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Upcountry & Hula Show

WAILEA, Maui, HAWAII, Dec 3 - On Wednesday, we headed into Upcountry - the foothills of the Haleakala volcano.  I did not take many pictures on that trip as we were enveloped by a thick "vog" (volcanic emissions) from the Big Island.  They are blown here by "Kona winds," which are supposedly rare.  But they happening more often in the last year than ever before, one of the local residents told us.  Too bad, for both islands.  And for a would-be photographer.  The picture on the right was taken around noon.  Yet it looks as if it nighttime, doesn't it.  Still, I managed some interesting shots...

... of the beautiful protea flowers in the Kula area.

That's where we also saw some wild avocado trees (left), as well as just about every fruit and vegetable you have heard of.  We did manage a few ocean view shots in the Haiku area (two middle shots - views of Maui's north shore) by early afternoon, when the sun finally managed to break through the vog.  As the sun was setting, we passed through the town of Paia, west of Kahilui.  We stopped by a little shot and ordered some fresh fruit smoothies.  The owner made them for us with a smile and chit-chat.  Then he refused to take our money.  "But why?" I asked.  "Just because," he said.  "Enjoy your vacation.  And tell others about us."  And so I did.  Now.

Hula Show in Wailea

In the evening, we attended a hula show in the nearby Wailea shopping center...

Dancers were colorful and the music based on Polynesian rhythms.

At the end, local dancers picked out children and grown-ups from the crowd to teach them some hula moves.

The guy on the left was from Vietnam, for example.  The kids were from all over.

The hula dance finale consisted of Hawaiian performers of all sizes and skill levels.

To be continued...

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