Byodo-In Temple

After seeing the sunrise at the Makapu'u Lighthouse on Saturday morning, we went over to Kailua and got breakfast at Cinnamon's again.  Again, it didn't disappoint.  This time was even better, though, because we didn't wait forever.  In fact, we didn't wait at all.  We got there at about 8:30am and were seated right away.  Since we had already been awake from more than 4 hours and none of us had eaten anything yet, we feasted like Kings and Queens.  We ordered the red velvet pancakes (of course), eggs benedict, the baja breakfast, and eggs and bacon.  I am also pretty sure we finished our own pot of coffee since we were all exhausted.  After breakfast, we spent a few hours lounging around and snorkeling at Lanikai where the sand feels like flour.

See what I mean? They tease you with pictures like this

After spending some time at the beach, though, we decided to venture over to the over-hyped Valley of the Temples. Valley of the Temples Memorial Park is a memorial park located on the Windward (eastern) side of the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. It is a vast area of lush, rolling green hills at the foot of the Koʻolau mountains, overlooking the sleepy town of Kāneʻohe. Thousands of Buddhist, Shinto, Protestant and Catholic residents of Hawaiʻi are buried in this memorial park.

In guide books, this place is described as a peaceful spot located off the beaten path.  To some extent, that's an accurate description.  The Valley of the Temples is located far from Waikiki and other tourist hot spots, but the famous Byodo-In Temple has become even more popular among tourists ever since it was featured in an episode of ABC's television show LOST. The temple was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The temple is built entirely without nails. It is a scale replica of a temple in Uji, Japan, that was constructed over 950 years ago. The Byodo-In Temple is a non-denominational Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths to worship, meditate or simply appreciate its beauty. The temple grounds are often used for wedding ceremonies for Hawaiians or visitors from Japan.

Inside the Temple.  You can light an incense at his feet

I wanted to visit this place ever since I saw a picture and found out it was constructed entirely without nails.  I thought that was pretty cool.  It also looked huge from the pictures and also appeared to be located in a secluded area of the mountains that might require even a little hiking.  Instead, it's right next to a big parking lot where there are a few tour buses and a little shack that charges $3 to walk on the grounds.  Don't get me wrong, the grounds of the temple are gorgeous.  But there is only one small room that visitors may enter (and can light an incense for prayer if you want).  There is also a giant bell that visitors are told to ring prior to entering as an appreciation for the gods.  Basically, this turns into everyone standing around in a line waiting to take pictures.

From the back

As you can probably tell from my tone, I think this place is overrated.  That being said, you should probably go.  I hate to say it, but it's pretty cool, the grounds are pretty, and it's only $3.  It's an area of O'ahu that not many people venture to and if you're in Kailua/Lanikai, it's only about a 10-12 minute drive away.  So go ahead and take some pictures and then just tell everyone back home that some Japanese monks invited you to their holy temple to pray with them (or something else interesting and creative).

Pro Bowl

That's right, be jealous.  While Blizzard 2011 was wreaking havoc on some 100 million people across the U.S., I was sitting on the 45 yard line of Aloha Stadium watching the worst football game in history Pro Bowl.  It started with a 9:30am tailgate.  The game wasn't until 2pm, but my co-worker "Joe," my roommate "Alan," and a guy we met upstairs, "George," went to the game.  Now, to be honest, only George, Joe, and I drove out to Aloha stadium at 9:30am.  Alan, the drunkard that he is, got drunk the night before and passed out at some poor unsuspecting woman's house and didn't get up in time.  He came later during the tailgate.  Anyway, I made my world famous (and of course by world famous I mean my mom likes them) turkey burgers.  I marinated steak and chicken to make shish kebobs.  We brought hot links. We bought humus, jalepeno dip, guacamole, pita chips, tostitos, coronas, and bud light.  We loaded up the back of my SUV with utensils, plates, cups, etc.  And we brought our gas grill.

