Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

We had a morning flight from Kona to Maui, where we picked up our rental car from Enterprise.

First stop was the Maui Ocean Center. They have a great 3d movie all about the humpback whales that migrate to the area in the winter.

I originally booked an Airbnb in Lahaina, but for some reason it was cancelled. I did a quick search and discovered the Days Inn on the ocean on South Kihei Road. The reviews kept harping on the small size of the rooms. It is an older hotel, but I loved it. Other hotels along that stretch were over $1,000 per night. At $400 per night, our little room was a bargain! We went swimming in the ocean, and then sat on the grassy area. That’s when I started seeing movement on the ocean in the distance. Whales! Lots and lots of whales. They were breaching, slapping their fins, sliding their tail into the water. One whale kept thrusting his tail into the air and flopping it over into the water. I counted him doing this 7 times in a row. The humpback whales live and feed in the waters off Alaska. In the winter, those who are interested travel to Hawaii to mate. The gestational period is just under a year, and the females return to Hawaii to give birth (and some return to Alaska pregnant again). I cannot imagine having a 2,000 pound baby!

For dinner we drove about a mile to Coconuts, on the 2nd floor of a strip mall. Their fish tacos were amazing, including mango and wasabi. Every Wednesday night there is a bicycle parade. Fun lights and music.