chance to see. HOWEVER, I think the big draw for me on Maui was the beach and the relaxation that it afforded us. I think that this is the first vacation Larry has really spent time on the beach relaxing. It was very nice. And that is how we spent our Saturday was once again on the beach.Sunday was the long flight home. After arriving in Salt Lake, we found that our luggage didn't make it on the Delta flight, as the belt at the Seattle airport had broken and the bags weren't transferred. So much for the end of our dream vacation.
So, Oahu: busy, touristy and crowded; avoid it after you have seen the obligatory sights.
Maui: beautiful, not so crowded and lots of natural beauty to see. I do hope to return there to see all I have missed, especially the whales in the winter.
