Maui, Hawaii, Jun.17, 2011
Haleakala, Lahaina and the Sugar Cane train
My parents and I woke up and got on a van at the hotel to the airport early in the morning to catch a flight to Maui. My parents have visited the island before. It was the first time for me to visit Maui. I am so exited like a kid on a field trip at school. We hit Maui by 8 o’clock and got on the operator’s bus and headed for Haleakala, the highest mountain with its elevation of 3,055 meters. I saw the clouds stretched below us and we were simply astounded by the views of the crater in front of us. It was like we were watching views of the Mars in person. It was very windy and cold like winter. I never thought we would experience this in June in Hawaii. It was hot at the town and we were wearing a T-shirt just 30 minutes before we came here. We put just a window breaker. That was not enough to keep warm. We took refuge to the visitor’s center and decided to kill time there until the departure time to come.
Maui is the place the biggest war between the Maui and the Island of Hawaii was fought. We visited a deep valley of Iao after lunch, where the war was broke in 1790. It is now a calm and peaceful place with green and clean water. No one cannot image the war was once fought there. We moved to Lahaina, where whale catching boards used for refueling in the 1800’s. We spent about an hour at the streets of Lahaina. The streets are full of visitors like us. They are enjoying themselves shopping or just walking in the historic place.
We rode a Sugar Cane Train, a 10km, 40minute trip in a open air couch from Lahaina to Kaanapali. The line was originally used to haul sugarcane from the sugarcane plantations in the island. However, Trucks replaced the railroads. The railway has been used as a tourist attraction since 1969. We enjoyed the ride in a open air couch feeling dry breeze. We enjoyed Maui immensely though it was a short day trip.