Since this is the first blog that I've ever written, I'm a little unsure of what I'm supposed to write. Probably the best thing to do is to tell everyone how I became The Piranha. In August, 1991, my wife and I moved to Hana, a tiny town on the rainy east coast of Maui. My wife is a family physician and she was the only doctor in Hana for three years. I know that many of you have heard of or have been to Hana, but Hana is known mostly for the road that visitors must drive to get there. Affectionately called the Hana Highway, the road is anything but a highway. It's a two lane road with 56 one-lane bridges and 617 curves, all within about 35 miles. It's a spectacular drive with gourgeous waterfalls and lush tropical foliage on one side and breathtaking views of cliffs and the incredibly blue Pacific Ocean on the other. The smell of plumeria and other exotic tropical flowers perfumes the air. There are several roadside stands where you can purchase fruit, flowers, shaved ice or other snacks. About two hours after you leave the airport in Kahului, you will finally arrive in Hana, a small town with one major hotel (The Hotel Hana Maui), which seems to change ownership every other year, Hasagawa's general store, where you can buy everything from poi to "I Survived the Hana Highway" T-shirts. Besides the restaurant at the hotel, there is only one other restaurant, and it's also owned by the Hotel.

Being a basketball nut, I was elated to find out that there was a basketball league in Hana. I recruited some friends and entered a team in the league. The only problem was that I couldn't think of a good name for our team. Being very witty, at least to myself, I tried to come up with something that rhymed with Hana. The Hana Iguana, The Hana Manana, bingo . . . The Hana Piranha. Although we left Hana in 1995, I've kept the nickname and it's even my e-mail address.

If you've ever been to Hana and would like to share your thoughts about the town or the area, I would love to hear what you have to say. If you're thinking about traveling there, don't hesitate to contact me for information. Aloha.

The Piranha