Okay, it’s a very small achievement, but I’ll take my gold stars where I can get them.  I was at Starbucks getting afternoon coffee, and chatting with the Hawaiian woman behind the espresso machine.  She was definitely a kama’aina –born on the islands, with a distinct Hawaiian accent.  She looked at me quizzically as if she was confused and said “Are  you from here?”  I wasn’t sure at first whether she meant the hotel or the island.  I said, I live in LA, but I was born on Oahu.  She nodded as if she was satisfied, “I knew you were from here.”  She said I was mellow, not like some of the “mainland people” she had met, especially from LA and NY.

Score one day for Tom, not monkey mind.

—

I was born on Oahu and have lived on and off for 20 years in LA.  Geographically, I should be a surfer.  I am not.  I have surfed, three times after this morning.  I took a private surf lesson from a Brazilian expat in Hawaii, Inaldo.

Surfing was a good complement to my ongoing attempt this trip to slow down.  Yeah, it’s a workout, and yes, it has exciting moments.  But surfing is as much about being patient and waiting for the right wave, as it is about that minute and a half on the wave.  (I have a feeling that real surfers would object to me calling the fetal swells I was riding “waves.”)  But hey, I was still standing on the surfboard as a ripple moved me towards shore.

The south shore of Maui is the driest and the sunniest area on the island.  No matter what island I come to in Hawaii, I always try to stay on the sunny side.  Each island has shores or areas that are more likely to be sunny.  And it can be extreme.  On Kauai, the average number of rain days between Hanalei and Poipu is extreme.  Stay on the sunny, dry coast and then travel to the wetter areas when weather allows.

Wailea is the resort coast of southwest Maui, with giant luxury resorts wrapping around beautiful beaches.  Makena is just south of Wailea, and starts to feel a little wilder and more authentic, though the Makena Beach and Golf Resort, where I stayed, was still a huge resort.

Kihei is the main “commercial” hub of south Maui, though it’s really more of a surf town with a few amenities like restaurants, dive shops and a couple Starbucks.

I know that I’m spending most of tomorrow in the car, so I start to work on a playlist, titled Makai.  Makai and makau are the ways that Hawaiians give direction.  When you live on a island, north, south, east and west don’t mean that much.  You’re always traveling in a circle.  Makai means “towards the sea” and mauka means “towards the mountain” or inland.

Highlights from the Hawaii Makai playlist:

Calvin Harris featuring HAIM – Pray to God

Natalie Merchant – Carnivalo

Beth Orton – Central Reservation (the Ben Watt Remix)

Damien Rice – Volcano

I mean, I am in Hawaii, surrounded by volcanoes and lava rock black sand beaches.

Dido – Sand in my Shoes

Howie Day – Collide

Jill Scott – Golden

Adele – Hello