The sea around Maui was an unrealistically blue, with waves crashing against the rocks and splashing white foam. Wild pheasants swaggered across the road, and cars stopped to wait for them. The Hana Highway wound its way along the cliff edge, making my palms sweat, and I stopped seven or eight times to watch the waterfalls and rainbows. While snorkeling, I was startled to see a green sea turtle slowly sliding past me. At night, I could hear the waves from my cabin, and when I looked up, the sky was filled with stars, so dense it was almost frightening. Time moved at a leisurely pace; even the cats lay lazily by the roadside.