Snorkeling ... Surf ... Stars - a day of amazing experiences! And I learned that 3 1/2 weeks in a tanning booth plus SPF 15 sunscreen is still not enough to prevent sunburned shoulders. I thought that the sun at high altitude was intense - apparently it's much more intense at sea level closer to the equator!

We awoke at 4 am. My most amazing husband had no trouble going back to sleep. However, since I usually wake up at 6:00 at home, and home is 4 hours later right now, I knew there was no chance of getting more good sleep. I expected this, so I had some time to work on my laptop, upload pictures, and catch up on emails that piled up in the 2 days I wasn't able to check it.

After breakfast, we found snorkel gear to rent. Black rock has a reputation for good snorkeling and was a short walk from our hotel - a good place to start.

Sorry, no pictures from in the water (yet). We did buy a waterproof disposable camera, but those pics will wait until they can be developed (the "old-fashioned" way). The experience was like being a fish in a tropical aquarium. We floated easily along with a variety of fish: pufferfish and triggerfish almost close enough to touch, bright yellow tangs a brilliant contrast to the rock and coral, colorful parrotfish feeding off the coral. After one swim to the end of the rock and back, we were both ready to change plans for the week to do as much snorkeling as possible!

After lunch, we drove to the north side of West Maui for a very different but also awesome experience. We hiked along the sea cliffs through an area where the salt spray has been eroding the lava for years (our guidebook described it as a place that looks like a war was fought with acid - very appropriate). At the end we arrived at the Nakalele Blowhole.

As the surf pounds this side of the island relentlessly, this little hole fills with water, and then it just blows up!

I'll try later to upload the video I took of this thing. We watched it for so long that we lost track of time. We walked around and watched it from several different directions (and got really wet with the salty spray).

After showering, we headed out for dinner at an amazing restaurant and enjoyed local seafood, local (mostly organic) veggies, and an out-of-this-world carrot cake. I think I've found a new favorite restaurant in the whole world! (It's called Mala, and it's in Lahaina, in case you were wondering).

We wrapped up our day on the beach watching the stars come out. An incredible first full day on Maui - and more to come!