Maui Snorkeling with Turtles

One of the popular things to do when visiting Maui is to watch the turtles. Since the turtles tend to come close to shore to eat the vegetation, it’s fairly common to find tourists standing along the shore pointing excitedly at these majestic creatures. A lot of times you’ll even see them grabbing their snorkel gear and rushing out through the crashing waves to have the experience of being in the water with them. There’s nothing more exciting than going home with a genuine whopper of an “I swam with turtles” story.

Check out this short video to show you what you can experience with us: http://youtu.be/qykP97jRGpQ

To watch the turtles in their natural habitat is remarkable. Their graceful nature and curiosity lend them to be fascinating creatures for observation. There is a law that you cannot touch a turtle and out of respect, most snorkelers adhere to it.

Taking this adventure one step further requires that a person either pay the outrageous boat fees to be cattle-herded onto a boat with 100 of their new closest friends to be taxied out to a known turtle habitat and dropped in the water in hopes of a brave turtle sighting. The new alternative is to go out privately, paying only a flat rate for your small group, with a local guide - me. Visiting places like the “turtle car wash” or the “turtle highway” almost always ensures a fantastic experience. I make it accessible for anyone to enjoy the turtles – from inexperienced swimmers to 80 year old grandmothers. I capture your whole experience on video and provide you with still photographs and an underwater video of your adventure.

Experiencing the exciting wonders of Maui does not have to cost you a fortune. It should be all about worry-free fun for your group and the Aloha of Maui.

http://pennypalmerphotography.com

A Simple Walk... Ramblings of an Island Girl

Last night I announced that before dinner we should go take a walk on the beach and appreciate what it is about Maui that brings us to live here.

To each of us that meant something different. Tay took off along the waves, jumping and splashing in the ocean's foam. Our visiting friend tied her dress up high enough to allow her to enjoy the feel of the wet sand between her toes. Penny went directly to the tide pools to look for beautiful tiny creatures. I listened to all the earth's sounds as I watched how my family's happiness was exploding around me. Pure heaven.

We rounded the bend and came directly into a shallow pool of ocean water with green sea turtles playing in the waves. When I say "into", I do mean INTO. Our visitor turned to me and asked in a nervously excited voice, "Will you take me in?" I looked at her in her sundress, headband and tourist sunglasses and with my head cocked inquisitively to the side I reply," In our clothes? Hmmm, Ok..."

We used my ballcap as the electronics storage bin and left them up on the rocks. With her unsteady footing, I carefully guided her past the surf and up to the feeding turtles. All I can hear are waves crashing, thrilled giggles and then suddenly, “WAVE!” Oops…

Ah shucks, you only live once, right?

http://pennypalmerphotography.com

What a better way to remember a vacation?

The Indich Collection - Bill Indich may have created his vision in his store, but his employees carry on and enhance the concept. Walk into the store on E. Kaahumanu Avenue and experience the volume of youthful energy and all-round family aloha reverberating within the walls. You can tell instantly that this is a shop designed around helping you, the customer, meet your needs, not just a group of salespeople trying to reach a quota. 

Now, you may not be thinking, "I want a rug this vacation." Hey, keep an open mind. Remember how I mentioned the quality customer service? How about FREE shipping locally or to the Continental US? Great prices, quality workmanship and free shipping... So seriously, why not consider sending some of this aloha home with you?  You aren't ever limited to what's in the store, bring in your own design or tweak an existing design to make it match your decor.  If you live locally they will even let you take a few home and see which looks best!  We found a beautiful rug there for $50, so in the typical Aloha spirit, there is a rug for every budget... They even offer a Kama'aina discount!

We learned some cool facts about rugs from the fun folks at Indich- did you know that wool is a natural stain repellant and fire retardant? Their rugs are lanolin and wool so they won't get brittle over many years of washing, which means they are economical to maintain.  Or - for outside, how about dhurries that can really be scrubbed and hosed down?  These make the perfect rug for rental condos or high traffic homes.  None of their rugs are chemically treated so they remain toxin free for infants and house pets.

Being the earth friendly folks that we are, we asked the tough questions and were happy to learn that Indich Collection believes highly in remaining socially conscious-no child labor is ever involved throughout the entire handcrafted process (over 3000 hours goes into a single 9x12 rug, handcrafted on looms in Nepal). Here are some rug cleaning tips from Indrich:

If you find yourself with a little extra time on a Costco run, stop in at Indich.  Ask for Andrea and tell her the Palmers suggested a tour. It's like browsing a museum of tapestries and learning a little Hawaiian heritage.  It's worth the time!

Mahalo!

http://pennypalmerphotography.com