Maui

{moszoomimglink:A stream falling into a pool}Maui-no-ka-oi, Maui is the best! That’s the motto of the island, and funny enough, it seems consistently not to be true. Maui is always second best at whatever it is good. It is the second-largest island; it is the second densest in population; it is the second highest; it is the second most urban; it has the second-best nightlife and the second best shopping; nature is second best, as is the diversity of the people.

{moszoomimglink:Coastline on the way to Hana}Overall, though, Maui could be the best. Its free-wheeling spirit makes it more Fun than the other islands, and its natural attractions are close to human life and concentration. Kilauea beats Haleakala any time as a volcano, and the famous Road to Hana can’t beat the Na Pali coast on Kauai – but you can’t actually see Kilauea and Na Pali on one day.

{moszoomimglink:Just another marvelous lava cape}Maui is probably the best spot if you are an all-around person that loves to have fun. You can go and have breakfast in Lahaina and stroll around shops (not my favorite thing to do, but it may suit you), then leave to tour the West Maui side and see the Blowhole and Kahakuloa. Or you can skinny-dip at Little Beach, body-surf at Big Beach and finally snorkel like the champions in the Aquarium, which you’ll have to reach through a vast lava field hike. How about the famous Road to Hana? You drive for hours and hours behind mooning tourists from Ohio and elderly Californian widows, but you see tropical forests and waterfalls as you’ll never see them again in your life.

{moszoomimglink:12-26 Streaks of colored sands merge at the bottom}Whale watching anyone? Dolphin hopping? Turtle seeing? Sunset cruises, parasailing, and even a decent meal or a fun dance bar in Kihei, that’s all included in a vacation to Maui. And if Haleakala is four thousand feet shorter than Mauna Kea — who cares, it is mountain enough for all of us, and the hike through the crater (which you can’t do on Big Island) is one of the more mystical experiences you can get.

{moszoomimglink:La – a sliver, really, if you look right}A few words of warning: the bicycle cruises from the top of the volcano are really only for people who don’t like biking. For those who do, the whole affair is immensely boring and marred by the fact that you start at 40F and end at 90F. And when you go to see the sunrise from the top of the volcano, hope that some handsome boy from Minnesota proposes to his charmingly curvvy high-school sweetheart when the sun comes up. It makes the wait and the freezing temperatures worth it.

Oh, and since it’s about me: biking on Maui is fun!