A Little Free-er

Both Mark and I, but especially Mark, woke up yesterday morning with a bit of gastrointestinal upset.  We suspect the Poke.

But, after a later than usual start, we still set off for the beach, though we didn't do any of our "usual" morning routines, i.e., yoga, paddleball, Mark's swimming, etc. We just sat on the beach and read. I wrote a little and dozed.

By late morning, Mark turned to me and said, "I'm on the verge of feeling bored." We talked about what to do. Mark said he'd like for me to see more of the island. We went back and forth, discussing various options, but just the act of trying to make a decision seemed exhaustive and simply beyond us. We were tired. Finally, we decided to go to Pa'ia and up the road to Hana.

My guidebook describes Pa'ia as follows:

"The town has accomplished something few Hawai'i towns can claim:  It has become an attraction without any attractions other than itself.  No great views, no waterfalls, no scenery, no big institutions like an aquarium.  Pai'ia's sights lie in its character - and characters.  The odd and bizarre add color to Pai'ia like no other Maui town.  An example - one morning we saw the following:  A guy with a feather stuck in the top of his head (not his hat), a 90-year-old couple on a Harley (she was driving), a woman whose entire body was covered with tattoos, one gentleman with more dirt in his dreadlocks than a medium-sized canefield, a guy have a serious argument with himself (and losing), and a man in a hard hat carrying a full-sized cross ... Welcome to Pa'ia, where it still is the Age of Aquarius ..."

This was a pretty apt description of what we experienced there, though the most "unusual" sight we encountered was a older middle-aged Hawaiian man walking at the side of a highway carrying a two-foot cross.  We later passed him on the sidewalk in Pa'ia, where he appeared to be blessing people as he walked by, cupping his hand over his mouth as he did so.  Who knows, however, maybe he was making rude comments about the way people did their hair.

We first stopped just outside Pa'ia at Ho'okipa Lookout, the view from which is pictured above.  Returning to my guide book, it states:

"[It] is a perfect place to watch the surf ... Breakers can pound with such ferocity in the winter that it makes the ground tremble.  Much of the year, expert windsurfers ride the waves ... often streaking faster than the wind, and it's quite a sight to see.  Wind is so predictable here that it's considered the single best beach in the United States to windsurf."

Back in Pa'ia, we found a place to park right on the main drag and went browsing in some shops.  Still feeling a little draggy, we stopped at Cafe Mambo for iced coffee (three shots) and a side of fries.

It was just what the doctor ordered.  Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, we went down the street where we saw a sign for a hemp store.  The photo op was irresistible.  But then we decided to go in and have a look around, and we ended up buying "his and his" hemp bracelets in our favorite color.

We left Pa'ia feeling happy, lighter and ready for the rest of the day, which would involve returning to the beach - which I'll write about later.  As we drove out of town, I was thinking about how far I've come since making the decision to come out 18 months ago, and indeed within the last six months.  I thought about old ways of seeing myself, of knowing myself, and I turned to Mark and said, "You know, each day, I feel a little bit free-er."