In an unrecognizable accent, the lady said,
‘You park your car here and then hike up to see the crater’.
‘Hike? I thought it was a drive up according to the brochure’, I responded.
‘How far is the hike?’, J asked the lady.
The Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on Oahu also known as Le’ahi to the Hawaiians. We were about to park the car and experience the panoramic view of the crater when we found out that it was a 1 ½ mile hike up. The area was dry and it truly was a hot day. The party decided against the hiking activity. Instead we stopped at the crater’s lookout.
Satisfied by the view from the crater lookout, we proceeded to Hanauma Bay. As J drove along the Kalaniana’ole Highway a.k.a. HI-72E, I was captivated by the sea and waves slapping the shores. This only made me want to get to the bay even faster. The GPS though indicated only two miles left of driving did not appease me. Besides, following a slow vehicle on a 50 mph speed limit highway did not help at all.
We finally reached Hanauma Bay. The bay is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone. The waters at the bay looked great for snorkeling hence J and I vowed to return to snorkel sometime later since my parents were not as enthused.
After what seemed like a short visit at the bay, we made our way to the Byodo-In Temple. We continued on Kalaniana’ole Highway towards HI-61S. Approximately 12.5 miles after, we took a right turn towards Kamehameway Highway a.k.a HI-83N. We also had the opportunity driving on LikeLike Highway a.k.a HI-63S before finally reaching the temple on the Kahekili Highway.
The Byodo-In Temple is a non-denominational Buddhist temple located at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and is a replica of a 900 year old Buddhist place of worship at Uji in Kyoto, Japan.
Surrounding the temple are large koi ponds surrounded by lush Japanese gardens.
Within the temple grounds, there is a three ton brass peace bell. It is said that worshippers often sound the bell before entering the temple to purify the mind of evil spirits and temptation. This was exactly what I did prior to entering the temple. The sound of bell echoing through the quiet temple grounds truly brought peace and calmness.
Sitting before me as I removed my shoes to enter the temple is a nine foot Lotus Buddha covered in gold and lacquer. I ignited a joss stick/incense, place it in the incense burner and meditated for a moment.
(I maybe baptized as a Catholic but I respect and believe in the teachings of Buddha).
Exiting the temple, I came across peacocks, sparrows and a chicken. My parents, J and I continued to immerse ourselves in the peaceful temple surroundings. About 4.00 in the evening, we continued our drive along the island coast towards the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC).
The PCC is located on 42 acres of land owned by Brigham Young University of Hawaii. Most students enrolled in BYU-Hawaii are performers in PCC. They attend the university on scholarship from their native lands working up to 20 hours/week during school terms and full time during breaks to graduate debt-free. Profits from PCC support the scholarship programs run by BYU-Hawaii.
As we entered the Hale Ohana, we each had a flower lei greeting. The lei that were made up of fresh orchids looked beautiful but felt uncomfortable around the neck. Nonetheless, we were seated just in time for the Luau. Throughout the evening at the Hale Ohana, we were entertained by Hawaiian music and the center’s ‘Ambassador of Aloha’ emcee.
Additionally, we were educated on the ‘imu’ ceremony. An ‘imu’ is an underground oven that uses a combination of hot coals, stones and layers of leaves and cloth or mats to steam food. For a luau, the ‘imu’ is primarily used to cook the delicious shredded kalua pork which is a staple on any luau menu.
The best yet, the all-you-can-eat spread serving authentic Hawaiian food all night.
The tititorea is in actual fact stick games played by the Maoris as demonstrated by the film below. Clearly, I was thinking out of the box and being bad.
We made our way to the Pacific Theater for the Horizons night show passing through souvenir shops and booths. This theater has a 2800 seating capacity and we were excited. Throughout the 90 minute show we were treated to dances and performances from six Polynesian islands i.e. Hawaii, Tonga, Aotearoa, Fiji, Tahiti and Samoa with a cast of over 100 young Polynesians.
