Exploring Hawaii - The Valley of the Temples

Hawaii continued to treat Ray and I with surprising discoveries. On our first day, we continued exploring Oahu, and as we crossed from East to West side of the Island, we wanted to see a small botanical garden we found while studying the map. The place happened to be hard to find so we stopped and asked directions from a local lady who was pulling out of her driveway.

Here I’d like to sidetrack from the story and share an experience which demonstrated us how very considerate people of Oahu are. The lady gave us directions, which we merrily followed and finally arrived at a parking lot of an upscale restaurant. Just few seconds later, she pulled in and told us that the ‘botanic gardens’ were really not to much more that just a glorified restaurant gardens. She also mentioned that if we had time and wanted to see something really sensational, we should have visited The Valley of The Temples. She gave us directions and we parted. Someone we never met before went out of her way to follow us to share with us something special and unique about her area. This is not the consideration you would see every day from a complete stranger.

The Valley of the Temples was everything we were hoping it would be, and even more! Located at the foot of the 2,000 foot KoOlau Mountains, it is a non-denominational Memorial park focusing on the Buddhist and Christian religions. The road from the entrance led towards the cloud-capped mountains.




We drove past several churches and then followed the signs to the Japanese section of the park to visit the Byodo-In Temple.

The Byodo- In Temple was built in the 1960th to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant worker to Hawaii. It is a replica of the 950-year-old Byodo-In Temple located in Uji, Japan. The temple is positioned so close to the mountains that it feels you can enter the mountain once you exit the Temple. Pictures could not reflect the grandeur of the cliffs behind this sanctuary and watching the majesty of the mountains was a very overwhelming and humbling experience.

The Temple is surrounded by Koi ponds, singing waterfalls, lush traditional Japanese gardens and a small bamboo forest. The wildlife is in abundance in the park: there are black swans, ducks, and plenty of peacocks with babies. They are not afraid of visitors at all and allowed us to take their pictures. Near the entrance is a three-ton Peace Bell which of course we both rang to always keep the peace and tranquility in our home. In Temple is a nine-foot Lotus Buddha

The visit was so worth the detour! If you are ever in Oahu, take the time to stop at the Valley of the Temples – you will love it!

Hiking Koko Crater

On the southeast tip of Oahu you’ll find a place not mentioned in any of the Oahu tour guides. We would have missed it completely if we didn’t notice while driving along the very scenic Route 72 this very unusual, very straight LINE that went right up the side of a volcanic hill. Too perfectly straight to be natural, it followed a ridge line on the hill to the summit. And could that possibly be people we see climbing this thing?

When we returned home later to our hosts Laura & Dan, they told us this was Koko Crater, and what we saw was the remains of a World War II cable-pulled railroad that brought people and supplies to the summit, where a small lookout post was constructed.

Today, the railroad cars are gone, and the cable lies rusting along the slowly rotting wooden ties. But the site remains vibrant as a wonderfully unique hiking trail to a summit that provides a panoramic 360 degree view of the southeast tip of Oahu.

Intrigued, the next day we returned with hiking gear and lots of bottled water to attempt the summit!


Here’s the trailhead at the very bottom. Note the cable lying off to the right, and the VERY steep peak up ahead!

What you can’t see is the sign post which stands at the trailhead with its sign removed. Perhaps it contained some useful information, or maybe it just plain said, “Danger!”


Exhausted but elated, we arrive at the summit!

In the background are hills surrounding Hanauma Bay nature preserve.

Looking back towards the west now, the town below us is Hawaii Kai, and Hawaii Kai Bay. Note in the extreme distance the high-rise towers of Waikiki.

Leeza ponders the meaning of life at the summit!

Or maybe what we need to pick up at the supermarket on the way home ;-)

Here I am, standing on the highest point of the summit – the rooftop of the original WWII facility.

Going Down! This picture, taken from the very top step looking straight down, gives you a good feel for the height and steepness of the trail.










Be sure to look around the site for other Hawaii pictures and info!

Exploring Oahu - WaAhila Ridge Trail

The very first day in Hawaii was reserved for exploring Oahu. You will learn more about some of the gems we saw in our next posts as each of them deserves special attention. Oahu had a plenty of wonderful treats for us but the first one was discovered by surprise!


