As I walked barefoot across the cracked black pavement, I felt grainy specks of stray sand rub against the soles of my feet. In my peripheral vision, I slowly saw a small, round animal with feathers emerge from the green barrier on the side of the road. I realized with further inspection that it was a chicken. Even though I knew that wild chickens were common in all the Hawaiian islands, seeing the bird still confused me at first. I watched it slowly cross from one end of the road to the other. How ironic.

           It was cloudy that day, and the world above the ground where I stood was nothing but grey. Sensing the beach was close, a very specific feeling of excitement that I only experience when I come to Maui, flooded my mind. I knew this walk like the back of my hand; the familiar set of houses and beach bungalows were lined up in the space between the road where I walked and the coast on the other side of the thick wall of plants. The dense collection of green life seemed to suffocate the quaint houses from every angle. The homes were faded and diminished, but still upkept. You could tell that whoever lived in them cared about the property. I had always been envious of these most fortunate human beings that have the privilege to live there.

           It started to sprinkle. This was rather unusual weather for the usually sunny island. Plants and palm trees hung over the road as if they were trying to watch one of the few cars that might make its drive through the path. I began to hear the rhythmic sound of raindrops hitting against leaves as I continued my walk. As I tranquilly strolled past the row of homes, I made my way towards the variety of tropical plants that surrounded both sides of the pavement like a tangled jungle, all spotted with little dots of condensation from the humidity and rain. 

           I walked into the jungle while gently moving away leaning branches and leaves that fell in my face. This part of the walk was always my favorite. It’s as if a green lense has been placed over my vision; everywhere I looked there were drooping leaves and vines that wound around trees like snakes, and gardens of exotic, brightly-colored flowers. It was like a kaleidoscope of colors that refreshed my eyes from the grey weather outside of the jungle. Inside my little world of color, I felt safe from the winds beyond the plant wall. To my left, I spotted a little brown frog resting underneath a dome shaped leaf in a low tree. Water fell off the sides around the spot where he was sitting, forming a little umbrella. He didn’t hop away or become startled as I walked past because when I looked back he was still sitting in the same spot, looking through the rain that fell around him. It made me happy to see.

           I finally came out of the plants, went down the hill, and made my way closer to the water’s edge. As the trees disappeared from my over head view, I could see the horizon become more visible. The change in scenery was rather dramatic, going straight from a world of color to a just as beautiful, but slightly duller landscape. The hazy, thick clouds covered the beach like a suffocating grey blanket. It was early morning, but the gloomy skies were supposed to linger all throughout the day according to the weather app’s forecast. The breeze that blew my way was refreshing, but heavy and dense from all of the humidity in the atmosphere. The air surrounding me smelled like stale seaweed and salt, but the aroma that was somehow comforting. Sounds of the large and forceful crashing waves reached my ears. 

           The sand grew from a light beige to a dark brown as I walked towards the ocean, and began sticking to my feet with every step. This sand wasn’t like any other beaches such as the ones in California. It wasn’t uncomfortably rough or grainy like sandpaper, but soft to the touch. I loved the feeling of the velvet sand in between my toes as I walked closer to the ocean. I reached the edge of the shoreline and immediately put my feet in the warm water. Even in weather as cold as this, the Hawaiian sea was never freezing. Like an endless mirror, the vast body of water reflected the grey sky from off its surface. The deep ocean violently churning with white-tipped, crashing waves seemed to be stretched out infinitely in front of me. Looking at the grey water mixed with the contrasting streaks of white foam created a vast marble plane that went on for miles. I found a place to sit and watch the massive waves, as high tide was slowly dissipating. As I sat in the beautiful scene, all of the tiniest details of my view became all I could focus on. I noticed how small puffs of sea foam would occasionally blow out from under a wave, and quietly float in the air until it went out of sight. I listened to the rhythmic sound of the waves hitting the shore, then retreat back so there was a break in between the loud noises of the water. This small moment of perfect and still silence was always something I had paid attention to; I found it peaceful. Something about this repetitive action mesmerized me.

           Anyone who went to the beaches in Maui can tell that it isn’t a beach that was made; it looked almost untouched by man. It was clean and only possessed a type of beauty that cannot be created. There wasn’t a single speck of trash or debris in sight; only the occasional broken fragments of worn seashells that had washed up on land. Slowly, the feeling of excitement diluted and a sense of tranquility began to take me over, as I realized I was the only one sitting on this beach. I felt isolated, but in the best way possible; like this serenity I felt emitting from the beach was only meant for me at that exact moment. I found comfort in how empty and still my environment was, and I never wanted to leave my home away from home.