Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Molokai


With a three day holiday weekend approaching and both of us desperately needing to scratch our travel itch we booked a puddle jumper to one of Maui's neighboring islands, Molokai. Zach found a couple of lodging options on AirBnB and sent an email that said, "what do you think honey, this condo or this rustic and reasonably priced sailboat?" Sleep on a boat?! Yes,please!


That little board that Zach is walking on in the image below was our entrance and exit to the boat. No casualties, thankfully.


Flowers on the table care of Dusty who rented us the van. Nobody wants to live on a stinky sailboat.


We rented a van from a local guy, Dusty from Mo Bettah Car Rentals. We were talking story with him and I brought up Eddie Vedder (the frontman of Pearl Jam, duh) and how he owns a house on Molokai. Dusty nonchalantly says, "oh yea, Eddie, I've jammed with him before." Did he see my eyes bulging out of their sockets after he said that?! Probably not, he is just that chilllll. I think it takes a lot for anyone on Molokai to get riled up. It definitely is a relaxed, zen kind of island. Our first stop with the newly acquired rental was papohaku beach on the west side of the island. Pictured below are a few hitchers (legal in Hawaii, you rule followers) and their pups we picked up on the way. I've got a personal project I'm working on so check back to learn more about these humans :).


Now, that beach. I have to say it was one of the most picturesque beaches I've ever seen. Pure white sand for three miles, aqua blue water, and completely deserted! These photos were taken on the 4th of July - nobody on the beach!!! We ran into was a couple from Oahu and exchanged a brief "holy shit, there is nobody here, this is craziness" sentence. Then the guy ran back into the ocean to look for more shells in the surf. It was pretty fantastic.


There is an old, vacated Shereton on one side of the beach that hasn't been in business since 2004. While I was snapping some pics Zach got stung by a bee and I took that as our cue to get the heck out of there - the ghost hotel was giving the creepy vibe for sure!


The rest of our time was spent taking leisurely drives, short hikes, swimming, and taking in the relaxing energy. Molokai is definitely a nice respite from our tourist driven island. With the majority of the people living on Molokai hunting, fishing, and essentially just 'living off the land' the feeling there is like nothing else I've felt. We will be back to get away from it all again.


Morning light on the bow

5 comments:

  1. Danielle you pictures are amazing. Love and miss you my friend.

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  2. Your pictures and commentary transport us. We find ourselves awed, calmed, surprised and smiling!

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  3. Wow looks awesome! Only wonder, how did you survive with such small luggage?

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  4. Beautiful experience and pictures. I think we stayed at the tent cabins of the deserted Sheraton ( not Westin) that were just off that gorgeous deserted beach. Perhaps less than a year before it closed. I think any outside commercial businesses have had difficulty with sustainability.

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  5. I've always wanted to go to a place where the palm trees sway!

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