We fly out tonight but not until 9:50pm. When we were planning out this trip, we initially thought that we would check out of the condo by 10:00am and spend the day driving around with our luggage. In the past, we have been able to stay in the condo for a reduced fee. After some back and forth with My Perfect Stays, they said that for $199.65 USD we could stay the day. Now there was no rush to check out.
We initially thought that we did not need to go to the Maui Swap Meet since we did not need anything. But then how could we be on the island on a Saturday and not go. The Maui Swap Meet is an open air market that has been operating for over forty years in the parking lot of the University of Maui College. From 7:00am to 1:00pm, over two hundred vendors are selling everything from produce to crafts to clothing to souvenirs. We arrived at 9:45am and spent over an hour walking around and picking up things I did not know I needed.
While heading back to the condo, we stopped at Ukumehame Beach State Park to soak up some sun. As we were relaxing and enjoying the view, Karen says she is going to go and get us lunch from Leoda’s.
As we were eating our Roasted Turkey sandwich, fries and Chocolate Macnut Pie, we could see whales. There was lots and lots of whale activity. All you had to do was to follow the boats since they were following the whales. It was now after 2:00pm so we decided to leave.
After we got back to the condo, we grabbed our books and headed over to D.T. Fleming Park. We wanted to hit one more beach before going home.
Since I had done most of my packing last night, all I had to do was to fit in the purchases from the swap meet. So I finished up and did some cleaning while Karen did her packing. Once I was done, I headed over to The Fish Market and picked up our final dinner on Maui which we enjoyed on the lanai.
It was almost 6:00pm and it was time to say goodbye to Unit 115. We would definitely stay in this unit again. I loved the lanai with the quick access to the BBQ and hot tub.
Before going to the airport, we stopped at Costco to gas up the car since it is the cheapest on the island. I dropped Karen off at the terminal at 6:49pm while I returned the car. When I got back, Karen said that her suitcase initially weighed 59.5 pounds so she had to take out a bag of macadamia nuts. She had the Air Canada agent weigh my suitcase and it was 54.5 pounds but they said they would let it go. By 7:20pm, we were through security and siting at Gate 29.
While we were waiting, I went over to the gate agent and asked if there were any empty rows. She said there were lots and after asking for our boarding passes, she moved us to rows 43 and 44. Apparently the flights leaving the island have not been full lately. Finally at around 9:30pm, they started boarding. After we got settled into our seats, we looked around and estimated that the plane was about thirty percent full.
The flight was just over eight hours and what a treat to be able to stretch out. I was able to get some sleep in between my movie watching. About an hour before landing, they did serve a hot breakfast.
We landed at Toronto Pearson Airport just before noon. It did not take long for us to get off of the plane. I think the longest part was the walk from the gate to baggage claim. We each tried a different method to clear Canadian Customs. Karen used the NEXUS lane while I used the ArriveCAN app lane. No clear winner since we both were through at the same time.
Lucky for us, Karen’s brother Ross picked us up and brought us back to his house. We had a quick Christmas Eve visit with Susie, Liz, Algis and Rosie before heading home. We arrived back home at 3:30pm and Maui the dog greeted us with lots of tail wagging and kisses.
This trip was completely spontaneous and I am so glad that we did it. If opportunity knocks on your door, take advantage of it.
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