MAY/JUNE 2017

REFRESH for SUMMER

LIFE&STYLESANTA BARBARA

MAY/JUNE 2017

How the Hawaiian antidote cured far more than the common cold

Written by Christina Burch

“E Malama Kou Kino”

SB LIFE & STYLE travel

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bury my feet in the sand instead. Perhaps the snorkeling excursion I have scheduled for this afternoon will be enough of my own aquatic adventure.

Soon it’s time to head down to the Ambassadors of the Environment center, and I’m given a snorkel and pair of flippers for a day in the sun. Along with a crew of fellow mainlanders, I meet two marine naturalists, Catherine and Anna, who will be our guides in the water. Kapalua, Catherine explains, means “embracing the sea.” I’m sure it’s due to its bay-shape but I attribute it to the fact that I can’t wait to jump in. I strap on the gear and waddle into the water as soon as I’m given the go-ahead.

We follow Catherine and Anna like a little school of fish along the surface of the water as they teach us all about the unique biodiversity of Maui and point out the occasional eel creeping out from the coral. I snap a picture of one with my underwater camera and make it a mission to catch some more. Our group is especially eager when we spot a sleeping sea turtle snuggled along the soft ocean floor. We all take turns holding our breath and diving down to get a good look at him, only to rise to the surface to find a giant sea turtle hanging closely behind, almost as if to say, “What’s going on over here? What are we looking at?” We’re ecstatic to eventually spot four more.

On our swim back to the beach, one of the guides points out a sea slug and passes it around. Hawaiian tradition says if you kiss it, you’ll enjoy seven years of good luck. I pick up the fuzzy potato-like creature, much heavier and more solid than I expected, and go in for a kiss. We all get our pictures with him, and I sneak one last kiss before I pass him off. 14 years of good luck will do me just fine.

Ho’omaika’iMy wellness retreat has been filled with plentiful adventure so I’ve booked an appointment at The Ritz’s Waihua Spa for a little rest and relaxation, Maui style. I settle on the Lomilomi Massage, known to promote ancient Hawaiian healing, which is definitely something I could use right about now. My cold has been an active participant in my activities but I have good faith that some time spent in a grotto of heated whirlpools and eucalyptus infused steam rooms will change that.

I’m welcomed by my masseuse Kristina, and she goes on to explain the tradition of the Lomilomi and how its techniques promote the body’s own natural healing ability. She opens a door to a private garden, and the serene ambient sounds of chirping birds and trickling water have me nestling into the massage table. The soothing papaya lotion she uses to work out the tension in my shoulders and neck is heavenly. She then covers my back and arms in warm towels and tucks me in until I’m completely encapsulated in a terry cloth cocoon. She works out the tension in my legs, focusing extra attention on my quads, iliotibial band and other tight ligaments from years of running. I admit to her my lack of regular stretching, and she laughs in complete agreement as she punches her fists into the bottom of my feet.

Nearing the end of the massage, I snap out of my coconut coma and thank Kristina. As it turns out, she’s from Michigan and originally had no plans to permanently live in Hawaii. However, Maui had other

plans for her. Desiring one last summer trip before attending a long stretch of law school and life as an attorney, Kristina allowed Hawaii the opportunity to sweep her off her feet. She welcomed the course-correction with open arms as she fell in love with the pace, the spirit and the beauty of the Hawaiian people. “My trip has lasted 18 years,” she says with a smile and a glow of serenity, confident in the decision that changed her life forever. She beams with a contentment that’s contagious.

She ushers me to the open-air relaxation lounge and taro garden, and offers me lemon hibiscus water. Before leaving me to the various amenities of the spa, her eyes widen and she prompts me to await one last thing. She returns with a fishbowl full of small strips of paper, each with a Hawaiian word and meaning printed across it, like the spa’s own version of the fortune cookie. I carefully select a paper and read it to myself. It’s “Ho’omaika’i,” meaning grateful, and all I can do is sigh in agreement. Yes, this cold has been ill-timed but I’ve been surrounded by people and a culture that so beautifully embody gratitude.

Ke ĀnuenueThe arrival of my final morning on the island has me lacing up sneakers and out the door for a run along the rich coastline. I usually set a time limit or at least plan a destination; not this time. I decide to let it all go, almost as if to ask Hawaii to do the talking. An early morning rainstorm has left everything covered in water, reflecting Maui’s natural beauty in abundance. Heading down an unknown path, I stop to take a picture of a gigantic white flower and a bird seemingly painted with vibrant orange. I settle into a stride as the path connects me to the highway, and I contemplate following it as it winds around the entire island. Perhaps it’s an adventure for my return.

One last uphill climb leaves me breathless, and I look out to the ocean to drink it in one last time. How can something so mighty and unknown be such a source of comfort—so peaceful and sound? An extra glance at the clouds reveals something I’d been waiting for my entire trip, “Ke Ānuenue.”

It’s my very own rainbow—the beautiful promise of hope and renewal amidst the dark of a storm. I hike down to the cove of black lava rock and the turquoise of crashing waves and admire the brilliant band of color outstretched in the sky for a while longer. I breathe in the last moments of salty ocean air and spot the Kapalua resort in the distance. My cold, having come and now gone, is insignificant. Instead, I’m left with a soul that’s overflowing—a feeling, I’m convinced, that must be native to this little island on the Pacific. *

The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua1 Ritz Carlton Drive, Lahaina, Hawaii

808-669-6200www.ritzcarlton.com

Timing is a funny thing.

