Hawaii Vacation Day 5

Our first planned stop for this morning was to check out the view (and hike) at the Pali Lookout.  We got there to find ourselves in the middle of a HEAVY rainstorm.  It was just pouring down.  We ran out to the lookout just in case, but we really couldn't see anything at all - - and we got really wet in the process.

see - that big wall of clouds behind Tim was our "view" over the Pali Cliffs

 From there, our next stop was the Valley of the Temples.  

It was absolutely beautiful and serene.  The history of  the area (as I understood it from the tour bus driver who drove us out to the PCC on Wed.) was that when all the people  moved here from their various places of origin, the Hawaiian government designated this particular valley for them to build their temples or holy places.

 

Now it is home for the various temples, memorials, and a cemetery. (including a Pet Cemetery, out by the main road.)

The Byodo-In Temple was so amazing.  I just LOVE Japanese gardens, they have such a calming effect and are so peaceful!  

 Next was a stop at the Macadamia nut farm.  They have a tour there that sounded really nice,   but it sounded a lot like the things we had already seen at the PCC, plus it was  it was $20 per person, plus we wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to visit the LDS Temple open house in Laie and the PCC (again) – which gave us several  good reasons to skip on the tour.  We did get to taste lots of YUMMY samples.

 

Next stop was the Kualoa Ranch, another place that offers some really cool tours (like the 4-wheeler tours back up into the filming locations from Jurassic Park and Lost...) but time and financial limitations meant we just looked around a bit, then were back on the road towards Laie.

Along the way we were able to catch glimpses of the gorgeous valley's (and shores) where scenes from Lost, Jurassic Park, Fantasy Island, Karate Kid 2(and many others) were filmed.  We also took pictures of the Crouching Lion (Elvis) and the "Sleeping Giant" (Hawaiian Legend about a boy who kept falling asleep when he was supposed to be guarding the fishing pond)

click to enlarge, then look closely and you may find the "Crouching Lion." (he's right in the center of the photo)

click to enlarge and then look closely - and you may see the outline of "the sleeping giant."  he has his feet down towards the ocean and he is sleeping with his mouth open - (hope that helps you find him)

 Next stop was the Open House  of the Laie Hawaii LDS Temple.  While  I wish  the temple had been dedicated so we could have done a session – this was the next best thing.  I felt AWFUL that we were so  under dressed (and looking ragged due to the rains all morning) – but we fit right in with many of the other visitors.  The temple was such a BEAUTIFUL and peaceful place,  inside and out!

We finished out the day a the PCC.  They have a thing where if you go one day,  you can come back within 3 days at no cost.  (a bounce back kinda thing.)  I seriously wondered if it was worth going back, since I felt like we saw everything on our Ambassador, guided tour, the first time we were there.  After visiting again, I've decided that 2 days was PERFECT!  We were able to self-guide ourselves  through the different villages.  We saw two shows that we missed on the tour (New Zealand and Fiji) as well as try a few of the activities that we skipped on the tour.

 I got to make a Kukui nut bracelet (that I LOVE!)

 and we played some  Hawaiian games that were similar to bowling and checkers. (I beat Tim at the  bowling one (beginners luck), but lost both times at the checkers-like game.)  

We took the opportunity to walk through many of the houses in the different villages.  It was nice not having kids with us, so we could take as much time as we wanted, reading the plaques and learning all sorts of interesting things.  (like in one culture when the daughter becomes "of age" they partition off an end of the house for her.  The boys?  They would build a new house for them and they are basically  kicked out of the family house.

If I remember correctly, this is a "family house" in either Tahiti or Tonga.  I loved all the Tapa cloth - made from bark.

This guy was HILARIOUS!  He did the show in "Samoa" and had the audience just laughing the whole time!  I didn't get a good photo the 1st day, but on the 2nd day we were there I happened to see him just sitting on the grass weaving, so I took the opportunity to get a picture.

 

In "Fiji" we got some 'tattoos'.  Here is Tim with his "warrior" tattoo (and expression)

this is a replica of a "woman's work" house in Hawaii

 

We ended the evening with the “haunted lagoon” ride.  It was fun.  

