Once the online flight movie began it was offcial, we were going to Oahu! Over a year and a half of planning plus hours of youtube searching for food and locations was about to be rewarded. To me when you first get to the airport you know you've arrived, you feel the air but you dont feel it yet. When in the car going thru the metro area you know your somewhere with it's own energy and once you see the hues of blues in front of you and the warm sand you know you've reached the destination. The first evening all we could do is just check in and enjoy the sunset.
My goals for the trip were to get to lanakai beach for sunrise, the pink pillbox hike and see the Byodo-In Temple. The cover photo for this blog post is from lanakai beach. To get there we had to wake up around 5:30 Hawaii time which was 8:30 pacific time so it was easy. We found this spot that not to many people were at but I feel like any beach on the east side of Oahu would show a great view. On the island the sunrise comes from the east and sets in the west. The hike for the pink pillbox was around this area too. You start out in this neighborhood and start going up and up! The hike is a good one and steep at times so be aware if you go but the view is definetly worth it. Around the island they have many hikes to these pillboxes that served as watch towers back in the day.
The Byodo-In Temple was my favorite place from the trip. When you first enter the area where it located you see tall green hills all around with tombstones on top. The area in front is a cemetery with the Temple in the back and mountains right behind it. When you first get to the temple you hit a gong to acknowledge your energy entering the area. There is lush greenery all around with a huge koi pond surrounding the temple. It is a exact replica of one with the same name located in Japan over 900 years old. The style is immaculate and a huge buddha statue lies in the biggest room. While we were there the person overseeing the area for the day liked us and showed us the altar area in a hidden back a room and gave us a sound bath. Super rewarding experience I will never forget.
The ocean and beach are just as dreamy as you see in the photos. There are some places that look like paintings and when your in them yourself it can make you question if its real or not. We were given a tour and ended up at Waimea beach one day, the clearest water I've ever seen in my life and so warm and inviting. On one of the last days we went snorkeling and that was so much fun! A huge turtle popped up and one of the fisherman threw out food for the fish and schools of them came out.
Overall the time there was well spent. Everyday we got up and went somewhere we wanted. The land felt inviting and safe. Soon my partner and I will live there for sure. The world there is something we have been searching for. Cant wait til that is reality. Check below for more photos and in the store! If you see something you like and its not in the store, ask and it can be printed!
