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Vacation Eye

1What was your most memorable vacation? Who were you with? What did you do? How did you get there?

. The truth is that I've been fortunate enough to go on many vacations in my life. I've got a wanderlust a mile wide. I would rather travel than do anything else. I derive energy, enthusiasm, and inspiration from moving through space to the next destination. Observing local flora, fauna, sights, attractions, and experiences are my motivators.

Roadtrips have been my mainstay and my joy but there's nothing quite like flying long distance To land in a new place without the incremental change in climate, topography, flora, or fauna. I've flown into two vacation spots, Alaska and Hawaii. Between the two, vacationing with my husband in Maui is the best.

From the time we disembark the airplane, we know we are on v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n.We left snow, dark, and cold weather behind to emerge in sunshine, warmth, and humidity. .We collect our baggage, pick up our rental car, and hit the road to get to our hotel. We've been blessed with my parents and sister and brother-in-law owning timeshare condominium properties they were willing to share. As a result, we've stayed in Ka'anapali, Kahana, and Kehei at different times. And they've been excellent accomodations with swimming pools, on the beach (or across the street from it), and close to cool stuff.

A big perk on any trip for me is the food. I'm big on sampling local cuisines and eating where the locals eat. This penchant has allowed me to discover places like the Aloha Mixed Plate for reasonable favorites like Kalua Pork,Shoyu chicken, Lau Lau, and Haupia for dessert. I've enjoyed Loco Moco, an odd combination of hamburger patty, rice, egg, topped with brown gravy, an unlikely Hawaiian breakfast. It's quite good! I adore poke' and the best is not at a fancy, expensive restaurant. It's in the back of of a grocery in Kehei. I've chowed down on fresh Ahi Poke' for breakfast more than once.

One of my best vacation breakfast meals was Bananas Foster Pancakes with Coconut Syrup at the Kula Lodge near Haleakala National Park. Incredible! Of course, some of the best banana ever is on the road to Hana. Hawaiian Shaved Ice is awesome and should not be considered a snow cone. Had I known I'd eaten at least one a day. Regrettably, I discovered this truth on the last day of my last visit to Hawaii.
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Location: Seattle, WA 98112, USA

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