It’s often great. Really great.

But it can also be bad. Really, really bad.

Allow me to explain.

I’ve been invited to partake in a wellness weekend hosted by a world-class resort on a tiny island in the Pacific. That’s right, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua on the island of Maui, and its annual “E Malama Kou Kino” Care For Your Body weekend of rejuvenation. This invitation comes at a perfect time in my life, after a busy year of transition (along with an ever-present desire to travel). Therefore, the timing in this case? Amazing. But looking forward to it for months and then getting sick hours before boarding my flight? Devastatingly unfortunate.

But if there’s one thing I have learned about time it’s that it can also be your friend. So I convince myself to give the Hawaiian antidote a try. Perhaps I’ll sweat it out at a sunrise yoga class or I’ll be cured swimming amongst sea turtles in the salty ocean. This is my rationale at least.

So here I am, starting a wellness weekend (ironically) with a lingering cold that decides to fully take hold just as I toss the last swimsuit into my luggage. I sniffle, out of necessity, but also with sad frustration. Let’s just say it’s a little less exciting of a tropical vacation when your packing list also includes ‘tissues’ and ‘DayQuil.’ However, if there’s a time and place that’ll make you well, it’s Hawaii and a weekend dedicated to health and renewal. Maui, you’ve got this.

I board the 6:30 a.m. flight with the eagerness of a kid on Christmas morning. I watch beads of water run across the window of 19A as we ascend through the rainy drizzle of a Santa Barbara morning fog. I reach for the inflight magazine and thumb through several pages before I can no longer fight the heaviness of my eyelids. Perfectly at peace, I sleep throughout the majority of the flight knowing palm trees and plumerias await me on the other side.

The Ritz-Carlton, KapaluaWe begin our descent into Maui and catch the perfect view of the emerald green mountains, looking soft and huggable, as if to welcome us to the island. I check in at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua—the lobby a seamless echo of its natural surroundings with rich wood grain, marble and floral accents woven throughout. I walk out to a wide-open terrace of outdoor seating and admire the exotic pools below. I breathe deeply

and let it sink in, the sweeping view of the bay and the warm breeze that accompanies it. I settle into my room, also an open-air oasis, with crisp whites and blues, modern bamboo seating and an ocean-view balcony with its couch of fluffed pillows just begging for a vacationer’s midday nap.

By the time I freshen up, the sun is setting beneath the clouds of an elegant Hawaiian watercolor sky. I swing by the opening reception where I meet fellow fitness retreat friends, and we take a quick stroll around the property past moonlit pools and tiki torches to find The Banyan Tree, where dinner awaits. We start with an order of the Ahi Poke, with Maui onion, ogo seaweed and tobiko. I savor each fresh, cubed ruby. I pair mine with a Waipoli butter lettuce salad topped with candied macadamia nuts along with the braised short ribs with brown-butter kabocha pumpkin so tender and sweet.

The highlight for me is definitely the special batch goat cheese ice cream, entertainingly crafted before our eyes with liquid nitrogen and a KitchenAid mixer. The masked pastry chef shoos the cloud of frigid air away from his staging area and offers me a fresh scoop. He tops it with crunchy coconut chips, and the creamy confection is a hit.

I lend the remainder of the night to the beauty of my balcony, after showering and cozying up in a white robe. I snuggle into the outdoor couch, perfectly angled toward the water, and watch the wind push the clouds across the near-full moon lit sky. Would it be so bad to fall asleep right here, right now? I find an answer in the soothing crash of the waves and slip into an idyllic sleep.

“Embracing The Sea”I’m out the door at 7 a.m. with DayQuil in one hand and my camera in the other. I’ve caught word that an annual outrigger canoe race happens to be launching right from the base of the resort at Honokahua Bay. I run down a meandering path in my Rainbow sandals, hoping not to miss any of the action, until I spot a group of men with “Ka Mamalahoe Canoe Club” and tribal tattoo markings printed on their shirt backs. Suddenly team “New Zealand” appears alongside them; it looks like I’m at the right place, and apparently, right on time.

We continue down to the beach where it’s packed with over a hundred people standing alongside their shiny outrigger canoes, each sporting their team name and hometown with pride. Among them, there’s a generous outpouring of hugs, handshakes and extra sunscreen bottles. I snap some pictures of a team warming up on the sand with dynamic stretches and of a woman massaging her friend’s tight shoulders. A man with a microphone climbs to the top of a lifeguard tower to gather the crowd. Now everyone’s hand-in-hand, encircling the line of canoes and unified in purpose; I stand in awe, taking it all in. It’s the most genuine display of camaraderie, athleticism and Aloha spirit rolled into one, and the race hasn’t even begun.

I stay for a while to watch the teams launch into the water and fight against the first walls of waves until their paddling rhythm takes over. A friendly couple tells me it’s the Pailolo Challenge, a 26 mile race from Maui to Moloka’i, the neighboring island standing tall in the distance. I contemplate hopping into the last canoe as a stowaway so I can see this mysterious paradise up close. I wave goodbye to the last team and

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