We blew across the isthmus through Kahului on our way to Paia from Wailea, driving from the southern side of Maui to the northern side between the great basin formed by the West Maui Mountains on one side and Haleakala on the other. It's about a 30-minute drive, assuming you don't hit traffic. Traffic on Maui? You bet. Rush-hour backups on the Hana Highway just west of Paia can add an extra 20-30 minutes of stop and go time. A by-pass road is slated to open this summer, so that should help. We didn't hit traffic, as we were crossing at lunchtime. I let my son choose lunch and he decided

the music was too loud at Milagros (my first choice) and instead he herded me into Charley's, country/honky-tonk/biker bar and diner favored by Willie Nelson and other musical notables passing through the Valley Isle. The place looked a little ratty but I had heard good things. Service was kinda slow and indifferent. Henry's black bean burrito was not so great; they used store bought tortillas and the whole thing was fairly dry except for a massive scoop of sour cream, which he ate before managing to dump half the thing under the talbe. My burger was pretty good, made from Maui-raised grass-fed beef, big and juicy. The onion rings on the side were outrageously large and tasty, crispy and thickly battered. We had to all but set our tablecloth afire to get a check. Other places in Paia that I've eaten at in the past and liked include Cafe des Amis, Fresh Mint, and Cafe Mambo. Mama's Fish House is one of two truly fine dining joints in Paia and its a doozy. The food is very good but not great, with an emphasis on fresh-caught fish (they even tell you the name of the fisherman and where he/she caught it) and a dynamite wine list. The beachfront setting and boho beachouse decor are quite romantic but hold onto your wallet -- a dinner for two clocks in at roughly $150 including drinks. If you are staying someplace with a kitchenette -- a likelihood in Paia as there are no true hotels -- you must stop at Mana Foods. The vibe is whole foods run by hippie Maui drop-outs, a sprawling cluttered store stuffed with health food and one of the best places to buy local produce on island. When I asked a scruffy, bearded youngish clerk if the mangos were grown on Maui, he looked at me as if I were crazy and said, "You don't shop here much, do you?" As in, of course the frickin' mangoes are from here. Everything tropical is from here, brah! For breakfast the next morning we ate at Anthony's a hopping coffee shop staffed by hard-bodied windsurfer betties and beaus. Apparently, Laird Hamilton likes to eat there. I can see why. The food was good, not great. My Portuguese sweet bread French toast could have used more eggs and was fairly dry. The portions, however, would collapse a house. My staggered under a load of flapjacks big enough to floor an NFL lineman. Anthony's is definitely a favorite among the buffed-out windsurfing set and it has this happy ambiance that made me want to get in the water. Oh, they roast their own coffee beans and its an excellent product and stock a full freezer of Maui's own Roselani ice cream. Next installment, accomodations and things to do around town.

—Alex, 07/08/06