Sunday, March 31, 1991 —- North Shore News - 33

Inside Maui: when it rains in Lahaina...

NO MATTER how carefully we plan vacations, they can,
and do, go wreng and the only thing the tourist can do is
try to make the best of a bad deal.

If you've been watching the TV
news you may have seen the
reports of major flooding in
Hawaii. You didn’t see it as close
as my daughier, Lori, and I saw it
— two and a half weeks of it io
be exact.

One thing the TV omitted was
the 10 days of gale-force winds
co-producing the scene.

Our plan was to go directly to
Maui, spend all but one day of
our stay in a roomy condo, right
on the beach at Honokowai (north
of Lahaina, just past Kaanapali).

We had a tip about a complex
called the Paki Maui which nor-
mally rents for up to $190 a day
for a two-bedroom condo. They
were offering the same for $119
including rental car.

Tip: if you want to cash-in on
the same, phone them (tel: 808—
669-8235) and when they quote
you the first rate, sound like you
know all about the second! The
“specials”? aren’t usually publiciz-
ed outside of the islands. They
want Canadians at top dollar.

The- units are spacious, weli-
furnished and the kitchens are ful-
ly equipped — dishwasher, mi-
crowave, blender, etc.

We were grateful to have such a
nice place to. stay because we
spent a lot of time inside.

What do you do when you're
trapped by horrible weather? You
dash out between storms! You
visit museums, cemeteries, histori-
cal sites.

You duck from one shop to the
next. You eat in restaurants when
you would normially fix a snack in
your condo.

You play cribbage, Scrabble (if
you can buy a game — the whole
area was sold out when [I went
looking). Matter of fact there was
such a run on games that even
jis-saw puzzles were almost ‘sold
out. The game department of
Leong’s drug-department store
was jammed with damp tourists.

You read. You watch TV. You
spend money.

You find out quite quickly if
you’re travelling with the right
person! Fortunately, both my
daughter and I have wicked senses
of humor and we could joke
about it.

The roads were flooded in
places and clogged with debris in
others. This made night driving
hazardous so we spent our even-
ings at the condo — except for
one lovely evening when we got
parolleg and visited a fine restau-
rant. More about that later.

First, we got to know a lot
about the history of Lahaina. If
you’re in the same boat (leaky!)
that we were in, here’s a few sug-
gestions:

* Baldwin Home: This is right
on Front Street at Dickenson
Street. Two dollars admission.
While you're there, be sure to

pick up a free brown pamphlet, A
Walking Tour of Lahaina.

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TRAVELWISE

The home is

beautifully
restored, the residence of one of

Hawaii's first medical mis-
sionaries. Next door is a lovely
stone building: .

e The Master’s Reading Room.
Unfortunately, the interior is used
as offices for the Historical Socie-
ty but the exterior is worth walk-
ing around. Over the years it’s
been everything from a storehouse
to a social club for the old whal-
ing captains.

© Wo Hing Temple. On Front
Street, no admission cost, a Tong
fraternal society house of worship.
Adjacent is the cookhouse (used
for member’s banquets, huge
works and original equipment)
and a video of Edison’s photos of
historic Lahaina.

© Waine’s Churchyard: The
most interesting of several ceme-
teries in Lahaina, this is the fur-
thest point on the walking tour
(we drove!}. Lots of history here
but ‘current burials too. On some
of the tombstones are framed pic-
tures of the one below. The wife
of King Kamehameha I is here —
Keopuolani.

Follow the little brown pam-
phlet for the rest. There are 31
suggested stops but seven of these
are best reached by car.

eee

Food! First, you'll be buying
stuff for your condo, so markets
are a priority. The Safeway at the
Cannery mall, on the highway
(Honoapiilani) at the top side of
Lahaina is fairly expensive but
good.

We picked up stuff from the
salad bar, deli and producc sec-
tion. Excellent for small quantities
but wouldn’t want to feed a
crowd from here. They have Van-
couver newspapers.

Also, check the market at the
Market Place mall — cheaper
prices for stuff like coffee, tinned
soup etc. The produce is lousy but
there’s a meat department that
features Japanese delicacies, worth
a look and a taste.

Note: You won't find many
tourists here. Also, the parking is
free and it’s a short walk along

Crocuses and
Daffodils

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TRAVEL

Front Street to take in every shop,
Store, restaurant, historic site and
watering hole!

Restaurants: Two stand out:
Longhi’s at 888 Front St. and The
Rusty Harpoon in Whaler’s
Village (Kaanapali).

The Rusty Harpoon stands out
for true disappointment. Once it
was a joy to visit, small, homey,
good food and the meeting place

for fun. Forget it! It’s been
enlarged and sanitized.
The food is great if your

favorite meal comes from Denny’s
or MacDonalds. Skip it. Don’t
even bother going back for sen-
timental reasons.

Longhi’s! What a treat! How-
ever, this restaurant will give your
wallet a treatment — will it give
you a clue if I tell you that there
are no prices on the menu?

To start, they don’t take reser-
vations prior to 8 p.m. Go early
(six) and get a table upstairs on
the Front Street (sunset!) side.
There’s fewer lovely moments in
Hawaii than watching the sun set
behind Lanai while you're having
a wonderful dinner.

We had a cocktail to start, and
while we were enjoying it our
server came and sat with us, ex-
plaining the evening menu. We
chose a small Caesar salad (Lori)
and Eggplant Parmigiana (me) to
start. I] should have quit with egg-
plant — if you’re ordering, share!

We followed with the special of
the evening, pasta with seafood.
The servings are huge, the seafood
fresh and perfectly cooked, the
pasta a! dente and the sauce is one
that I try to recreate in my
dreams. One of the best meals
I’ve had in my life.

We took the leftovers home in a
people-bag and had a great lunch
the next day. The total bill was
$73 U.S. I just wish they’d open a
branch on the North Shore.

© Buzz'’s Wharf (near Kehai)
Expensive! Lori had scampi (fries)
and I had crab. The food was OK
(fries super) the bill was $40 for
tunch and the service was SLOW.

Now, for the middle-of-the-road
suggestions:

* Pioneer Inn (Front of Front
Street — old hotel and one of our
family favorites). The weather
closed out the do-your-own-
barbecue but we went for lunch
twice. The Clubhouse sandwiches
are excellent; the hot turkey
sandwiches are awful. Try the
Portuguese bean soup. Biil: $20
plus tip.

® Chico’s at Whaler’s Village.
Good for a big appetite, and the
taco bar is fine for small. The
full-meal combos are about $7
and the Chili Rellenos are tops. 1
couldn't believe that they put
frozen mixed vegetables in the
rice.

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We went twice — $25 for the
full meat with tip, $12 for a cou-
ple of tacos and a drink at the
taco bar during their happy-hour.

ePancho & Lefty's at the
Wharf, downtown Lahaina.
Scruffy surroundings but the
food’s not bad. Prices reasonable
and you can order side dishes at
about $2. I did and had a good
taco and enough refried beans to
feed four, all for $4.

Next: We cut our visit to Mau:
short and evacuated to Waikiki.
Five days of Portland with palm
trees and a cut-rate hotel. Floods,
more rain and shopping. And,
Canada Customs welcomed us
home.

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