One of my favorite things of Maui is the people. Locals and tourists are so much fun to talk to. The Locals don’t mind giving you their time and getting to know you. I don’t know how many times I was just chatting with someone and the conversation kept on going. It wasn’t like Los Angeles where a friendly conversation lasts like one minute and then you gotta go do some “important” stuff. It’s like time isn’t as scarce in Hawaii and people actually value what you have to say.

The most fun tourists I met were foreign Asians that didn’t speak much English. One language they do speak is “Can you take my picture?”, which is pretty universal. You simply start off with hand motions, point to your camera, then to yourself, and the peeps in your crew. They automatically get it. And they are always mutually thinking the same thing you are. They want a picture too. And so even though you don’t speak the same language– you have totally connected in a special way.

In the small hippie town of Paia, just minutes from where we were staying, is a spectrum of the most eclectic people on the Island. This is where you will find local strays, hippies, rastas, and vegans just hanging out. They can be selling coconuts from the back of a truck, busking with guitars in a jam circle at the park, standing outside the natural foods market “Manna Foods”, or weaving baskets and fish with palm fronds for the tourists. I honestly loved this town. I hope one day I can go back just to have more time to talk to these people and photograph them.