I can't believe it's already April. Matt and I have been living here for almost 5 months. FIVE! So crazy... You know what else is crazy? In the next two weeks I'll finally get to see these beautiful faces:
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Mikko: New Homeowner
Bearded, Flannel-Wearing Surfer-Dude |
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Tom and Joan: Outstanding Parents
Mai-Tai Enthusiasts |
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Paola: Talented Photographer
Awesome Italian Exchange Student |
WOOOOOOOO!!! That said, I need to catch up on my blogging before our visitors arrive.
One Saturday, Matt and I explored a little more of the North Shore. We stopped at a couple of beaches, then had a late lunch at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. While Matt and I waited, we were entertained by the music coming from the truck and the cooks singing along to it. Every now and then the truck would start bouncing violently as the guys started dancing. Food always tastes better when the people serving it are having a good time. We got our plates and found some seats at a picnic table. This is the look I got when I said I wanted to take a picture before we dug in:
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| Sorry! |
We shared a plate of Spicy Shrimp and Shrimp Scampi. So yummy.
A Sunday or two later, Matt and I spent a morning at the Byodo-In Buddhist Temple. The temple's website describes it better and more succinctly than I can:
"The Byodo-In Temple is located at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a smaller-scale replica of the over 950-year-old Byodo-in Temple, a United Nations World Heritage Site in Uji, Japan."
If my picture looks a little familiar, it might be because the Byodo-In Temple was one of the filming sites for the TV series Lost:
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| Jin! Sun! Convenient Shooting Location! |
We spent about an hour exploring the temple:
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| The grounds were very quiet, with many koi ponds and walking paths. |
The first thing we saw was the bell:
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| The Bon-sho (sacred bell) is 5 ft tall and weighs 3 tons. |
We got to ring it.
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| First a donation... |
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| Pull back on the shu-moku... |
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| Release! |
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| Don't underestimate the joy you would feel at ringing a 5 ft bell. |
It was really run.
Inside the temple is the Amida Buddha. I'll refer you again to the site's description:
"The Buddha is thought to be the largest figure carved outside of Japan. Towering more than 9 feet, the immense figure is an original work of art carved by the famous Japanese sculptor, Masuzo Inui. When the carving was completed, it was covered with cloth and painted with three applications of gold lacquer. Gold leaf was later applied over the lacquer finish."
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| The 6-foot carving of a white man in glasses is thought to be no less majestic. |
We also stopped at the meditation pavilion:
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| Pondering life's mysteries |
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| Also pondering |
Oh? You say this looks familiar, too? You are correct, my friend:
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| Another Lost scene |
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| Crazy flowering plant outside the meditation pavilion |
To the right of the temple is this small bridge. People feed the fish from here so there are
so many koi that linger, waiting for food. There are also some wild black swans:
A couple more views of the temple:
And, finally, sight-seeing visit to somewhere in Hawaii wouldn't be complete without a warning sign:
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| No sightings this time. |
Let me leave you with something to meditate on:
The Buddhist refused painkillers during his root canal because he wanted to transcend dental medication.
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