After leaving home, we headed towards the mountains to give our Sebring the first true driving test and discover what was hiding next to those cliffs.

Never before have we been on such steep streets! Double Black Diamonds in Killington look like Bunny slopes next to the precipitous rises we drove through.




Not only were we rewarded with magnificent views of Waikiki emerging as we took turns, but we also found a hidden gem – the WaAhila Ridge Trail.






Located on the very top of the Saint Louis Heights, the Trail begins in ironwood and guava trees.



Only after a short walk the trail broke into a cliff and there lying in front of us was a splendid volcanic ridge with villages built in the valleys with the natural geography of the Koolau Mountains in mind rushing to meet the ocean.

Pine trees reaching to the sky.

Flavorsome and fine-looking Ohelo berries come from cranberry family and are said to be very tasty. We did not try them and rightfully so: I happen to read Ohelo can be easily confused with poisonous Akia berry. Whether this one is innocent or venomous will remain a mystery forever.

Ray is ready for our next adventure - look for the upcoming posts!

If you want to learn more about Wa Ahila, visit these links:
http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Plants.ohelo
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/hiking/waahila_ridge.html
http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/index.cfm?park_id=33

Ray Sr's 74th Birthday!

We celebrated my Dad's 74th birthday at our home. It was a great day, with plenty of BBQ, great conversation, relaxing atmosphere, and a perfect sunny day that let us sit outside and enjoy the weather!

Here's the birthday boy himself, Ray Sr., with my mom Janet and Sean.

Leeza lounging with her dad, Isaak.

Caity scooting about.

Note our mighty new gas grill in the backround. Packed inside this chrome-plated beauty are four separate burners that provide an off-the-charts bounty of BTUs, along with a side burner AND routisserie heater. It's the bomb.

Here's my dad again, doing his best Dracula impersonation. (after the grape lollipop)

Sean must be pealed from the wall after this tragic scooter incident!

My mom and Caity. Note my mom has swiped the scooter, and in the next few moments was rolling down the block like a pro ;-)

Your hosts, Leeza and Ray.

And our pile of wood.

Leeza's mom Mila and David.

Sayonara from the gang!

Our Waikiki Home and Hood

The essence of life in Hawaii can be found in Umbrella Drinks and listening to local Hawaiian music according to our close friends and generous hosts Laura and Dan.

Nestled in a center of a serene beach, overlooking the ocean, surrounded by our friends and some colorful remedies in our glasses, we realized that Life Is Good :)

Hawaiian Monarch - home of the Pimpin' Hot Pizza (also serving as a dispatch point for the ladies of the night), Cream Pot (the best breakfast place on the planet Earth), and 43 floors of sheer awesomeness which we were fortunate to experience from our friends' penthouse suite .

The views from our bedroom. Looking out at 5:30 AM and seeing the ocean just slighlty touched by the gentle pink shades of awakening sun is incredible. This is also a great way of checking whether the surf is good as Dan and Laura do daily before they trek across town with their board.

The AlaWai Canal. It was created in 1928 for the purpose of draining the rice paddies which would eventually become the tourist resorts and today also serves as a primary drainage corridor, 'outdoors hotel' for the local homeless and displaced late night revelers (you can rent a bench on a first-come first-serve basis).

We ran along this canal at 6AM almost every morning.

Say brother, can I have a burger with tomato, pickle, and pineapple?

These things are possible at the Waikiki Cheeseburger joint across the street, and on the way to the beach.

After walking by a few dozen times, we gave into temptation and gave it a whirl. Let's just say the palm trees were nice. But A+ for effort.

Ray and Dan said that they can only enter this place if they leave their manhood at the entrance. And while the guys were trying to retain their manliness, Laura and Leeza had the most incredible brunch of their lives. How manly could a seared tuna egg benedict and a dark chocolate for a drink topped with berry crepes be :)

Can you hear the opening notes - "ba-ba-ba-ba-baaa-baaa" - of the theme from "Hawaii 5-0"? This is the place - Waikiki Beach! Full of surf, sun, tiki bars, and of course palm trees. The one yours truly is leaning on here was my personal lounge chair for reading and just plain chillin' on several occasions during our stay.

Diamond Head can be seen in the background. An impressive crater which can be seen from so many points in Waikiki!














Stay tuned for more posts to follow in the next few days!