 

They took a great picture of us with some "characters," including the dude from Avatar, Yoda, Capt. Jack Sparrow and more, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to pay yet another $18.00 for picture.  So we just settled for a photo next to this crazy lookin' thing!

 

 

 USoSL p.s. - (I may someday get around to cropping the photo so you can see the lions better, but not today... )  These stone lions were guarding a family plot in the Valley of the Temples

Hawaii Vacation Day 4 (what a workout!)

I was DEAD tired and had a hard time waking up this morning. Tim got up at 5:30 to take care of some real estate stuff he had going on back in Provo.  (he had a client that had a closing scheduled for today so he wanted to review all the documents before they went in to sign everything)  I woke up just before 7 and dragged myself around like dead weight until about 8, when we hit the road for another day of adventure.

Today was the day of “exercise fun.” We started the day by hiking to the top of Diamond Head crater.


It was a HIKE, only 1.5 miles round trip but a steep rise. The views were AMAZING though. Well worth the hike to get up there.

see that little  spot WAY up at the  top???  That's the goal.

some of the many steps to the top

almost to the top

We made it!

if you click on this one  to enlarge it  you can see the map better and read a little of the history

Then we continued driving around the south shore, to the Hanauma Nature Reserve.  It was GORGEOUS just to look at from the parking area above.  My friend Angel had a great experience snorkeling here when she came to Hawaii 6 years ago and she insisted that we come here.  (she even paid for it - as her birthday present to me)  THANK YOU ANGEL -  it really was a spectacular experience!

our first  look at Hanauma bay -  just beautiful

First we had to watch a movie about how the bay was formed and how to snorkel there without killing the coral, the we hiked down the STEEP hill to the beach where we rented our snorkel gear. (lucky for me they had “optical masks” so I could actually see under the water.)

another view  of the bay  (and the coral reef) as we were  hiking down....

After a few instructions at the information booth for the “beginner” (ME), we went snorkeling. It was really cool! We saw a ton of bright and colorful fish, plus 2 sea turtles (they were AWESOME) and I saw a little octopus guy. The only downside?  My underwater camera that Tim bought specifically for this trip worked for the 1st hour, but then started acting up.  We weren't sure what the problem was and didn't want to push our luck so we took the camera back in to the beach and left it there while we went back out.  Wouldn't you just know it that THAT was when we saw the octopus and the turtles...  and now some pictures...

an  underwater shot of Tim

Here you can see where Tim gashed his knee on the coral.  It probably should have been stitched,  but instead  he just let it bleed off and on for 3 days  :)

here we are,  taking a break on the beach -  in all of our  lily white/land lubber/more concerned about skin cancer than being tanned -  beauty!

After Hanauma Bay, we stopped a further down the coast to see the Halona Blowhole.  It was  fun to watch  - but frustrating to try and get a  picture...  you could never tell  which wave  was  going to  hit it just right to get it  to spout

 

here is a short  video  (30 seconds) where you can see it  spout pretty well.  (it was  more cool in person, or  course.)

Next was the Makupu'u lighthouse.(little did I know it was another strenuous hike.  OK, maybe not “strenuous," the guide book called it “moderate” but after our earlier hike, (which was labeled strenuous) plus several  hours of snorkeling and sun at Hanauma Bay, my body was getting a little tired!) this hike was 2 miles long RT, and a steady UPHILL all the way! I was dragging by the top – but once again... GORGEOUS views! 

view looking along the windward side of the island

We thought we saw a whale spout or two, but it was a little too far away for us to be absolutely certain about that... :(







We stood on top of the hill and watched a small rain storm blow in off the ocean until it hit us. (can you see it coming right at us?)

getting closer

After hiking back down, we headed back to Waikiki via H3 – the newest interstate built in HI.  (finished in 1992 if I remember correctly)  Known as one of the most beautiful and EXPENSIVE  highways in the country.  It was a bit longer to go this way,  but we wanted to check it out.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped in Chinatown for a quick stroll and dinner.

Proud to finally be a member of USoSL - (a photo of just the lion below)

And  FINALLY -  for Charlotte and fellow USoSL  members -

guarding a driveway along the south shore of Oahu, HI.

Chinatown, Honolulu, HI.