Days 4 and 5

Thursday morning came quickly and it was time to depart Lanai. I was still having some serious stomach issues, so I put in a call to my wonderful "doc" sister who called in a prescription to a local pharmacy on Maui (where we were soon headed). It's really nice having a doctor in the family! And she only charged me $300 for the phone consultation...just kidding. We packed up our things, checked out of the hotel, and took the final shuttle down to the Manele Bay docks where we waited for our ferry. The boat soon arrived and we had fun watching the whales blow water and flip their fins off in the distance during the short 45 minute trip. The water was very choppy and I often wondered if my stomach was going to stay in check...but it was fine.

When we arrived in Lahaina on Maui, we immediately were struck by the hustle bustle of crowded everyday life that we had been so sheltered from on Lanai. Tourists, vendors, taxis, etc...all lined the streets. We found a taxi line and jumped into one as soon as we could.

After getting our very nice convertible sebring, we were on our way to grab some lunch, pick up the prescription and head over to Wailea (about an hour away) to check in to the Marriott and get ready for our evening Luau.

When we arrived at the large Luau, Marlana started to feel a little queezy. This was not good. I was just starting to feel better, and now she was starting to feel worse. We were ushered to our preferred seats at a table right at the front. Marlana immediately felt nauseous and had to run to the bathroom where she lost her lunch. We tried to last as long as possible (even trying the food), but it was clear that she had gotten the same bug from me. We did manage to catch a few dances and things, but we left before dark. Poor Marlana did not fare well for the rest of the evening. We both fell asleep by about 8 o'clock. What party animals! ;)

The next day, Friday, we both woke up feeling ok. I was good, and Marlana was feeling much better. I had given her some of the same medicine Rachel prescribed and it seemed to help a bit. We had horseback riding on the activities guide for the day, and we really didn't want to cancel. So we set out on a long drive to the Pony Express in Kula to do the Haleakala Ranch Ride. We weren't sure what we were in for or how this was going to be on the stomachs, but we had the best time! Our guide was a very friendly girl named Char and we were her only customers for the ride...so it was basically a private tour.

Marlana was given a horse named "Cowboy" to ride, and I was given "Applejack". They were both males, and very docile.

They had such funny personalities. Cowboy didn't like horses following too close to his behind, and Applejack didn't like to step on rocks.

We were guided through a cow grazing lands that are owned by the Baldwin family (not the Hollywood ones) who own tens of thousands of acres up on the mountainside (since the 1800's). The trail led us up peaks and valleys with amazing views of the coastlines and mountains.

We saw cattle, pigs, pheasants, and other wildlife along the way as well. Marlana would giggle when Cowboy would gallop up the slopes because "he just wanted to get up as fast as possible", Char said. We were sad to have to dismount at the end of the ride, and apparently Marlana was extra sad because she sort of slid off the horse in a hilarious way (wish I had caught that on camera) instead of using the stirrups. This was definitely one of our favorite activities of the trip so far.

On the journey, our guide had recommended a small goat cheese farm we could stop at on the way down the mountain called "Surfing Goat Dairy". We were still feeling tip-top so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived at the Dairy, we were given a quick cheese sampling of the various kinds of cheese they made there.

So we decided to get a "cheese flight" which consisted of 6 different types of cheese. They were all very delicious, but the best was the "Rolling Green" which we bought more of to take with us back to the hotel.

Marlana really wanted to visit the providers of this tasty cheese, so we then headed over to the barnyard to visit the small goats.

On the way home, we passed by the Sugar Factory where they still process the massive fields of sugar cane.

Back at the hotel, we relaxed before venturing out to dinner, and oncc again caught a beautiful sunset by the ocean. Tomorrow we have no plans, which promises to be very relaxing!

-Ben and Marlana