Getting to Maui during Covid

 Aloha!

If you follow my blog, you might know that I write blogs from Maui every year when I visit.

Last year was a pass because the week I was to fly, we got the Stay At Home order and I took that to heart, being  a rule follower and a good citizen.

I had a free ticket to use before June so as soon as I was vaccinated and past the 2 week mark, I booked the flight and told my best friend Lynn to expect a visitor. She's been on furlough from her hotel job and gardening for a year and boy does her yard reflect the 380 days she's spent there! Yowza. And like loads of us, her little poi rescue dog has gotten so needy and clingy!

To enter Hawaii these days, you need a negative COVID test done 72 hours before departure. That's 3 days for anyone  math challenged. If you want to get your test done at the airport, it's about $150. If you want to have the test done at your neighborhood lab, unless your doctor specifies you have symptoms, it's out of pocket for that same amount (in WA state.)

However, Walgreens does drive through testing for free and even though it took a few days to book an appointment in a town an hour away, I pulled up to the drive through on Sunday, was given a swab thing to do my own test,5 swirls inside my nostril, then sent my swab back through the chute and had negative results right after I arrived home. Then, I uploaded the lab results to Safe Travels as instructed by my airline. 

https://travel.hawaii.gov/#/welcome

I filled out the health questionnaire, got an email with a Q Code to use at the airport, to get my okie dokie wrist band to get on the plane and started packing. All checked in I got on the plane wearing 2 masks and reminded myself that everyone on the plane had had a COVID test in the last 72 hours except the small children who were maskless and several rows away.

 If you're planning on flying, be warned, masks are often worn below the nose by about 10% of the population traveling, even by one flight attendant who kept pulling it up over her nose as she served drinks. Blind faith, hope, and a month past the vaccine carried me to the Valley Isle where Lynn awaited in her Maui cruiser with her poi dog and off we went to Lahaina side to get groceries before we landed at her house in Kahana. As I said, her yard looks great, she has veggies growing everywhere as well as the papaya and plumeria, bananas, lemons and avocadoes. 

We talked almost non-stop until bedtime, even as we drove to Fleming Beach to walk the doggie who mostly meanders around sniffing, then back to the house for dinner on the lanai to watch the sun set. 

Talk continued like two friends who hadn't seen each other in a year, and carried on until 9 pm which was midnight for me) and off to bed we went. It was a joy to sleep with windows open and the cool Hawaiian trade wind floating through the bedroom. 

More from Maui later!

Aloha

KIM HORNSBY is a USA Today Bestselling Author of 15 novels as well as an award-winning screenwriter who has several movies in development with producers. She lives in the Seattle area where her office overlooks a tree-lined lake and has foot warming muses in the form of large, hairy rescue dogs.

Website: www.bit.ly/KimHornsby

Waking Up on Maui!

I love Maui!
Who doesn't?

Today I woke on Maui without a care in the world except what time to go diving.
It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day as the sun creeps over the West Maui mountains behind the house to show its face.


Here's Day 1 of my Adventure:

Checked in by 4:45 a.m. with my friend Cresty, at SeaTac airport in Seattle. It was raining. We didn't get a coffee before the flight, hoping to sleep on the plane. The airport was empty and we sailed through security after Cresty had an early morning pat-down. Two flights later, (In which I slept a total of five hours!) we landed on the Valley Isle. I usually get a bit choked up when I see Maui out the plane window and yesterday was no different. I love this place and have so many happy memories of living here in the 80's and some of the 90's.

Lynn was waiting at the curb with her little rescue dog, JoJo, who did not want us getting in the car and tried to escape if we were getting in. Six months ago, I had found him at a petfinder event and forced him on Lynn who'd just lost her beloved Spaniel, Spencer, so having JoJo terrified of me was a bit disheartening. I jumped in the driver side so Lynn could hold her devoted buddy who kept looking at me and Cresty like we were airport carjackers.
We drove Lynn to work, then had a quick swim off Kaanapali Beach to reflect on the beauty of Black Rock against a cerulean sky and turquoise ocean. Ahhhh.
We then checked out the Lahaina Tennis Ranch for Cresty to play there this week and then went grocery shopping. Safeway Lahaina has things like fresh ahi poke, coconuts, and taro chips but other than everyone wearing their beach clothes (including some guys in only board shorts and flip flops) it looks a lot like my neighborhood Safeway.
I have parking Karma. I'm sorry but I'm that car that gets the spot right near the door of anything and my parkarma was working everywhere we went yesterday.

Two bottles of wine and a cart full of food later, we returned to Lynn's house to have dinner on the deck. But not before her fearful little doggie (who was still looking at us like we were trying to eat him for dinner) ran away! When I offered him a piece of chicken, he shot out of the house and down the street disappearing from view. I imagined telling Lynn that her sweet pet was lost, as I got in the car and started down the street to look for JoJo, knowing he wouldn't come for me even if I did find him. Apparently, when he saw me drive away, he returned and Cresty closed all access doors to the street. Phew!
After that we needed a drink and found ourselves at Kaanapali Beach Hotel (with a fearful JoJo) on his leash, which was a feat in itself, getting him in the car and leashed. But, he had a great time under the table at the Tiki Bar, especially to see his mom was our cocktail waitress. While he ate a hamburger by my feet, Cresty and I had a drink then we all drove back to Lynn's house for sleeps.

Today, is dive day. I plan to teach Cresty to scuba dive. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow when I check in!