Maui 2014

Watercolor sketches of my recent trip to Maui

It was raining on the day of our arrival. It rained for the next 4 days.  

But I didn't care one bit - I was so happy to be in Hawaii. Everything looked beautiful.

Even the airplane was beautiful. Pink and purple. My niece really loved it!

My first Maui sunset looked like this, driving away from the airport. The island of Lanai is visible on the horizon. The top of the island is hidden by clouds and the base seemed to be glowing. Colors were erupting everywhere. 

As we drove closer to our hotel, the island of Molokai came into view. It was a very new experience to be in an environment where you are surrounded by dormant volcanos. Like some sort of tropical moon. Maui itself is made up of two volcanoes connected by a land bridge.

The sunsets are some of the most beautiful I've seen in a long time, 

and I saw complete rainbows almost everyday. I saw this one from the parking lot of the aquarium.

So although it rained most days, the skies would clear up by afternoon. This was our view while having lunch overlooking the pier. The winds were strong. The valley in between Maui's two volcanoes creates a sort of wind tunnel - if you ever visit, bring a hat with secure straps. 

Driving by sugarcane fields...

Luau 

(you gotta do at least one - how can you not? :-) I liked this one as it was different from shows I've seen in the past. There was one number where a dancer covered in green foliage danced a sort of fast ballet, while singing and responding to a gourd drummer/chanter. It was mesmerizing.  

This scene is from a hike in the Iao valley. These mountains war formed by volcanic activity, like all land formations of Hawaii - they are basically the result of volcanoes shooting up through the ocean.

And the land is very lush - a combination of the fertile volcanic soil and abundant rains.