The Sunday Traveler ~ Molokai, First Glimpses

A stop in the little main town of Kaunakakai to get supplies after getting my rental car at the airport, and cruise slowly east on the two lane road heading to the condo I had rented through Airbnb. The road is winding, with the ocean on my right at some spots, and then, after several miles, get in to areas of lush trees and brush on either side of the road. Winding around one of the first big curves, and I’m confronted with this! I’m awe struck, not having expected the mountainous parts of this little island; I knew from reading there were incredible cliffs on the north side of the island. A quick glance in the rear view mirror…no one coming. I pull over as far as I can and grab for my phone to snap a quick photo. I want to laugh and cry all at once, it’s so magnificent. And I just sit there for a while. There is very little traffic on Molokai, one main road that goes east or west, with a few roads up into the interior of the island going north (the island is only ten miles wide). There is not one signal light on Molokai…none. Stop signs, Yield signs, Do Not Pass signs, Go Slow, You’re on Molokai signs, but no red light/green light signal light. Anywhere. One car goes by, and around me, in the time I’m sitting there on the side of the road.

This trip had a lot of firsts for the Sunday Traveler. Completely solo, no backup from others, as in  the other volunteers on my San Miguel trip, or friends as on my Colorado trip; coming to Molokai to sort out this new normal after recently losing my husband. Let’s just see what I’m made of. I get to the condo, eagerly open the lock box to get the key for the front door. There is no key. It’s empty. A lock box is not large, I keep looking to be sure the key is not hiding in there somewhere. Rule number one paid off; I had the condo owner’s phone number plugged into my phone contacts. My heart was sinking fast, knowing he lives on another island, not Molokai. It’s late afternoon, it’s hot, and I have a car full of groceries that need a refrigerator sometime pretty soon. Plan B is quickly formulating in my mind; I can drive the 13 miles back to town, to the only hotel on the island, but then there’s the groceries.  The owner tells me he’ll call his partner to solve this little issue and will call me right back. I pace up and down, then look up and just know that this will be ok.

It was. The owner calls me back with the code he had to find to a second lock box that holds the key for the housekeeper. Aloha. I’m in. Lesson…always have a Plan B.

I couldn’t have been in a more beautiful spot with the above photo showing the view at the back of the condo, and the following photo a view to the front from the lanai

That’s a little glimpse of Maui on the left, and the island of Lanai on the right.

Everything was going to be more than ok.

Aloha until next week with more from Molokai.