So when your parents invite you on vacation you say yes, always... unless for some reason you REALLY can't get out of work, school, or have some serious life complication or situation you're dealing with. Because when parents take you, you don't have to constantly calculate if what you're about to do will fit in your budget... and they love you unconditionally and are actually really fun to hangout with (my parents are at least). I know I know, I got pretty lucky!
This winter break, Zach had a longer break from graduate school than usual so we went to Maui in the third week of January to avoid the peak times. To be honest, I can't remember the names of half the places we went to because most have super Hawaiian names that I can't even pronounce haha.. but I will do my best to recall!
One of the big highlights was the Road to Hana. I do not recommend this drive if you get squeamish about dangerous roads, heights, or rocky cliffs, however it was really beautiful. There are multiple waterfalls, black sand beaches, scenic landscape you would see in Jurassic Park, and gorgeous coastline. Perhaps one of the best stops on the Road to Hana is Coconut Glen's, non-dairy coconut based ice cream aka a vegan's dream. Side note: before I went vegan my favorite ice cream was peppermint (no, not mint chocolate chip - the REAL seasonal peppermint), and I have never been able to find vegan peppermint ice cream before... until COCONUT GLEN'S! Not going to lie, I got seconds it was so good. No shame people.. No shame. They had other great flavors too and awesome coconut candy (and I'm not even a big coconut fan).
Another big highlight to the trip was scuba diving Lanai with my dad with Extended Horizons. We saw dolphins twice above water and once while diving and I was freaking out.. they're my fave animals along with small dogs! We saw multiple whales on the boat too. The place we dove is called Cathedral 1 because of its underwater tavern-like formation. It was probably the coolest spot I've ever dove. Also, the dive staff and captain were awesome and so informative!
We spend a lot of time on different beaches, went to different hotels during the day, visited the Nakalele Blowhole, and went on a whale watching booze cruise. The cruise was on a catamaran called SeaMaui and was such a blast. We had a lot of whale sightings, got a little buzzed, and noshed on some food.. not too shabby.
Overall it was a wonderful trip with my parents and boyfriend, Zach. Until next time Hawaii!
