A Maui Experience – For Better or Worse

We recently took our 2nd trip to Maui Hawaii. It was June of 2009. We decided to go to celebrate my birthday and my wife’s upcoming birthday. We originally came up with the idea because our friends were going and we decided it would be fun to go as well. We had been to Maui before, a couple years before to get married and we really enjoyed it.

We spent a lot of time on this trip revisiting some of the places that we had enjoyed and also checking out some new places. We are a lot of good food and hung out with our friends. We also visited a place called Molokini. Molokini is a partially sunken volcano that has an abundance of life on and around it. You can go on snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing trips to Molokini. We decided that it would be fun to go scuba diving there.

My wife gets motion sick, so it’s hard for her to go on planes, boats and sometimes cars. She took some Dramamine ahead of time to hopefully prevent any nauseous feelings. We got to the launch point near the beach, got on a boat and headed for Molokini. The ride out there was very bumpy and it soon became too much for my wife. She endured until we reached our destination and then the waters calmed down so she felt better.

We got our gear on and started snorkeling right near the base of Molokini. The waves were calm since we were in between Molokini and Maui so it was really nice. The fist and other sea life we saw was amazing. It was a lot of fun. We snorkeled around there a bit until the people leading the excursion decided we would have some snacks on the boat and head out to see some sea turtles.

We headed out to the spot where the sea turtles hang out, but it was in the middle of the ocean, so it was very choppy and the boat was bouncing all over. My wife was not feeling well again. We jumped into the water anyway and headed towards the group of people looking at the sea turtles. We swam out into the water and I noticed that my snorkeling gear was not staying attached to my head very well. The suction was being lost and I would get sea water in my mouth. This started to bother me a bit. I also didn’t have a life jacket on, so I had to keep myself afloat by swimming and treading water.

While this was going on, my wife had enough and started swimming back to the boat because she felt sick. I was having major equipment trouble and was swallowing too much ocean water, so I headed back as well. I became very tired, very fast and was pushing myself hard to make it back to the boat. I was pretty far out from the boat and all by myself, as my wife was way ahead of me. I started to panic a bit and I was too far out to call for help. I struggled to make it back to the boat, using every ounce of energy I had and then some. With my last bit of energy I barely made it back to the boat.

While I was hanging onto the ladder, feeling like my lungs were on fire, almost having drowned, my wife started vomiting in the water from her motion sickness. The fish thought it was feeding time and hundreds of them swarmed us. It was gross, amazing and cool all at the same time. The boat ride back was very bad for my wife. She threw up over the side many times while all the other people stared at us. We eventually made it back.

It’s pretty obvious that this was the worst part of the trip. It dampened that day a bit, but overall we love Maui and would go back whenever we can. We will probably stay out of boats from now on, since I almost drowned and my wife fed the fish while throwing up.

Robert – About the Author:

Jesus has operated a popular Ezine for the last 2.5 years and it’s popularity has risen signifigantly. He writes many articles on a daily basis about things he is passionate about. He specializes in internet marketing but you can check out his recent site where he writes about is a dui a felony and also about dui under 21.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/a-maui-experience-for-better-or-worse-2951973.html

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Maui – A Perfect Destination

Our first trip to Maui, Hawaii was for our wedding. We flew in from Portland Oregon and it took just about 6 hours. The plane was a really big one a row on each side of the plane with 3 seats and a row in the middle with 2 seats. We brought along a lot of stuff, including my wife’s wedding dress, which we had to put in a small closet near the front of the plane.

We were very excited to get to Maui, since it was our first time to Hawaii. Once we got off of the plane and out of the terminal, the humidity hit us in the face like a brick wall. It wasn’t exactly hot like the sun was shining on you, but the humidity was much more then we were used to. It took some time to get used to, but once we did, it wasn’t too bad.

We stayed in a really nice hotel right on the beach in Lahaina. Our room had an amazing view of the beach and ocean. We were planning on spending an entire week and a half in Maui. We had my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, my cousin, my wife’s parents and their spouses and my wife’s aunts and uncle. It was very nice to have our family there. We wanted to have a small wedding, as my wife and I are both not a fan of big crowds. It was definitely the right thing to do as it was a blast.

We had to get our marriage license while in Maui. We went to the office but no one ever showed up. Luckily, another couple was there waiting with us and they found another office that was open. We drove over and filled everything out, making it just in time.

We had a lot of fun while in Maui. We visited Haleakala, which is the volcano on the island. We also went ATVing and para sailing for the first time. We went to a magic show that was supposed to be very good. It was pretty good, but while eating dinner and waiting for it to start, I was put on the spot. The so called waiter made me sing “That’s Amore” in front of a whole group of people. I was very embarrassed and somewhat upset.

We were married on the beach, with a traditional Hawaiian minister while music was played on a tiny guitar. It was great weather, with great scenery in a beautiful place. We both got a little nervous and my wife even started to cry a little. It was mostly from having our family all watching us while we got married. We get embarrassed easily so it was a bit tough. Other then that, we had a ton of photos taken and it was awesome.

