Feb 17 2010

Burrr and other misc. notes.

Per spec, life is wonderful in Kihei! More whales than I’ve ever seen, the sun is shining, but today it is a bit cool. Kahului set a new record low for this date, I think it was 64. By Embarrass, Minnesota standards, I guess it’s not too bad. I suppose this is where my right-wing wacko buddies say “See! This global warming stuff is all a bunch of  liberal hog wash” and I say “Only morons don’t understand the difference between weather and climate.”

I’m having such great fun with my new KoAloha ukulele. Presently, I’m dong web lessons at Ukulele Underground  with Aldrine Guerrero. In addition to being an incredibly accomplished performer, he’s a truly gifted instructor.

Great 5-0 tonight. Fools Die Twice  cast includes Michael “Phil Esterhaus – Let’s be real careful out there” Conrad and quintessential Western actor Clu Gulager. Fans of the 5-0 drinking game will like the see-through map in this episode from season 5.

Feb 08 2010

Got the Clear Channel Blues? Try Mana`o Radio

It used to be that radio broadcasting was largely a community-based endeavour. Locally-owned stations, largely programmed by people in the community. Sadly, those days are pretty much gone. Most stations these days are owned and identically programmed by giants like Clear Channel and Cumulus Media. The goal for these organizations has everything to do with extracting profit and almost nothing whatsoever to do with honoring the intent of the licenses they hold–serving the community.

Fortunately, there are exceptions and Maui is lucky enough to have a great little low power FM station, KEAO-LP, 91.5, operating under the tag line “Mana`o Radio.”  The unfortunate part is that south Kihei is pretty much outside of the stations broadcast coverage area, but they also stream their programming on Internet (it’s a series of tubes) so you can listen in while you’re in the condo. In the car, tune up 91.5 and by the time you get to the old Suda store, you’ll have a pretty reliable signal and the closer you get to Kahului / Wailuku, the better.

In describing the programming, two words come to mind, “eclectic” and “fun.” I also think the programming does a good job of aligning with the station’s mission statement which says “To inform, educate, and entertain the Maui community with radio broadcasts of multi-cultural and community-related programming, with special emphasis on the interests and needs of older adults.”

Give ‘em a listen, either on the web, or on the air. Let me know what you think.

Mana`o radio is non-profit, community supported and here’s great way to help out. Sunday, March 7, 2010 is BarryFest 2010 – the musical extravaganza of the year! Great entertainment, onolicious food, silent auction, vendors, Mana’o logowear, and more! BTOBS!

Feb 01 2010

Where to find ‘grinds’

One of the great things about vacationing in our Maui condo is being able to use our gourmet kitchen. In prior posts, I’ve mentioned the the fresh fruits and vegetables available at the Saturday swap meet in Kahului, but if you plan on whipping up an island meal or two, you’ll probably need a few more supplies than you can there.

Grocery StoreFor grocery purchases in Kihei, you basically have three or three and a half choices, depending on how you want to count.

Let’s start with “the half”‘; Long’s Drugstore. For a lot neighborhoods in the islands, Long’s (now part of CVS) is the local–within walking distance–general store. In Kihei, they offer a pretty basic, but surprisingly diverse collection canned goods, cereals, bakery and dairy items and even some produce. I’ve found the greens are usually not the best looking garden offerings you’ll see, but for the basics they’ve generally got you covered. Also, the Long’s liquor department often has some of the better deals on wine, beer and other spirits.

In the true supermarket category, let’s start with my overall favorite, Foodland. The Kihei store is a bit smaller than some, so if you’re looking for truffle oil or semolina flour, you’re probably out of luck, but the overall selection is not bad. The bakery’s OK, fresh fish is usually pretty good and on most days, the produce is fresh and well-stocked. Day in and day out, I find Foodland offers the best grocery value. Their Maika`i (Hawaiian for excellent) frequent shopper programs provides good weekly deals on a variety of common items and snacks and for every $250 you spend, you’ll get a 5%-off coupon. My other reason for hitting Foodland is the wine department. On the vino aisle, you’ll find a fairly broad, not overly pretentious, decent selection of the grape.

Next on my list is Times Market (formerly Star). Times is where you want to go if you’re still looking for that truffle oil. The store has more SKUs than almost any other supermarket I’ve ever been in. Times’ produce and bakery departments are pretty good and the dairy case and deli counter offer a bit diversity than you’ll find at Mr. Sullivan’s Foodland. I’ve never been impressed with Star’s meat counter, but maybe that’s just me. The down side of Star is that I find it to just be more expensive.

Head mauka to hit Safeway, the last of the Kihei supermarket options. Things have gotten a bit better, but when the store first opened, I could never find anything that said I was shopping in Hawai`i. No 20 lb. bags of Hinode, no Roselani ice cream, no Aloha Maid soft drinks. Kihei or Kookamonga? It’s sometimes hard to tell. I suppose that does make Safeway the ’safe’ choice;  bakery and produce are pretty good, but I guess I’m just more into the ‘local’ shopping experience.

Enough said. Go get those grinds and make something ono!

Jan 14 2010

Maui – Entertainment you won’t want to miss

Be sure and check-out the schedule for the Maui Performing Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) during your stay on Maui. They have some really great Hawaiian and mainstream entertainment. Visit the website at http://www.mauiarts.org/

Jan 06 2010

Car rental tips

Most visitors to Maui will rent a car for at least part of their stay and compared with a many other tourist destinations, Hawai`i rates are usually quite affordable. Now, “affordability” does depend on what you rent. In most cases, if you want a, Jeep, Hummer of Jag, etc., you’ll obviously pay a premium.  Personally, I’ve never understood renting an exotic car on Maui–there’s no place you GO FAST. Jeeps have a really crappy ride, there not good for locking your stuff in, the gas mileage sucks and most rental agreements forbid you from driving them off road. Drop-tops are the big profit center for the island vehicle rental biz, and being a Miata owner, I do understand the draw. You will, obviously, pay a premium for your sunburned pate.

