After a busy morning starting with yoga on deck, followed by spotting turtles while out snorkelling, and then a bit of whale- and spinner dolphin-watching, we went ashore after lunch to wander around Lahaina. The town was totally focussed on tourists, all the shops along Front St bright and colourful, full of tempting non-essentials (though I did buy a sun visor), the picturesque historic buildings explained on storyboards, the jetty by the lighthouse busy with adventure activities. There were peaceful bits too, especially in the shade of the vast banyan tree by the sea, with its multiple trunks and its branches full of birds.
I've read that the lighthouse and banyan tree are, though damaged, still standing, and are about all that's left now of that busy, bustling, pretty place that I, and everyone else, was so pleased to be exploring. In the photos all those buildings are completely gone, the streets full of half-melted cars, the palm trees just blackened stalks. It's so awful, and the terror of being caught in the middle of it all is unimaginable. The death toll is currently 90+ with lots more to come. So very, very sad.