Now imagine me. I'm a 5'1 Asian girl with a red purse on her hip here in Maui on her own. I don't know if it's because I felt out of place but I probably looked just as lost. I didn't research Maui at all or planned to do anything. All I knew was I had a bed to rest at night and left the rest to being a new experience.
So my time there starts out with taking the bus to the hostel I was staying at called The Banana Bungalow. I met a bubbly Australian girl on the way who booked a one-way trip to Maui and was staying at the same place so it gave me a bit of relief to know I won't get off at the wrong stop. Being chatty myself, we quickly got in trouble on the bus. And the transportation here is something I've never seen. Because it's a small town, the bus goes through neighborhoods and there's only two bus routes.
After settling in, I asked the front desk for advice. The front desk was so sweet and helpful and she highly encouraged me to hitchhike – something I've always joked about doing but never tried. I was excited but so nervous. I was worried no one would pick me up. I was worried about looking like a fool on the side of the road. I was worried about so many of these silly things I no longer think of.
Let me tell you – it took longer than I thought. I even had some young teenagers walk by the road near me laughing. I did lose a bit of hope but finally a good man rocking a ponytail better than I do stopped for me and luckily the town, Paia, that I wanted to visit was on his way so it all worked out. We made a stop at Costco gasoline and he played tour guide as he drove explaining every rock to store to tree.
During my time, I went to two beaches.
I had some fish and chips, drank a smoothie, ate some shaved ice, and strolled my way up and down the little shops the town had to offer. I took the bus back at sunset and met this guy at the bus stop who quickly befriended me and who would also save me later on the bus from the chatty drunk man who kept asking me the same questions. At the bus transfer stop, I met Chris. Chris was from Alaska and it was also his first day in Maui. He had bought a one-way ticket to Maui coming from Kona but was having difficulty finding somewhere to stay the night because of the one-way ticket. Most hostels don't allow guests to stay longer than necessary which is why that rule is enforced. So he went with me back to my hostel to try and it worked out. The difference between us is I wouldn't survive without my phone being alone and his has been out of battery for ages and it was a flip cellphone. I've never met anyone with a flip cellphone in the last few years.
Also, it turned out I was staying at a party hostel as we came back and it was rowdy. He became my closest friend in Maui that night. We played darts, foosball, and laid on the hammock outside. It was my first time for all three of those things! I've never laid on an actual hammock tied to trees under the stars and it was amazing. The next day we checked out of the hostel and hitched a ride with Tom who lives in Austria. Our adventure that morning consists of IHOP which Tom has never had and thought was a local breakfast place so breakfast was very exciting. I had told them both my goal for this trip was originally to catch some sea turtles swimming and we went on a hard search for them to no avail until accidentally stumbling on some when we weren't searching so hard. We had a good time sitting talking and climbing rocks until Chris had to leave. The remainder of us went and had a smoothie until it was my time to go.
My first trip traveling alone was an incredible experience for me. I met so many different characters and personalities that were kind, funny, strange, or could have done without...I'm talking about you man who talked about himself for an hour when all we wanted was to pet your dog! But it all came together to teach me how to learn from others, making friends, and becoming just a tiny bit braver.
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