We had a big lunch on a golf course and had a great time. After all of this was over, all of the family flew home and we went to start in a small place by the ocean. It was in the town of Haiku and it was very private. It was on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was amazing. If you ever decide to get married in a tropical location, I highly recommend Maui. We’ve been back several times and it’s amazing.

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Lomi Lomi School Of Massage Therapy In Maui, Hawaii

Lomi Lomi, meaning “loving hands,” is a Hawaiian form of massage, which espouses that a belief that a Lomi Lomi experience is not just for physical healing, but for emotional, mental, and spiritual healing as well. This is a type of massage that has been practiced in Hawaii for centuries already, tracing its roots to the ancient Polynesians. They believed in the philosophy called “Huna,” which says that everything in the world “seeks harmony and love.” And thus, this is the reason why Lomi Lomi could only be effective only when it is performed with “loving hands,” and thus explains the reason why Lomi Lomi is called the “loving hands massage.”

Practitioners of the said massage use very large, broad, and flowing movements, usually by way of both forearms and elbows. This technique covers a wide area of the body. Most of the massage movements are focused on the muscles with the pursuit to promote the continuous flow of energy, as well as harmony, the deletion of harmful thoughts, and adverse behavior. This is because Lomi Lomi believes that if positive energy is prevalent in the body, overall healing is achieved.

Lomi Lomi is greeted with a strong demand not only because of the relaxation that comes with the massage movements, but also because of the positive vibes the patient or the customer gets from the experience. Believing that one’s relationship with the body is the most intimate one, Lomi Lomi likewise believes that the only way to be completely healed is not to reach from the inside out, but to reach inside and go back to basics.

Not many people can administer the Lomi Lomi type of massage. Because it is a very structured, if not specific, technique, proper training must be obtained in order for any practictioner to perform the massage correctly. Many serious massage therapists aiming to be well-versed with the Lomi Lomi way do not take chances in learning the craft. They don’t just rely in trials and errors and on-the-job-trainings for Lomi Lomi. Every serious massage therapist knows that to be truly effective in your craft, you need the proper education for it. Thus, they attend schools and colleges that offer Lomi Lomi massage courses.

Many Lomi Lomi schools of massage theraphy abound in the country, particularly in Hawaii. A training course usually takes 40 hours to complete and every school offering Lomi Lomi massage therapy have training in different days of the week. So, you have a chance to pick out the schedule that best fits your current one. Once the course is completed, all graduates are awarded with a certification or a diploma. So if your planning to learn that uniquely Hawaiian healing technique that is Lomi Lomi, take time to check out or better yet, visit a Lomi Lomi school of massage therapy.

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The Island Of Maui – Hawaii At Its Best

Vacationing on the Hawaiian island of Maui is actually vacationing in two distinct biospheres.  The western part of Maui contains a mountainous area including 5788-foot high Pu’u Kuku, deep canyons where rainbows seem to grow like wild vines, and the highly developed leeward beaches skirting the town of Lahaina.

Maui’s much larger eastern area, known as Haleakala, contains a 10,023-foot high active volcano, desert areas border on an enormous rain forest, and Maui’s famous South Shore, one of the most beautiful beach resort areas on Earth.  Mali’s two landmasses are divided by central Maui, the location Kahului Airport.  The depression which is central Maui is responsible for the island’s nickname of the Valley Isle.

Maui’s remarkably diverse landscape is what makes it an all-in-one vacation Paradise.  Visitors to Maui can indulge themselves in pastimes ranging from hikes along tortured volcanic landscapes and snorkeling in calm waters as brilliant tropical fish dart about beneath them.  Maui also offers world-class shopping and dining, Hawaii’s first sugar plantation and old resort, and villages in which the ancient Hawaiian culture mingled easily with the 21st century.

Driving along Maui’s busy roads will take you past ancient “heaiu,” stone platforms once used in ceremonies of worship.  You will see the smoke stacks of abandoned sugar mills, and broadcast networks housed in the same brick structures which once sheltered missionaries.  A visit to the town of Lahaina will introduce you to Hawaii’s whaling past at the Whaling Museum, but it will also offer you the opportunity to attend a surf school and try your luck at hanging ten.  If you want to leave Hawaii having experienced an authentic luau, and not the touristy versions offered at most wired resorts, the Old  Lahaina Luau is the place to do it.

One of the most famous roads in the Hawaiian islands is Maui’s Road to Hana.  Its one lane bridges and frighteningly turns are legendary, but no more so than its use of waterfalls and thickly forested gullies plummeting down to the coastlines.  Driving the 55 miles of the Road to Hana will let you experience Maui at its pristine best, and the nerve-wracking part of the journey will be broken up with your frequent stops to leave your vehicle for photo opportunities.  You will pass countless roadside stands selling fresh fruit and flowers, available at bargain basement prices.  To patronize these stands is to contribute significantly to the local economy.

