So, last I left you we had had a pretty tough day. Following our directive of switching through family members to decide the day's activities, the next day was to be my day. Everyone was kind of doubting my choices as I laid them out - but in the end, they were completely wrong. How could a day centered around eating fabulous local fresh food and wine tasting go wrong?
It can't, really. Unless you get food poisoning from something. Which we didn't.
There was a whole lot of complaining as we set off on our day - David regretting a day not spent in the waves (when did David become such a surfer dude?), the kids thinking my choices were sure to be boring - I have that reputation.
Day 5 was a tour of the Maui Upcountry. We started at the Surfing Goat Dairy. Kind of a questionable choice for the lactose-intolerant, but it turns out, I could indulge (or over-indulge, as the case may be) without too much worry.
We showed up here around lunch time - and it didn't disappoint. We skipped the tour of the dairy in favor of sitting in the wind-shelter made out of surboards and surfing kites and feasted our hearts out on about six types of goat cheese.
And after we gorged ourselves on the cheese sampler, we devoured the hands-down best cheesecake I ever had. Passionfruit-(goat)cheese cake.
Next up was the Ali'i Kula Lavendar Farm. I chose this place for a couple of reasons - (a) I smelled the shampoo in the hotel store and wanted to go to the place that created that fabulousness, and (b) I knew David would die of happiness taking flower photos. The views alone were worth the drive - from this spot you can see the narrow strip of land that joins east and west maui and the ocean all around. Your foreground is littered with fields of fragrant lavender. The bottom gardens are filled with the most other-worldly flowers. What could be better?
This pause in pictures brought to you by Marcel Proust, as quoted on the Ali'i Kula Lavender website:
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
And last but not least, there's me. I have to learn not to smile with such a cheezy smile.
I am a little bit lavender crazy at the moment, although I still don't like to eat it. They had pastries and such with lavender for sale (like chocolate lavender brownies) - and really? I'm not a believer. It's great for shampoo, though. I washed my hair in products from Ali'i Kula the day I left for my last work trip, and I had a whole lot of sensual enjoyment smelling my hair on the plane - because God knows there isn't anything else good to smell and/or do on a plane.
So how do you follow up the lavender farm? With wine tasting, of course! Out on the tip of that spot of land with fantastic views of the coast.
Well, wine tasting in Maui isn't exactly like wine tasting in Sonoma, but if you have an open mind, the flavors are fresh and, at least, intriguing.
The Tedeschi Vineyards offer a few red vintages, but mainly you should go here to try out pineapple wine - because you pretty much won't get it anywhere else. And around the holidays, they have a raspberry wine-like substance that, if you are not totally turned off by sweet alcohol, will knock your socks off.
The kids had a great time on the grounds taking pictures of each other.
And how do you follow up wine tasting? I pretty much fit the definition of glutton fairly well, because my idea of a good time is all day feasting, where I follow wine tasting with gelato indulgence. But seriously, look at this case. It's so gorgeous you pretty much HAVE to eat it.
My choice? - Dairy free dark chocolate gelatto - I'm glad that's not available to me on a daily basis - because I'd pretty much have to give up all other foods in favor of eating only that.
My kids are so silly - they always went for the Hawaii shave ice.
And then? Seriously, I love food. Ahi tuna taquitos at a famous Mexican spot in Pa'ia - followed up by (after a timely call from the police telling me about my husband locking his keys in the car and being stranded) a huge Mai Tai filled with aged rum and a shared Hawaiian specialty fish platter at the world-famous Mama's Fish House.
(David managed to obtain the keys with a visit from the rental car company - and yeah, we made it home)
This will be my farewell to Hawaii, and fittingly, I'll end it with a few rainbow shots. We saw at least one rainbow on every single day we were there. Every freaking day. Go to Hawaii if you ever get the chance!
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