Today we had breakfast in bed in our stateroom. We wanted to get plenty to eat as later today we had a Rain forest and waterfall hike planned. We packed our hiking gear, plenty of water, and de-boarded the ship to take the tour bus. Once on the tour bus, the guide told us about the history of Maui, and all about the plants we may see on our hike. On the way we picked up some fresh turkey sandwiches and snacks. We weren’t sure what exactly the hike entailed, but it proved to be an amazing experience.
We deboarded the tour bus, and started our hike. Out tour guide was 50% Hawaiian, and knew all about the plants and what is safe to eat. We stopped to sample some of the fruits we found on our hike, picked fresh right in front of us, such as bananas, pineapples, and tons of others ive never heard of. Our tour guide sliced them up and we all got a sample. My favorite was a small green fruit with red juice and black seeds inside.
Shortly into our hike it started raining! At first we were a bit bummed, but it kept us cool and the swimming to come made it a non issue. We got to our first waterfall and took in the views. We continued our hike, learning more about the land and plants.
The hike was treciourious! Much more than our hike a couple of days earlier. We crossed water ways that were waist high, climbed steep slippery rocks, and had to use rope to get down some of the steep slopes. The second waterfall fell into a 12 foot deep pool of cold water. We stopped there to have out lunch.
A local took a dive off the cliff, and I knew I had to try. I hiked around to the top, and took the plunge. If was about 14 feet high, and reminded me of cliff driving at poison kingdom lake. I then took a second dive, this time doing a front flip! We continued our hike, stopping at a few more waterfalls, and sampling more fruits. Brittany and I both really liked the hike.
We then headed back to the ship, but stopped by a bay to try to spot some turtles. We happened to stumble upon some fishers who were taking a break, getting high in their van. We made it back to the ship, cleaned up, and got ready for the nights entertainment – an eagles coverband concert on the ship. The sound system wasnt the best, but it was a good show. They not only covered the great hits, but gave us a history lesson about the eagles. We never realized joe Walsh joined the eagles, and remade their sound.
We called it a night, as we had to get up early for snorkeling!