December 04, 2008
Red Sand Beach Take (3)
Since this is my third time in Hana, my third time down the Hana Highway, my third time in Maui, and, of course, my third time in Hawaii I made a third pilgrimage across the field, past the overgrown Japanese cemetery, down the steep path, past the dead grey seal (more to come on this) to Red Sand Beach (or Kaihalulu Beach). It remains as amazing as ever and it remains the prettiest beach I’ve seen. Not a bad rating since I’ve also been to “The Beach” of Thailand, Alex Garland book, and Leonardo DiCaprio movie fame. The steep red cliffs, the jagged volcanic rock, and the brilliant blue waters make it a stunning spot in and already stunning place on the map (Hana that is).
So, regarding the dead grey seal… While Red Sand Beach is a nudist beach, the only naked sunbather was a big grey seal. The seal lounged seemingly lifeless on the beach with only an occasional stare and grunt preventing us from calling Green Peace. I think the seal was probably fine, just lazy. Hopefully it wasn’t dying; this would be a much less pleasant story if that were the case. Anyway, despite the dead seal I did have a nice refreshing dip in the ocean and a climb on the jagged out crops near the entrance to the cove. Super cool! Then it was back up the cliff to the resort.
The remainder of the day was continued uneventfulness. Lunch at the bar, a snooze under the ceiling fan, and dinner in the same bar. We decided to skip the (likely expensive) chef’s table and it’s almost certain pretension. The bar was v. nice with its cool ocean breeze and Hawaiian entertainment.
Today we head back to civilization and $10 drinks in Kaanapili. Instead of heading back on the Hana Highway we are continuing on around the back side via the Piilani Highway (assuming it is open). The Piilani Highway is a remote stretch of road that was closed for a few years thanks to a 2006 earthquake that knocked out a bridge or two. We’re told it is again open, but we also heard it may be closed for maintenance or something. We’ll see…
Well, enough for now. The road is calling… OK, not really, but that sounds better than the dryer is finishing up (since I’m washing clothes). Aloha again!
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