Our day started with a wake up time almost the same as during the work week.  We got to the airport with plenty of time and the flight was uneventful.  The most painful part was getting our rental car.  It took longer to do this than to actually purchase L”s car.  In the end, we had our car and were ready for our week on Maui.

maui016From our pre-planning, we had identified ‘Iao Valley as a good stop on our way to the hotel.  It began to rain, but was manageable (unlike home, it’s warm, so getting wet is not nearly as unpleasant).  We explore all of the very short trails.  The main point of interest is the giant phallic rock.  It’s misting out, so we make a note to return if we have time and the weather improves.

With less hiking than anticipated, we have some spare time.  We take in the bonus stop of the sugar museum.  Sugar was the primary economic engine until tourism surpassed it after the advent of the jet airplane. The museum was small, but interesting.  The sugar crop workers had what we would consider a nightmare work schedule: five days off a month and a ten hour work day.  No wonder they were worried about a worker strike.  Not surprisingly, they had to bring in a foreign work force to fulfill the labor needs. Just goes to show that exploiting cheap foreign labor is hardly a new phenomenon.

Finishing the museum right as it was closing, we head to the hotel.  After cleaning up, we go for dinner which is quite good.  We then pick up food for breakfast and snacks and return to the hotel.  Tomorrow is a full day adventure as we take the road to Hana.

View all the trip photos here:

http://sanjoseabrams.com/photos/MauiDecember2010/