If you decide to travel the road to Hana, consider renting a 4-wheel drive vehicle because of the options it will give you.  When you arrive in Hana, having 4-wheel drive will let you keep going until you reach the Ohe’o Gulch.  Known for its seven mountain stream-fed pools, Ohe’o Gulch is a great place to park and enjoy a refreshing swim.  In a secluded area off the road about a mile past the Ohe’o Gulch is the final resting place of Charles A. Lindbergh.

Even without four-wheel-drive, however, you can cool off in the waters off Hamoa Beach, just two miles outside of Hana. 

The waters off Maui are the winter home of more than half of the Pacific Ocean’s humpback whale population.  After spending their summer is a rich feeding grounds of  the Arctic, the whales migrate south to the warmth of Hawaiian waters to breed and give birth.  Between the months of November and April, whale watching opportunities abound on Maui.  Whale watching cruises are allowed to come within 100 yards of these remarkable creatures.  You can also view the magnificent humpbacks atop MacGregor Point Lookout or while perched on the sands at the northern end of Keawakapu beach.

Mali is not an island which will reveal all its treasures in a single visit.  It is rain forests and volcanoes merit separate visits of their own, so when you plan your first trip to Maui, do not try squeeze in more than you can properly enjoy!

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Traditional Lomilomi Healing Session in Maui, Hawaii

The Kahuna lomilomi were priests who practiced the healing arts with much reverence, love and spirituality. They believed that physical discomfort and disease were the results of suppressed emotions, mental disturbances or spiritual disharmony.

The traditional lomilomi healing session began with a thorough investigation into the nature of the dysfunction, as well as prayer, fasting and several sessions in the steam hut. Once the malady was identified, the treatment would often begin with heated stones and herbal poultices. Then the Kahuna would massage and use particular lomilomi strokes necessary for that individual.

One of the common similarities among lomilomi practitioners of old was the power and knowledge they had. That is, their ability to communicate deep to the bones of their patients via their touch through soft tissues, yet being noninvasive and connecting it all with spirit, says Maka’ala Yates, a Hawaiian medicine specialist.

The lomilomi technique focused on finding congested areas in the body and dispersing them, by moving the palms, thumbs, knuckles and forearms in rhythmic, dance-like motions. Setting the intention for healing, the Kahuna would also utilize prayer (pule), breath (ha) and energy (mana). The practice of lomilomi was common within each Hawaiian community and contributed to a vibrant, healthy society.

Early visitors to Hawaii noticed and commented on this healing art. In 1803 Archibald Menzies wrote, “A number of natives placed themselves around us to lomilomi and pinch our limbs, an operation which we found on these occasions, very lulling and pleasing when gently performed.” In 1819 a Mr. Frecient wrote, “Two females about 40 years old knelt down on each side of me and squeezed and rubbed my limbs with all their might.

All the parts of the body were pressed between the hands, going from the arms to the legs and from the thighs to the shoulders. Here it is employed as a means of making people sleepy.”

In the 1820′s early missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands found the native healers to be accurate in their diagnosis and treatment of illness, and in mending broken bones. They considered the Hawaiians to be heathens, however, and in 1893, after years of political upheaval, the new government outlawed all spiritual traditions, including healing arts, the study of the Hawaiian language, and hula dancing.

But the sacred traditions did not die; they were hidden and practiced in secrecy, passed down only within the Hawaiian community (ohana), through “iki maka lihilihi a maka alawa”, which means to do by observation and insight.

“It is correct to say that lomilomi encompasses a massage, but it is not limited to it. Native Hawaiians say the true definition of lomilomi is reconnecting with spirit.”

The tradition of “iki maka lihilihi a maka alawa” was noted in a Board of Health report in 1896 by Charles Peterson, M.D., who wrote, “The practice of Kahunas (sic) in this district is, I am confident, quietly carried on. The Hawaiians will not expose them, and investigation only elicits falsehoods and assertions of ignorance. Nearly every group has its family Kahuna, and Honolulu furnishes the shrewder ones upon occasion.

I have frequently met with the evidence of the presence of these mystery workers, and in the circle about the sick bed, easily noted the one with the power. However under no inducement will they give any knowledge of the proximity of any such. The belief in the power of the Kahuna, although denied, is shared in, I am positive, by all classes of Hawaiians, some whites, even. I am assured they are allowing their ministrations in their families. The Hawaiian will assent to anything proposed by the foreigner, and at the same time continue his belief in his Kahuna and his ancient gods.”

It wasn’t until the 1970′s that the laws were changed and Hawaiians were free to pursue their native heritage and spiritual traditions, without fear of punishment. This freedom rekindled a flame in the heart of many native people, and led to a resurgence of interest in their cultural heritage.

Hawaiian elders were sought out and questioned about their knowledge, and grass-roots organizations sprang up around them. In 1973, Auntie Margaret Machado, a respected kupuna (elder) from the Big Island, decided to share her family’s knowledge by teaching it to anyone who had a sincere desire to learn, Hawaiian or not. She felt is was time for the ancient healing gift of lomilomi to be felt throughout the world.

While Auntie Margaret was criticized by many in the Hawaiian community for revealing the secrets of lomilomi, it was through her efforts that lomilomi was brought to the forefront of a resurgence of interest in native Hawaiian healing.