Walking to Kihei

We're staying in Wailea on the southwestern coast of Maui, the sunniest and driest part of the island, and decide to walk to Kihei, the next town up the coast, for lunch  It's about 5 miles (8 km) to the middle of Kihei, a great walk along the coast, past hotels, parks, and beaches, and through the small town of Kihei with its 6 miles of fabulous beaches.

We first pass through the lush manicured grounds of Wailea before heading down the hill to walk along the coast of Kihei.

 Wailea landscaping

 Kihei beaches

The other side of the road from the beaches is lined with hedges of bougainvillea and other tropical plantings.

 Bougainvillea hedges

As we get further into town, the old unsheltered bus stop benches turn into modern steel and glass structures.

 Old bus stops

Modern bus stop

We walk over to the humpback whale statue in Kalama Park, reminding us that the Hawaiian Islands are a National Marine Sanctuary to which more than half of the Northern Pacific humpback whale population migrates each year, some travelling more than 3,000 miles (4,830 km) to spend winter in the warm Hawaiian waters.

 Humpback whale

We stop for fish and chips at Maui Fish and Chips, choosing fried ono and fried mahi for our fish (they also offer basa, cod, ahi, shrima and ika (squid)).

 Maui Fish & Chips

After lunch, we stroll back to the lush grounds of Wailea streets, parks, and resorts and cut through scenic open lobby of the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort to get to the Pacific and walk along the water to our hotel.

 Back in Wailea

 Marriott Wailea Beach Resort lobby

A Brief Stay on Maui, Hawaii

We head over to Maui for a few days break and arrive on a typical Hawaiian day: sun, warmth, clear blue skies, amazing differing shades of blue in the water, and lots and lots of tropical plants everywhere.  As we walk off the plane, we see the clouds forming on the distant mountains from the open halls of the airport.  Maui is 2,340 miles (3,765 km) southwest of San Francisco and, while welcoming year round, is especially delightful in cold, rainy, or snowy times at home (depending on from where you are travelling).

Arriving at the Maui airport

Hawaii consists of 137 islands spread out over 4,028 square miles (10,430 sq, km) and is part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.  Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands and was formed by two volcanos that overlapped each other, merging into a single island about 1 million years ago.  Maui's last volcanic eruption occurred around 1790, with one of the lava flows in La Perouse Bay, just south of our destination in Wailea.

About 20,000 years ago, Maui was joined to the neighboring islands of Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe, forming one large island called Maui Nui, during a small ice age which caused the level of the Pacific Ocean to drop.  Erosion and the return of the Pacific to higher levels after the ice age separated the islands by narrow channels.  Geologists believe that this process is continuing and will separate the two volcanic sections of Maui into two islands in about 15,000 years.

Heading over to our hotel, we find tropical beaches, tropical plants, and more warm, sunny weather.

 Plants outside

 Flowers inside

We head out for a walk along the beach, enjoying the sights on Maui and of the nearby islands of Lanai, Molokini, and Kahoolawe in the distance across the water.

 Along the beach

Back at our hotel, the Grand Wailea, we stroll the grounds, taking in the fabulous pools, waterfalls, landscaping, and plantings.  Soon, it's time to paddle around the pools and ride the water slides.

Grand Wailea grounds

Grotto and slide

As the sun sets, we watch the colors change over the Pacific and the islands in the distance, relaxing in this tropical paradise, as the hotel's luau begins, with roasted pig, ahi tuna poke, and traditional Hawaiian hula dancers on the stage.  We enjoy from afar as we stroll the grounds.

Sunset

Luau

 Hotel grounds at night

Grilled Skirt Steak with Garlic and Herbs

We occasionally grill flank steak (marinated in a mixture of bourbon and Dijon mustard), but then discovered skirt steak and now have another favorite.  Skirt steak is a long, thin cut of beef from the diaphragm muscles of a cow and is lean and fibrous, with an intense flavor.  We marinate it in a spicy chili-basil-garlic paste and grill it for a great flavor, based on a recipe from the New York Times and serve the steak with grilled zucchini and an avocado and burrata salad.

Grilled skirt steak and zucchini

The paste marinade for the skirt steak uses up more of our basil, blending together a few cups of basil leaves, scallions, several garlic cloves, and several chopped hot peppers (either pepperoncini or jalapeno), and lemon zest and juice.  Once these are all blended together, we add 1/4 cup of olive oil to finish the paste.

 Paste ingredients ready to go, blended

The skirt steak is cut to fit in a baking dish, dried with paper towels, smeared with the paste, and then refrigerated for the afternoon.

 Steak raw, pasted

We grill the steaks a few minutes a side, let them rest for a few minutes while we grill the zucchini, and then slice against the grain and serve with the zucchini and an avocado and burrata salad, accompanied by a MacMurray Zinfandel from the California central coast.

 Skirt steak on the grill, grilled

 Dinner is served

In addition to helping use of our basil that has been growing like crazy, this dish is easy to prepare and pairs well with many vegetables and salads for a wide range of meals.