The Pali Highway hugs the cliffs of West Maui. Photo credit: B. David Cathell.
Photo credit: Zazzle.
Slow down! This ain’t the mainland, reads a popular bumper sticker on Maui, made only slightly ironic by its invariable placement on the back of a pickup muscling by me as two lanes merge into one. We are on the Honoapi’ilani Highway heading from Lahaina to Kahului, the “big” city, and after that merge there is little chance of passing for ten miles, as the road hugs the pali (cliffs) around Maui’s western lobe. Tourists don’t spend much time in Kahului, except at the airport on their way in and out, but for residents it is our mainstay and lifeline. The Costco is there, and the Home Depot and Lowe’s and Borders, and even the Wal-mart which, despite deploring their corporate hugeness, is sometimes our last resort.
Apparently, the Pali Highway was even less navigable before this tunnel was built. Photo credit: Hawaii Life.
Once you are on the Pali highway you are stuck behind whatever you are stuck behind.
Once you are on the Pali highway you are stuck behind whatever you are stuck behind, whether it’s tourists looking for whales out the window of the rental car or heavy-laden trucks trying desperately not to stray too close to the cliff edge. So you’d better learn to live with it. And I did, despite my Type A upbringing; I finally learned to say I’ll get there when I get there. That’s one thing about living on a tropical island: it’s hard to keep the pace you did on the mainland. The laconic breeze stirs the sultry air and you think, what was it I was in such a hurry to get to? The whole island runs that way; it’s called “Maui Time,” and the transplants from the city who can’t stand it move back. So I became content just to follow the car in front of me. I knew I’d get there in due time.
I still feel that way, twenty years after moving back; I no longer feel the old rage when I’m stuck in a traffic jam. Still, when I’m late for a doctor’s appointment or restaurant reservation, I often can’t help but yell to the car in front of me, “Move it, old man! The speed limit’s 40!”
Speed up. This is the mainland, dammit!
John ZussmanJohn Unger Zussman is a creative and corporate storyteller and a co-founder of Retrospect.
I hope on occasion you get back John, and leave the mainland behind for awhile!
Thanks, Dana. We’ve been back numerous times, but not since 2018. We’re apprehensive about returning to Lahaina, which holds so many formative memories since we first visited Maui in 1976. But it’s time.
Yes John, at this age we find ourselves saying It’s time a lot,
Haven’t been back to see a beloved cousin in Oahu in too long, it’s time!
We always wanted to visit you on Maui, but never got there…sigh. Unfortunately, our island is known for terrible traffic, particularly in August. This is the worst week of the year, with the “Ag Fair” running from Thursday-Sunday, a huge fireworks display over the harbor on Friday night; this is the week that everyone wants to be here. After this, the island breathes a sigh of relief. We see bumper stickers that read, “pray for September”. And so we do.
Thanks, Betsy. We wish you had gotten there too! Didn’t think it would end so abruptly. Hope we get to see you again on the Vineyard one day.
The nation of Guatemala has a special adjective to designate that folks are on their own (non-pressured) time: “la hora chapin.” People making plans will specify that they mean we are meeting at three o’clock “hora chapin,” meaning don’t rush to get there at that time. I wonder how many other regions or countries have coined their own term to indicate that they are marching to the beat of a more relaxed drummer.
Thanks, Dale. I love that! Sounds like the Guatemalan equivalent of “Maui time.”
During the time I studied in Dublin at the bus stop I’d hear,
“What time does the 3:00 bus come?”
And I remember once calling the Irish Writers Museum to ask for their hours. Hearing they closed at 5:00 I worried I wouldn’t make it in time.
“Don’t worry Luv. “ said the voice on the phone. “We’ll keep open until you get here.”
Love both of those anecdotes! We do have a peculiar relationship with time, don’t we?
Learning to relax and “go with the flow” is a lot easier when you have such beautiful scenery to contemplate, along the pali. What IS the rush? At this point, anything that slows down time can be a blessing. Hope you get back to Maui.
Good point, Khati. I loved “At this point, anything that slows down time can be a blessing.”
The wise driver, however, had best focus on the road with its twists and turns. The scenery is great for the passengers, though. Even whales can be spotted.