I LOVE Maui! and Turtles

The most frequent philosophy shared in Maui is she only allows people to live there that treat her with respect. Most of the people coming to the island are tourists running up huge tabs and living a superficial lifestyle while on vacation or honeymoon. To stay at a resort, it's about $1000 a day and over $100 per day renting a vehicle. Without factoring in food and nightlife costs, Maui can easily become the most expensive place to live in the world.

On the opposite extreme, there is a noticeable presence of homeless people living on beaches at night in tents, in abandoned structures, vans, and cars. At the Baldwin Beach pavilion, the homeless eat well from daily drop offs of free avocados and other fruit easy to find. There are free camping beaches on the way to Lahaina from Kahului that surfers and van life folk use. We met someone living strictly off the land or ‘Āina which is a diet of raw fruits and vegetables in Hawaii.

Beginning in April, ripe mangos are falling everywhere and into the streets with most residents also giving away their excess of bananas, papayas, and coconuts from trees on their property. For someone following a plant based lifestyle or anyone pursuing frugal practices, Maui is the place for you! The hardest part about being frugal on Maui is the incredible prepared foods from Down to Earth in Kahului and Mana in Paia. Vegan options are everywhere here with some of the most premium plant based creations known to man. Maui is home to an excess of natural healers, spiritual gurus, shamans, and message specialists all over the island. The Temple of Peace in Haiku is a great starting point to meet people in this community.

Raw Vegan Bagel at Maui Kombucha

There is an incredible low waste movement occurring here. It's apparent they are a few steps ahead, similar to California, with forward thinking strategies to reduce waste and make our lives easier. Most of the plastic cups, straws, bowls, and utensils are compostable. People are very passionate about reusable bags, cups, and other daily used items to protect the environment. Ride sharing apps such as Turo are a great way to support the local community by renting their cars with much more flexibility in accommodations and pricing as opposed to the bigger corporations backed up with lines and overpaying customers at the airport.

On Fridays there are drum circles at Baldwin beach at dusk. Usually the sea turtles arrive to the sound of the drumming and dogs are always welcome on the beach. A lot of people gather to dance, play drums, and express creativity. On Sundays there's a drum circle at Little Beach. To get there, one must be capable of climbing up through some rocks , but it's worth it. This is a nude optional beach too.

The idea that Maui is a sustainable paradise comes from my desire to eat the most quality food, breathe the freshest air, drink the best water, and to enjoy natural experiences of ocean swimming, beach camp fires, making music, intellectual conversations, and frequent instances of enlightenment, joy, and happiness. The spread of Aloha is everywhere so if you ever get to go to Maui, to fit in, don’t forget to be grateful about being there, be mindful of your actions, and eat lots of coconuts, pineapples, papayas, passion fruit, sapote, lychee, cherimoya, bananas, jackfruit and avocados!

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