Of all the dances, the one that captivated J and my dad was the one from Tahiti.
I can only understand why and decided to create a hard time for J,
‘So, you like this one huh? A while ago you were falling asleep. Now you are wide awake.’
‘How did they move like that?!! I thought it was their apparel but it’s not!’, J was obviously amazed by the hip movement.
‘You want to ask them after the show?’, I asked.
J looked at me and said, ‘No la!!!!’.
(hahahahahaha……)
Towards the end of the show, I was clearly exhausted and sleepy. Making my way towards the SUV and driving back to the resort, I looked forward to a nice warm shower and plush bed as I am sure everybody else is.
To be continued......
‘You park your car here and then hike up to see the crater’.
‘Hike? I thought it was a drive up according to the brochure’, I responded.
‘How far is the hike?’, J asked the lady.
The Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on Oahu also known as Le’ahi to the Hawaiians. We were about to park the car and experience the panoramic view of the crater when we found out that it was a 1 ½ mile hike up. The area was dry and it truly was a hot day. The party decided against the hiking activity. Instead we stopped at the crater’s lookout.
The crater from above
Leaving the crater
Driving towards the tunnel
In the tunnel
At the crater's lookout
More views
Dad & Mom in the car
Satisfied by the view from the crater lookout, we proceeded to Hanauma Bay. As J drove along the Kalaniana’ole Highway a.k.a. HI-72E, I was captivated by the sea and waves slapping the shores. This only made me want to get to the bay even faster. The GPS though indicated only two miles left of driving did not appease me. Besides, following a slow vehicle on a 50 mph speed limit highway did not help at all.
On the way to Hanauma Bay
View of the ocean
View of a mini island
The ocean
The slow vehicle
We finally reached Hanauma Bay. The bay is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone. The waters at the bay looked great for snorkeling hence J and I vowed to return to snorkel sometime later since my parents were not as enthused.
Dad and the bay
Hanauma Bay
After what seemed like a short visit at the bay, we made our way to the Byodo-In Temple. We continued on Kalaniana’ole Highway towards HI-61S. Approximately 12.5 miles after, we took a right turn towards Kamehameway Highway a.k.a HI-83N. We also had the opportunity driving on LikeLike Highway a.k.a HI-63S before finally reaching the temple on the Kahekili Highway.
The Byodo-In Temple is a non-denominational Buddhist temple located at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and is a replica of a 900 year old Buddhist place of worship at Uji in Kyoto, Japan.
The Byodo-In Temple
Another picture of the temple
Surrounding the temple are large koi ponds surrounded by lush Japanese gardens.
Koi pond at the temple
Koi in the pond
The golden koi that caught my eye
Within the temple grounds, there is a three ton brass peace bell. It is said that worshippers often sound the bell before entering the temple to purify the mind of evil spirits and temptation. This was exactly what I did prior to entering the temple. The sound of bell echoing through the quiet temple grounds truly brought peace and calmness.
The Peace Bell
The Peace Bell & Me
Sitting before me as I removed my shoes to enter the temple is a nine foot Lotus Buddha covered in gold and lacquer. I ignited a joss stick/incense, place it in the incense burner and meditated for a moment.
The Lotus Buddha
The Top
Lighted the joss stick/incense
(I maybe baptized as a Catholic but I respect and believe in the teachings of Buddha).
Peaceful
Plenty of bamboo
Exiting the temple, I came across peacocks, sparrows and a chicken. My parents, J and I continued to immerse ourselves in the peaceful temple surroundings. About 4.00 in the evening, we continued our drive along the island coast towards the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC).
The PCC is located on 42 acres of land owned by Brigham Young University of Hawaii. Most students enrolled in BYU-Hawaii are performers in PCC. They attend the university on scholarship from their native lands working up to 20 hours/week during school terms and full time during breaks to graduate debt-free. Profits from PCC support the scholarship programs run by BYU-Hawaii.
