Adventures In Paradise Bay, Part 1: Valley of the Temples And Other Wonders

6/9/2024

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Adventures In Paradise Bay, Part 1: Valley of the Temples And Other Wonders

Much as I love Honolulu, prior to this most recent trip I found myself longing to make the acquaintance of more of the island. To this end Tom and I planed to spend a couple of days on the east side of Oahu, known as the Windward Side, at a place called Paradise Bay Resort located on Kaneohe Bay.

And so on Monday, April 8, we checked out of the Hale Koa, our hotel in Waikiki (see post from 4/21/2024, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/another-spring-another-visit-to-the-hale-koa), and headed east from Honolulu over Ko'olau Range, the remains of the ancient shield volcano that runs up the eastern spine of Oahu (see above map).

About forty minutes later we found ourselves on a narrow, jungle-y stretch of the road known as the Kamehameha Highway,

...and soon after that on a narrower road in a small rural neighborhood.

"Um, I don't see anything that looks like a resort around here," I said, wondering if our GPS had led us astray.
But no, a few feet ahead between a couple of buildings we caught sight of a sign in front of a driveway that read "Paradise Bay."

We turned into the driveway, which was at the crest of a hill and opened to this breath taking view,

...and led us to the lobby of the Paradise Bay Resort.

The lobby interior had an island feel and was quite beautiful,

...and offered a panoramic open-air vista of the Ko'olau,

...and Kaneohe Bay.

The front desk staff was friendly, welcoming, and overflowing with island aloha. As we had arrived early our cottage (as the units were called) was not yet ready, but this was no problem since it was lunch time and we wanted to get a head start on seeing some of the things to see in the area.
We had lunch in the town of Kaneohe at a Vietnamese restaurant we found called Pho My Vi.

After lunch we decided to check out the nearby Windward Mall that we'd been told about by the Paradise Bay staff.
The Windward Mall

We saw a poi place along the way that we decided we'd check out for dinner, as I'd always wondered what poi was all about.

First on my list of things to do in Kaneohe Bay (that is, after lunch and the Windward Mall) was a visit the Valley of the Temples, a vast memorial park at the foot of the Ko'olau divided into Buddhist, Shinto, Protestant and Catholic burial grounds.

...and where there is located the Byodo-In Temple, a non-practicing Buddhist shrine where visitors can come to worship, meditate, or simply enjoy the beauty of the place.

On the temple grounds there was a giant bell called a bon-sho with a deep, mellow tone that visitors were invited to ring before entering the temple.

I found ringing the bon-sho to be a curiously gentle experience that did, in fact, somehow impart a peaceful sensation.
At the temple entrance it was requested that all visitors remove their shoes,

...which Tom and I did.

At the center of the temple was a large statue of Buddha,

...and around the room were tables laden with tropical flowers and incense sticks that one could light in the flame of a glass lantern.

There was also a lovely, serene meditation garden up on a little hill,

...and a park with a fish pond.

...with bushes onto which prayers were tied.

After our visit to the Valley of the Temples we returned to Paradise Bay, where our cottage was ready for our occupation.
Now, the Paradise Bay Resort is rather a topographical wonder. It's constructed vertically on a steep hill that slopes down to a lagoon, with some of the cottages at the top of the hill, some at the bottom, and others built into the side of the hill.

Our place was halfway down the hill, though to get there from the lobby building we had to first walk down to the bottom of the hill,

...then halfway back up the hill,

...to cottage number 37.

Ours was a cute studio suite consisting of a bedroom,

...a kitchen with a light-up mirror,

...and a bathroom also with a light-up mirror.

Fresh blossoms had been left here and there around the cottage.

We had a lanai, or veranda,

...with views of the lagoon,

...the bay.

...and the cottages at the bottom of the hill.

When early evening arrived we could hear from our cottage some lovely Hawaiian music coming from the lobby, so we went to listen for a while,

...and made the acquaintance of Danny, a golden-voiced ukulelist who sings every night in the lobby.

At one point a lovely lady entered and began dancing a graceful hula to the music.

She was friendly and gracious, and after her dance Tom and I chatted with her a bit - I shared with her how much I love hula - and we learned that she was an old friend of Danny's who was from Kaneohe but now lived in Texas. She had been in Hilo on the Big Island for the Merrie Monarch festival (see post from 5/21/2024, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/hula-the-beautiful-dance-of-hawaii) and had stopped here to visit friends and family on her way home.
Next we headed back to the Windward Mall to the Waiahole Poi Factory to try some poi for dinner.
In truth we weren't quite sure how poi was supposed to be eaten: Alone? As a side? Mixed with something? Not wanting to look too much like the clueless tourists that we were, we just ordered the Kalua Pig Combo that included an enormous helping of delicious pulled pork and sides of lomi salmon - a yummy dish made of tomatoes, onions, green onions and salmon - and poi.

We still weren't quite sure what to do with the poi, which was smooth and bland, but not really in a bad way, if that makes any sense. Anyway, we tried mixing it with the pork (was that right? Was it wrong? We don't know) and it was quite good that way.
On our way home we stopped at a Safeway we came upon,

...to buy some food for breakfast, which we planned to eat in our cottage.
And suddenly, for a few moments we were no longer on a scenic Hawaiian island, but back in anywhere USA,