Maui is by far the most gorgeous place that I have ever visited in my life. Although I have only been there three times, it has always left a lasting mark of breathtaking beauty and humility. The weather, the spectacular ocean and nature, and simply just being a part of the Hawaiian atmosphere has made Maui my favorite spot to visit.
The weather at Maui is l
ike
no other place I have ever witnessed. It’s like constantly being in a
rain forest that is always green and surrounded by cool humidity. One of the
most interesting things in Maui is that light rain will fall, many times without
forewarning and even when the sky is cloudless and in the 90s. It will rain
just for a moment, just enough to make everything a little damp and refreshed
and then abruptly stop, and the sky will once again be filled with sun. The
joyous thing about these rains is that instead of making me feel cold and wet,
they simply refresh me as they are mostly warm. Maui also has many small warm
tropical breezes that blow through the palm trees and rustle the sand. I remember
one time I was at a beach called Kapalua, and my family and I were lying on
the beach, relaxing after a swim, and a tropical breeze started to blow. Instead
of feeling cold, it felt wonderful, as if the wind wanted to dry us off. I always enjoy Maui’s weather because it’s the kind that I don’t have to worry about being cloudy, cold, or unpredictable. I always tell my friends that the weather in Maui is twice as nice as California, but many who haven’t visited the Hawaiian Islands don’t believe me. I love this change of weather from my hometown because I can enjoy so many more things, such as swim without wetsuits in the ocean.
Another great thing about Maui is that everywhere I looked, I saw beautiful sights. There are so many magnificent tropical plants that I don’t see in California. Everywhere I went, I saw vividly colored flowers with combinations of red, orange, pink, blue, purple, and yellow. Beautiful flowers like hibiscus, birds of paradise, and white gardenias were seen everywhere, sometimes even in the hair of young girls. I remember particularly the heavenly scented gardenias, for they had a smell like none other. It was as if a high priced perfume was packed into its tiny petals waiting patiently on swaying trees to be smelled.
The splendor doesn’t stop at the flowers; during one visit my family and I visited Hana, the home of the Twin Falls, which are breathtaking. These waterfalls start at the top of a large cliff, which is coated with tropical green foliage and speckled with Hawaiian flowers. As these two separate falls race down the cliff, they suddenly join and fall into a lake of shining colors. It is so peaceful, just sitting there and listening to the plunge of water and the cool mist pushing against my face. It is so hard to explain to others the serenity I felt while I sat under those falls; I felt so lucky and calm.
Another beautiful sight is the burning sunsets that light the whole sky on fire. As the sun sinks into the horizon, colors of red, orange, pink, and yellow dance together in the fading light. I remember when we were at our friend’s condo on Napili Bay, we watched as the sun sank and the palm trees become silhouetted paintings against the tremendous sky. Just sitting with my family and friends made me think of how blessed we were to be a part of and experience nature and its wonders. I finally understood the true meaning of beauty and why Maui was loved so much.
One of my favorite things to do in Maui is snorkel. I love actually being able to swim with the fish, sea turtles, and even dolphins. When I’m on Maui, I love to go snorkeling and see the tremendous fish like pufferfish, needlefish, butterflyfish, and trumpetfish. I always bring an underwater camera to take pictures of the all the varieties of fish. I always get awesome pictures of the fish, develop them at home and then put them in my photo album. Sometimes I see giant sea turtles that swim right next to me and sometimes even let me touch them. They are very fascinating things because of how they look and adapt in the ocean. The older ones usually have spots on their shell and are so big that I can hold onto one and a take a ride on it.
I remember one time I was bored resting on the beach and decided to put on my snorkel mask, take my camera and just explore the waters. I was looking at the fish, and all of a sudden I saw a sea turtle swim right under me! I tried to catch a ride on him, but he was too fast, to my disappointment. If I would have put on my fins, I probably would have been able to catch him and ride him. I still got a great picture of him though, so I was happy. Sometimes I swam next to dolphins that were really friendly and came up to me and let me touch them. It is plain to see that I love the ocean in Maui more than anywhere else on earth. So many interesting creatures and fascinating fish surround me even when I am close to shore; this experience is something that is genuine and can’t be found anywhere else.
Maui is a place where I really got a sense of the beauty of nature and began to appreciate it a lot more. I am blessed to have found a place like Maui to explore and experience because it showed me just how vast and interesting our world actually is. Maui will always have a special place in my heart and my experiences there will never be forgotten.