When we got there and started setting up, a group of military guys and their wives/girlfriends pulled up right across from us and starting setting up tables, chairs, tents, and their own spread of beer and food.  It was pretty hilarious to watch them set up.  We were convinced they had a pre-determined game plan where everyone had assigned tasks because their tailgate was up in about 10 minutes.  I'd say there were maybe 10-15 of them in 3 pickups.  Anyway, Joe, George, and I started setting up and I threw on some burgers and kebobs.

We had a little mishap with one of the burgers

Well, at some point within the next 45-60 minutes one of the guys at the tailgate across from us asked if he could borrow our grill.  Apparently, their grill guy fell through.  See, I love tailgates because everyone is friendly, outgoing, and ready to party.  So we obviously told them that our grill was their grill and to just throw whatever they wanted on there.  The grill was plenty big enough.  Plus, we wanted to play beer pong, which they had set up.  Additionally, they had several coolers of beer whereas we only had one.  It's all about planning ahead.  Plus, we had far more food than the 3 (and eventually 4) of us could possibly eat.  So handing out my famous burgers and kebobs was a great way to make friends.

Walking into the Stadium

A few hours later we had met all of the people from the other tailgate, made plans to hang out the following week, shotgunned a few beers, played some beer pong, and gotten sufficiently intoxicated that it was time to see the game.  Joe and I had tickets on the 45 yard line.  Alan (who had finally shown up) and George had tickets 5 rows from the field but in the corner of the endzone.  Everyone had good tickets, just not together.

From Our Seats

Joe and I went in and let me just say trying to get into the stadium was a complete and total cluster f*ck.  The security guards operating the gate clearly had no concept of efficiency or logic.  There were five gates available, but they were only utilizing three.  They made everyone go past the security gate before wrapping around to come through.  We finally made it in, though, and the stadium is really nice.  It's where the University of Hawaii plays their games.  There really isn't a bad seat in the stadium.

The game itself was...well...the NFL All-Star game.  These guys really look at the Pro Bowl as a free trip for them and their families to come to Hawaii.  They don't take the game seriously AT ALL.  It was actually kind of humorous (more so b/c I was drunk).  When the ball was snapped, the linemen just stood up and sort of held each other up.  When Adrian Pederson would run into a tackle, he just fell down.  It was clear they were playing not to get hurt.  By the end of the second quarter, the NFC was winning like 45-0.  So Joe and I decided to see the halftime show and go back to the parking lot.  The truth is, once the tailgate got going, we didn't really want to leave.  It was too much fun.  It was even fun during the 20 minutes of rain we had before the game started.  So we went back to the parking lot, found the guys tailgating still (they didn't actually have tickets to the game) and just kept eating and drinking.  Eventually we met up with Alan and George and went home.

Halftime Show

It was a pretty fun day and I was definitely happy that I got the chance to go.

Oahu Revealed

This travel book of Oahu definitely lives up to its claim of being "The Ultimate Guide To Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond."  Someone recommended it to me last week so I went to Borders and bought a copy ($16.95, but I'm sure you could find it online for cheaper).  Unlike most travel publishers who send one or two writers to a given location for a few weeks to become "experts," Oahu Revealed is written by people who actually live on the island for a minimum of 2 years.  They hike the trails, ride the boats, eat in the restaurants, explore the reefs, and do the things they write about.  I am also inclined to agree with their claim that they do not get any kickbacks for reviews because they have some scathing reviews of certain places.  I have tried to read travel books before, all with the same result.  They try to do too much for too big an area and only provide a one sentence description of whatever it is the book is talking about.  In so doing, travel books are often boring, cover too much information, and never give enough detail to actually tell you how to get to where they're referring the reader.  So I get bored, put the book down, and call it a day.

Not Oahu Revealed.  I actually started reading it on my commute every day.  It's interesting, has pictures, has maps, and GIVES DIRECTIONS.  Yes, when the book says, "oh, you should go to Lanikai" it tells you what is there, what to expect, where to park, and how to actually get there.  It will give street names and an address (so you can GPS it if you want).  I am actually enjoying reading it and have gotten some great ideas for places to go.  If you're planning a trip to Oahu, I highly recommend the book.