Regardless of what you’re looking for in vacation wheels, here are a few tips:

  1. Compare vendor prices:Even with the consolidation of rental car companies (Enterprise now owns National and Alamo, Avis owns Budget), competition between brands is aggressive. If a car’s not on the road, it’s not generating revenue. Websites like Expedia and Travelocity are good places to start your search and offer good hints as to where the hot deals may be hiding.
  2. Use your memberships:I frequently find the Costco deals are the best, but there are lots of other options including AAA, AARP, AOPA, American Cat Fanciers Association, etc.
  3. Book early and recheck rates every couple of weeks:Rates fluctuate and it has all ways appeared to me that current fares are set based on anticipated demand. If bookings for a period aren’t what they were project to be, it’d make sense to reduce the price.
  4. Extras: Schlep your GPS, use the liability coverage of your personal car insurance, gas it up before you return it. It’ll save you a bunch of dough.

Have any tips? Please post your comments.

Dec 05 2009

A great way to watch whales…

Pacific Humpback WhaleThis cruise, sponsored by Both Sides Now – Maui’s GLBT Community, always provides a great venu for watching our magnificent Humpback Whales. The boat is operated out of Maaleaea Harbor by the fantastic folks at the Pacific Whale Foundation. Sailing is scheduled for 4:00 pm on Sunday, Januare 31, 2010. Tickets.

Nov 24 2009

Join Amy Hanaiali’i with Friends & Family

Ami Hanaiali`iAmy has invited some of Hawaii’s best musicians to sing with her, including some artists she grew up listening to and emulating all her life. Tickets are available for reserved seating in three categories: $30, $40 and $50. You’re enouraged to bring canned or boxed food as a donation to the Maui Food Bank.

It all happens this weekend, Sunday, November 29, Castle Theater – 7:30 pm.

To reserve your seats and order tickets, just click on this link: https://www.mauiarts.org/tickets/ or call the Box Office at 808-242-SHOW (7469).

Oct 19 2009

Café O’lei

Cafe O'leiCafé O’lei

2439 S Kihei Rd
Kihei, HI 96753

Simply said, Café O’lei is one of my favorite spots in Kihei. An interesting and diverse menu, sushi bar, reasonable wine list and on most occasions, the service is pretty good (ask to sit in Leah’s section—she’s outstanding). It’s located just a few blocks north of the condo on the upper level of Rainbow Mall.

Personal favorites include the macadamia-crusted chicken, crab cakes, onion soup and the flat breads. For more details, check out their website (trust me, the food is much better than the cheesy Flash graphic on this site) or see what Urban Spoon has to say.

Oct 19 2009

What’s for kau kau?

What's to eat?I get lots of requests for recommendations on the best spots to dine in Kihei and on Maui, but for several reasons, I find restaurant suggestions tough. It’s hard to find a consensus on what makes a good spot to dine and everyone has their biases. Personally, I avoid chain restaurants at all costs and having spent a good chunk of my life in business travel mode, I find I stay away from major hotel food offerings.  

That said, I shall try to expand this blogs offerings of places that I believe that you, our good malahinis, might enjoy. Your input in this area will be most appreciated.

To see the complete and current list, click on the Restaurants in the category list.

Oct 07 2009

Do the walk!

One of the things I’ve always loved most about Hawai`I is the abundance of ono grinds, aka delicious food. The problem for me is that if I don’t offset the ono-licious input with a little physical output, I quickly become a candidate for having ZIP Code 96777 assigned to my ever-increasing bulk.

At Kamaole Sands we have an exercise room complete with tread mills, but unless you’re one of those ditto-dolts who just can’t get enough Glenn Beck, I can’t for the life of me figure out why you’d want to be walking in place, in a smelly little building, when right outside the door you have the air, the birds,  the pua, the beauty. You have the aina.

In lieu of pounding Nike’s on motorized rubber mats, here’s a daily walk I most enjoy:

  1. Lace up those PF Keds, head makai (toward the sea) to South Kihei Road and turn left.
  2. When you arrive at Kilohana Drive, turn left. It’s  just before the public parking lot for Keawakapu beach.  Pick your own speed for ascending Kilohana Drive. If you’re Lance Armstrong, it’s no Alpe D’huez, but for most of us mortals, it’s a nice little rise. I go to the top of the hill to the water treatment plant. If you wish, however, you can go all the way to Pi’ilani highway. At some point here, though,  make U-turn and head back makai.
  3. Turn right on Kauhale St. Whistle to the birds in the cage on the lanai of the house on the corner. They’ll most likely whistle back.
  4. Go north on Kauhale until you hit Keonekai and turn left.
  5. You’re now heading makai  on Keonekai.  After a short walk you’ll be at the Keonekai entrance to Kamaole Sands. Enter through the gate, walk to the registration building, and pick your comp copy of the Maui Snews and head on home. Total route is about 2.3 statute miles, 12,144 feet, 3.7 kilometers or, if you’re equine inclined, 18.4 furlongs.
  6. At this point, I’ve been known to whip up a big ass Loco Moco with pine-stuffed papaya on the side and perhaps open a pleasant, albeit economical bottle of sparkling wine.

For your reference, here’s a map.