Well, I am finally back from my Maui vacation, did you miss me? It is amazing how fast a week can go by, especially when you're in paradise. And yes it did feel like paradise...the weather was perfect, low 80's during the day and mid 70's at night. And although whale season officially ended on April 15th, we were lucky enough to see quite a few whales frolicking about, as well as Bottle Nose dolphins, which were a special treat.


Maui is probably my absolute favorite vacation spot, which is why I have been traveling there almost every year for the past 11 years. However, as gay-friendly as they say the Hawaiian Islands are, the gay/lesbian community and nightlife are rather hidden. Not that most establishments aren't welcoming to our community, it's just that there aren't many openly gay activities or events going on in Maui. If you search the internet hard enough, you may find a few "gay nights" at a couple of local bars, but they tend to cater to the boys, not lesbians. And as far as finding openly gay establishments, complete with rainbow flags, well...the only ones I have found on Maui are in Kihei, one is at Gian Dons, an Italian Bistro, and the other is at a gay-owned resort called the Sun Seekers. Of course when you're on vacation many of us have no need to go out to a lesbian bar or gay establishment, but sometimes it is just nice to know they are there.


Of course there are a million other things to do while vacationing in Maui...you can drive to Hana to see all the amazing water falls (if your not prone to car sickness). You can take a whale watching tour or go snorkeling along the beaches of Kaanapali. You can ride a zip line through a rain forest, hike Ioa Valley, walk around the shops of Lahina and visit the Banyan tree that stretches over a 200-foot area, or even bike down the outside of a volcano, just to name a few activities. And the food...well, if you love fresh fish as much as I do, then you will be thrilled at the variety of restaurants that offer fish prepared in a hundred different ways. And in the evenings you and your honey can stroll down the beaches of Kaanapali and watch the sunset, or window shop at Whalers Village.

Okay, back to reality...back to the real world...guess I need to start unpacking and then see if anything exciting that happened while I was gone, so I can catch you all up, as promised.