A Good Two Days

And a long two days.

The weekend sort of started off with a text from Ross on Wednesday night asking if I wanted to see the sunrise. A sweet idea. A great idea actually, despite the realization that we would only be getting about 4 hours of sleep by the time he got off work at 1am. But nonetheless, we dozed off and awoke to attempt to make it the the windward side in time for the light to peek through.

Only, the clouds and rain foiled those plans. We were about 2o minutes late by the time we made it out to the Blow Hole. But even with the delay no sun was to be seen through the thick mist and steady rain. It was 6:30am. And we still had the entire day before us.

Breakfast followed. After quite a lengthy ride almost across the island. A lengthy ride that took us down the H3 to see all of the waterfalls cascading down the mountain side as a result of the rain. Of course, once we hit the other side of the tunnel (and the other side of the mountain) the rain slacked off, given way to a fairly warm and sunny day.

After breakfast and a few frustrating bathroom stops we made out Target. It seems mundane, I know. But the first Target just opened in Hawaii last week. After two years of fighting through the mess, cheapness, and incompetence of Walmart, Target was a serene blessing. I was tempting to purchase a new bathing suit. And later I almost kicked myself for not. Given our early start that morning, we hadn't packed or prepared much for the day. And our next stop was water.

The Ko Olina Lagoons..a series of man-made lagoons of off the Marriott Resort. They are beautiful, tranquil, and exceedingly blue. And while pretty, they really aren't that much compared to much of what else we've seen on the island.

A full day already and it wasn't even noon yet...

We headed back up North...to Haleiwa and the North Shore. Mostly I wanted to putz through some of the small artsy stores. Previous trips on that side of the island had mostly involved drive bys of the surf town. The only time I recall actually stopping included my first shave ice. No shave ice on Thursday. It just seemed two early at 11am. Instead a hot ginger tonic from a local coffee shop soothed my throat. And I finally managed to find a style of earrings I'd been hunting for. And a bag of peaberry coffee. Oh peaberry coffee...so smooth and rich. And at 12 oz for under $30 it seemed like such a steal. The Kona peaberry often sells for around $60. I'll be sure to make these beans last as long as possible...

A little more shopping rounded out the day. And Ross and I reserved tickets for my birthday outing...we have to get our whale watching in before April when the whales start migrating away from our warm waters....

And a nap in the afternoon. A three hour nap...

And games with some acquaintances and University of Hawaii theatre folk. Damn it was a long day!

Today was just as eventful, though not quite as tiring. If it rained this morning, we must have slept through it. We woke round 10am to a sunny day. 10am was a bit of a late start for our original plan...the movie tour at Kualoa Ranch. Instead we hit the road again to see the Byodo-In Temple. The Buddhist temple is replica of the 900 year old temple in Kyoto. The entire area is landscaped beautifully, complete with koi, zen gardens and serene surroundings. The mountains towered over the valley, adding to the serene, peaceful and spiritual feelings. It was beautiful.Our short time there was punctuated by the deep throbbing ringing of a large brass bell. Of course we rang the bell. Those who ring it supposedly are blessed with happiness and prosperity. So with one hand each on the rope pulling the large battering-ram-esque clapper back, Ross and I let our own tone loll through the grounds.

Instead the temple sat an 18ft gold lacquer wooden lotus Buddha. From what I've gathered this is the largest Buddha carved in 900 years. The photo does not do the statue justice. The gold was flaked in worn in places. And mini statuary circled him as if forming a halo. But it towered over us. It filled the entire central room. I could have spend so much time just soaking in that image.

But eventually we pressed on. We added a brief visit to the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens. The central feature of these gardens seems to be the large lake situated at its center. Again, like the lagoons, the gardens are beautiful, but just don't quite live up to many of the sites we've seen on this island. But it did put me in the mood for a good hike. With this fickle weather though..and a busy schedule over the next few weeks I'll be surprised if we manage to get a good hike in before we leave.

So two full days. Two very good days. And a weekend that just doesn't seem quite long enough...