The Road to Hana — Blog — The Grains Of Paradise

The State of Hawaii lifted its mandatory 14-day quarantine to visitors with a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of travel on October 15th. ( The Big Island of Hawaii requires a second test, post-travel at the moment ). If you choose not to take a Covid test, then you are still required to quarantine for 14 days. As a long time resident of Hawaii, I obviously ( and hopefully understandably ) have mixed feelings about this.

Yes, the state of Hawaii got hit harder, economically, than any other state in the nation during this ongoing pandemic. It’s no secret that Hawaii absolutely depends on tourism, and for the most part, we totally welcome it. However, it doesn’t take a degree in Geography to see that Hawaii is the most isolated archipelago in the world. Being 2,500 miles from the Mainland makes us incredibly vulnerable when it comes to natural disasters and even more so, as history has taught us, a contagious virus. If you come down with Covid-19 while in Hawaii you can’t exactly hop on a plane and “go home”. We have one hospital in Maui County ( which actually consists of 4 islands ) and it has just 24 ICU beds. Isolating Covid cases becomes really hard when you live on an island where the cost of living is amongst the highest in the nation. Many households in Hawaii are multi-generational, putting a lot of our Kupuna ( elderly ) and most vulnerable at risk.

It’s really a Catch-22.

We either keep the state “closed” and starve or open up and take our chances. All we can hope for is that the 72-hour pre-travel tests keep most cases out of the state, that our residents and visitors stay vigilant and respectful ( facial masks are absolutely mandatory here ), and that if anyone starts coming down with symptoms that they test ASAP. We just really want everyone to stay safe and healthy.

As hard as this pandemic has been on everyone, I would not be honest if I didn’t see the good coming out of it. If you have been following me on Instagram, I don’t blame you for hating me. Our local beaches and hiking trails are practically empty, our beautiful sea turtles and monk seals are able to bask in the sun without interference, our coral reefs are thriving again without the poison of toxic sunscreens, our roads are empty, traffic accidents are down, people check on their elderly neighbors, whole families are taking evening walks together, it’s a really a beautiful sight.

Which brings me to this post.

I have spent the last 7 months mostly at home, surfing, or alone on a quiet beach. The only person ( with only one exception in June ) I’ve had any contact with since mid-March, has been my husband ( obviously ). I have kept myself really busy with daily workouts, yoga, gardening, recipe testing, and school. I just completed my Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition through eCornell and I am currently enrolled at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to complete my Holistic Health Coaching Certification. Yes, like so many others in Hawaii, my current job 100% depends on tourists dollars. So this has also been a very stressful and challenging time for me and most of my friends. But sometimes shit is literally out of your control, so I’m truly trying my hardest to make the best of these months in isolation.

As our quiet days on Maui started to dwindle, the one thing I wanted to do was take a quick drive out to Hana so we could experience the famous drive without the slow clog of crowds and tour buses. We have been avoiding Hana this entire time out of respect ( it was actually off-limits except for Hana residents for most of the last 7 months but it has been open for the last several weeks ). So we waited until October 13th to make the drive. Just two days before the influx of tourists were due to arrive. The trip was brief. We stayed in the car most of the time except for the 2 hours we spent on a very quiet Hamoa Beach enjoying our packed lunches. It was such a beautiful and peaceful day. I will never forget it or these last several months. As the world seemed to be falling apart, we saw nature thrive here on Maui. I do hope as we navigate forward in these uncertain times, that we all have been changed in some way… for the better.

A hui hou my friends.

The Road to Hana - Photo Journal

Iconic Hasegawa General Store in Hana Town

Sunset on the Ke’anae Peninsula ( on our way home )