At PCC
It was 5.00 pm when we reached the Polynesian Cultural Center hence the only activity package worth embarking on was the Ali’i Luau Package. We had ½ hour to get ourselves seated for the Ali’I Luau buffet at Hale Ohana which commenced at 5.30 pm.
In front of the Hale Ohana with the lei....dinner time
As we entered the Hale Ohana, we each had a flower lei greeting. The lei that were made up of fresh orchids looked beautiful but felt uncomfortable around the neck. Nonetheless, we were seated just in time for the Luau. Throughout the evening at the Hale Ohana, we were entertained by Hawaiian music and the center’s ‘Ambassador of Aloha’ emcee.
In the Hale Ohana - At the dinner table
In the Hale Ohana - Polynesian Royalty
In the Hale Ohana - Graceful dancing
In the Hale Ohana - Little kids performing
In the Hale Ohana - Ladies dancing
In the Hale Ohana - More dancing
Additionally, we were educated on the ‘imu’ ceremony. An ‘imu’ is an underground oven that uses a combination of hot coals, stones and layers of leaves and cloth or mats to steam food. For a luau, the ‘imu’ is primarily used to cook the delicious shredded kalua pork which is a staple on any luau menu.
The Imu Ceremony
The Imu Ceremony - Peeling off the leaves
The Imu Ceremony - Carrying off the pig
The Imu Ceremony - Leaves
The Imu Ceremony - The Pig
The best yet, the all-you-can-eat spread serving authentic Hawaiian food all night.
Dinner - Island Fish
Dinner - Barbecue Chicken, Kalua Pig
Dinner - Sweet Potato (purple)
Dessert - Chocolate Macademia cake
Dessert - Guava cake, Coconut cake
Dessert - Haupia (jello like)
After a bursting meal, we left Hale Ohana and took a walk around the villages namely Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (present day New Zealand), Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga and Marquesas before the ‘Horizons’ night show. Hourly performances and cultural learning experiences take place in these villages. As it was late into the evening, the performances were pretty much over leaving the villages with only the presence of visitors wandering around.
Walking into these villages was intriguing as each have its respective activities with labels informing what the activities were. The only problem? The labels were all in Hawaiian with no description in English. That left me wondering and taking wild mischievous interpretations of what the labels meant.
For instance.
My version of Tititorea. J was unaware of my intentions...hahahaha
The tititorea is in actual fact stick games played by the Maoris as demonstrated by the film below. Clearly, I was thinking out of the box and being bad.
The Real Tititorea
We made our way to the Pacific Theater for the Horizons night show passing through souvenir shops and booths. This theater has a 2800 seating capacity and we were excited. Throughout the 90 minute show we were treated to dances and performances from six Polynesian islands i.e. Hawaii, Tonga, Aotearoa, Fiji, Tahiti and Samoa with a cast of over 100 young Polynesians.
Horizons - Beginning of the show
Horizons - Graceful Ladies
Horizons - Tonga
Horizons - Maori (Poi balls)
Horizons - Another dance
Horizons - Samoa (sitting on fire)
Horizons
Of all the dances, the one that captivated J and my dad was the one from Tahiti.
Horizons - Tahitian dancers
Horizons - Tahitian dancers (bride & groom presumably)
I can only understand why and decided to create a hard time for J,
‘So, you like this one huh? A while ago you were falling asleep. Now you are wide awake.’
‘How did they move like that?!! I thought it was their apparel but it’s not!’, J was obviously amazed by the hip movement.
‘You want to ask them after the show?’, I asked.
J looked at me and said, ‘No la!!!!’.
(hahahahahaha……)
Towards the end of the show, I was clearly exhausted and sleepy. Making my way towards the SUV and driving back to the resort, I looked forward to a nice warm shower and plush bed as I am sure everybody else is.
To be continued......
