Ah Maui. Boy did we enjoy it the way it was meant to be enjoyed today. We woke up late, had breakfast in the room, and headed for the pool, where we lay around some more. The lounge chairs reclined at the perfect angle, the sun was just the perfect amount of hot, and the kiddie pool was just right for Nuha, who if left to herself, would have remained there all day.
All that hard work in the morning required a nap back in our hotel room, after which it was time to get ready for the luau that we tickets to. As with other native traditions in places that depend so much on tourist revenue, the Hawaiian luau has become more of a spectacle that amuses visitors than an accurate depiction of local custom. Despite this, the kid-friendly Polynesian Village luau that we attended was a pleasant experience, one made more so by what came across as genuine hospitality by staff that looked as if they enjoyed what they did for a living. Nuha enjoyed making leis, I got to taste kava juice (which the muscled, bare-chested, islander manning the station promised “was good for my banana”), and Saeeda delighted in seeing me up on stage trying to imitate one of the warrior dances. There were plenty of dances thrown in from neighboring islands – Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand all got a shout out. And the firedance was really neat too.
In all, a great day to relax and cleanse the mind. I’m starting to rethink this whole having to work for a living thing. Why can’t we just live in an island state of mind?
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