6/14/06 - First Day in Maui

first day in Maui

I am almost completely at a loss for words. The plane ride was generally uneventful, and I was almost disappointed in myself for how calm I felt. I even slept through take-off, and awoke to a sea of blue outside my window. Blue above and blue below, bluest sky and bluest ocean. After six hours or so and one bad Disney movie later the pilot announced that we were approaching the Big Island and that we would be in Maui in 15 minutes.

Everyone was so pleasant on the plane. I hadnt spoken to anyone or anything; there was just a general pleasantry in the air, as if everybody was on their way to some place beautiful. We had a rocky landing, but as the plane touched the ground a child somewhere giggled ecstatically as if we were on a rollercoaster and it sent a ripple of subsequent laughter shuddering all the way up to First Class.

Seeing the mountain on the Big Island for the first time, my first reaction was one of disbelief. What is this place doing here, in the middle of the ocean? What are the odds of a human being ever setting foot on this small string of islands, or seeing it as they sail by? It is so clear to me that Hawaii has almost nothing in common with the rest of America. I am in a whole other world.

Amanda picked me up at the airport, and we found ourselves at a loss for words. What do you say to one of your closest friends, when you meet up with them over 5000 miles away from home, a Pacific Ocean away from all things familiar, and in paradise? We smiled and grinned and laughed and that was enough.

Do you want to go swim in the ocean? Of course I want to go swim in the ocean. I have been dreaming of ocean waters this blue and clear my entire life. We drove straight to the beach near Paia and walked through some jungle and coconut trees. And then suddenly all this blue. I will let the photographs speak for themselves.

Amanda stripped nude and dove into the ocean, and I dove in too, wearing the sundress Id worn on the plane and am wearing now. The water was perfect and blue, and the sand had the consistency of broken shells on their way to becoming ephemeral Venice Beach sand. It was all so clean and pure, and the air smelled new- and I felt reborn. I was in paradise and I wanted to say I didnt deserve any of it, but part of me must have thought otherwise, because here I was- jumping into a warm crystal blue ocean in the middle of the Pacific, surrounded by a beautiful jungle.

We went into town to buy food from the market, various seeds and some fruits and vegetables, all organically grown on the island. I tasted my first lychee straight from the tree, and we bought papayas, and tamarindos (natures candy) and other delightful treats. And then we drove into the Bamboo Farm, where Amanda lives.
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The name is a little deceiving, because there is no farm here. The huts are made of bamboo, but it is basically a tantra retreat deep in a jungle, down a dirt road, far away from everything. We dropped the food off in the tiki hut, which is the communal space for all the workers. It is impossible to explain this place. It is truly a Garden of Eden. The entire complex runs off of solar power and is made of bamboo and surrounded by jungle. On the other side of the main house is a beautiful meditation garden overlooking the ocean.

This ocean is nothing like the one in L.A., even though it is the same one. There is no smog to cloud your vision, and no pollution to dull the vibrance of the sea. I never thought such clarity existed. The beauty of it confronts you, and shakes every doubt in your heart out of you, violently, shedding you of every negative thought youve ever had.

We ate spring rolls made from the garden for lunch, flavoring them with a raw tzatsiki that was black in color, and delicious. Amanda showed me the eagles nest loft, where I will be staying for the next few weeks. You climb a bamboo ladder to get into it, and it is mercifully mosquito-proof and tiny, and mine. Outside my window is a beautiful tangle of lush jungle, some banana trees, a coconut tree. Bundles of bananas from the trees here hang from the rafter beneath the loft. They are small, and natural, and delicious, I eat one every time I climb up into it.

Tomorrow we go to a potluck at Amandas friend Plushs house, where I will meet the people Amanda has met, including Sarah, whose garden I will be working in. I have already met the four boys that work here at the Bamboo Farm and if they are any indication of the pleasantry of the people of Maui, Im afraid I might never leave.

In all honesty, I had no idea this kind of paradise existed anywhere but in my imagination. I cant even conceive of what is going to happen next.

I imagine perfection is a boring thing to read about but so far I am sunburned and mosquito-bitten and salty and so happy. I am happy to experience this, and to know that all of this exists. I may not stay it may be too perfect.

But this feels good, and right, and coming here is the best decision I could have made. Last year was so hard for me and Amandas right. I do deserve to experience this.