So here’s part two of my vacation posts. Part one was the 8th through the 12th, {omitting anything about the tsunami that hit Maui while we were there} and this post is for the rest of the time we had there. So if you haven’t seen part one then you may do so here.

There’s not much to say about Maui’s tsunami, for it was nothing compared to what hit Japan. It was my first tsunami warning, but we were too high up in elevation to hear the blaring alarms or have to be evacuated farther inland. My thoughts and prayers are more Japan focused.

We did however for a few days after the tsunami get to see some of the most amazing waves. They were ones that actually formed tunnels and the Hawaiian surfers took advantage of those waves even though some beach parks were closed for days after the tsunami hit. This picture really minimizes just how big they were:

Sunday morning was spring forward, and we officially were 3 hours behind home time.

We relaxed Sunday, watched the church service online and made it to the beach around one in the afternoon. We took our parents back to Kaanapali Beach since we loved it so much. We even got to see some humpback whales from afar.

And let our parents witness how beautiful the sunsets are from that beach:

The next day we went back to Big Beach. Yes, beach days have pretty much no pictures. This day won’t yield any either.

On Tuesday, my hubby and I split from my family and we went to the Maui Ocean Center. Oh, guess who we bumped into there? My family! Maui is too small.

The aquarium was a little break from the beach to go snorkeling without all the gear required for such a sport. It was probably the most impressive aquarium I have ever been to. A bit on the spendy side for entrance access, and too small to spend more than a couple hours there — but very well maintained.

And have you ever seen so many varieties and colors of salt!

After the aquarium, on our way to a shopping center, we took a short stop by Maui’s biggest Banyan tree. Yes, it’s way big. What you see is about 1/5 of the whole tree.

Our journey to the shops was just to see what sorts of shops Maui has to offer. Nothing but surf shops and ocean inspired jewelry. Shopping fail. But we did discover Yogurt~Land. Yes, I’ve been told we have one locally, but it took a trip to Maui to discover its existence. A neat concept but we didn’t like the yogurt too much. The candy and fruit we mixed into our yogurt was the highlight!

Wednesday, the hubby and I had another day for ourselves. The rest of the family went whale watching and we stayed behind. Instead, we found a plantation and decided to take a tour. We are very knowledgeable about coconuts now.

And then on our way to Wailea, we saw a craft fair alongside the road. Yes, we stopped by just to see. It was kind of disappointing because there wasn’t much crafty about it. It was just a bunch of people selling the same stuff that all the tourist trap stores were selling. We did go to a different one the next day, where I purchased some hand-braided bracelets that are now part of the giveaway that I’m doing on my blog. {PS: this giveaway ends March 31st, so you can still win these bracelets or some other goodies that I have up for grabs.}

Then we finally made it to Wailea, the most glamorous side of Hawaii {as in the up-keeping and how lavish the resorts are}. We went to the area’s shopping center and witnessed our first paparazzi folks. Yes, sir, you in the Aloha Wear shirt. You are so not conspicuous hiding in the bush with your camera. We didn’t see anyone famous, but we did enjoy some macadamia nut caramel ice cream {the only thing we could afford there}.

The last day just had to be spent at the beach. This time we went to a beach we hadn’t gone to and loved it. According to my dad, the snorkeling was the best there. He got to see some eels and octopus. How awesome and yet scary! But the rest of us tried to get some more sun bathing in and more boogie boarding. Accomplished.

The next day, we flew to Honolulu to catch our flight back to the mainland. I could have stayed in Oahu yet another two weeks. But that’s for next time…