... and this will now be the last post that I have at least started writing in Hawai'i. I don't know whether I can end it here. It is now Monday and in 2 days we will fly back to Germany. We have to do it for good or bad. ๐ฅ
Today is Monday and that means that I now go back a whole week with my report. So a week ago we were on the Kualoa Ranch. "Discover Jurassic Valley" is the thick heading when you go to the website. Sure, because Jurassic Park is probably the best known and most important production that was rotated there. ๐ฆ There is still some scenery from these films, but also a lot of places and areas that are left from other film productions.
We entered the ranch building through the souvenir shop, where it was swarming with people. The adjacent snack area was also well attended. In the confirmation email of my booking was written that we should go to the ticket office. A friendly lady who belonged to the Ranch Personal told me that the ticket office can be found on the back of the Souvenir Shop, and so we pushed ourselves to the rear exit through these many people. The terrain is very large and when we came out of the souvenir shop we saw more buildings, sheds, a horse pen, many seating and some large buses, pick-up trucks with benches on the expanded loading area and, above all, many, many people. Each tour has its own starting point and so we looked for ours and quickly found it.
Since we were still very early, we decided to take a look at the Kualoa-Grown Market, i.e. the organic market of the ranch. You have to say that the terrain and all the things you can do there and also everything that the owner John Morgan has created are very impressive. Above all, special care is taken to preserve and protect the original flora and fauna. If you want to read more about it, you can take a look at the website. There is really a lot to read about the Kualoa Ranch.
Our guide's name for this tour was Matt and he was a very friendly and, above all, super relaxed guy. Our pick-up truck was occupied except for one seat - so we were 15 people. Buckling up was a must, because right at the beginning he told us that we had booked the “wildest” tour of the ranch. I just thought: "He can tell a lot!" However, he was right, because it went up and down the mountains, over super uneven slopes, through streams and through the densest jungle. On the entire tour he "fed" us with many Interesting information about the ranch, the Kane'ohe Bay, the history of the island and much more. Among other things, he said that hammerhead sharks were coming into the bay to give birth to their offspring (alive); that 97% of daily needs (including food) of Hawai'i have to be flown in or embarked from the mainland; that this paradise is permanently threatened by invasive species from flora and fauna and other facts. It was really very informative and we liked it so much that we might have booked another tour if we had more time.
This year we will also follow our own traces of 2019 when we were here for the first time. ๐ That is why we made our way to Honolulu on Tuesday to visit Trident Adventures. I think it was 2 or 3 years ago that Steven Kaplan (one of the owners of Trident Adventures) moved the diving shop from KoOlina to Honolulu to the harbor, more precisely to Aloha Tower Marketplace. When we visited exactly this shopping center 5 years ago, there were only a few shops there and after Trident Adventures decided to move there, we expected to find significantly more shops. But as is so often the case, our expectations were not fulfilled. Incidentally, the Aloha Tower (lighthouse) was built in 1926 and is a well-known symbol of Honolulu.
Well, we did not meet Steve there at noon and also not Donna, who used to work for him. My friend Gabriele from Hamburg, whom I also got to know through Hawai’i and Hawai’i Five-0 on social media, asked us to say Hi to Steve and especially Donna and to give a big hug to them. So that was my mission, which I couldn't do straight away because neither of them was in the shop. I was told that Donna would no longer work for Trident Adventures and that I could very likely find Steve in the shop in the afternoon. After a tour through the entire Aloha Tower Marketplace, we decided to spend a little time in the urban area of Honolulu and try it again later.
to the Aloha Tower Marketplace
After a look at the map, we headed to the Punchbowl Crater, since the Punchbowl Scenic Lookout was named there, and I always find lookouts very exciting. As the name suggests, it is an extinct volcano. In Wikipedia you can find the following: “Although there are various translations of the Punchbowl's Hawaiian name, "Pลซowaina," the most common is "Hill of Sacrifice. This translation closely relates to the history of the crater. With almost 7 million visitors a year, the PunchBowl Crater is the most visited tourist attraction of Hawaiis. In the crater above Downtown Honolulu, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific - the largest soldier's cemetery in Hawaiis, on which almost 37,000 American soldiers have found their last resting place.”
Wow! ๐ฎ I actually think that I already know a lot about the islands, but I couldn't understand that I hadn't heard or read about it at that moment. We made our way and when I had my first glimpse into the crater, I knew immediately that I already knew this place! At least from television, because this special cemetery was also the location of my favorite series from Hawai’i many times. ๐ The way to the lookout was definitely worth it, because we were rewarded with a wonderful view of the city.
Later we drove back to the Aloha Tower Marketplace and my honey stayed in the car because we didn't know if Steve would really be there. So I went to the diving shop alone and who just rolled his motorcycle out of the adjacent workshop when I arrived? Steve! I went to him, grinned at him and asked: "Well, do you still know me?" His bright smile and his answer went down like oil. Geez! I am an absolute fan of this man who could melt every iceberg with his charming way! ๐ฅฐ He asked for my honey and when I explained to him that he would wait for me in the car, he said: “He should simply turn off the car there and come. Nobody says anything here if you turn off the car for a quarter of an hour without a park ticket. ” I sent my sweetheart a message and it didn't take long for him to appear in front of the Trident Adventures shop.
In the meantime we talked and when I explained to Steve that I was asked to say hi to him and asked him to guess who it could be from, he replied immediately: "Gabriele!" When I affirmed that, he only said: "Let us take a photo for her that you send her back with my warmest greetings." Said and done. Yes, that's how he's. ๐คฉ
Shortly afterwards he greeted my honey with a high five and asked if we would do something with Trident Adventures again. I would have really loved that, would have loved to jump out of the helicopter again because it was really a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the time was just too scarce. After a few minutes we said goodbye and I was happy that something had finally worked out that I was asked for. I sent the photo with the corresponding words to my friend in Hamburg and knew that I had made someone very happy. ๐
Click here for Trident Adventures
Back to Kane’ohe we took the “Scenic Road” again, which leads past the Diamond Head Lookout, among other things. You already know which I mean right? ๐
If you go to Hawai’i or O’ahu, you absolutely have to visit the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. ๐๐ป A huge market takes place in the parking lot of the Aloha Stadium on three days of the week. There are souvenirs of all kinds to buy and also lots of local providers of food and drink.
It was the idea of my friend Bobby to go there very early and she was absolutely right with it. Already around 8 am on Wednesday morning we drove into the park area, when not all the stalls had even been set up yet. We strolled across the market for about two hours, which seemed endless, bought a lot of souvenirs and a few local treats. At around 10 am we only searched for shade, because the Hawaiian sun started to shine mercilessly hot. ๐ฅต
This market is really worth seeing and since I had been looking for a few concrete things for myself, I was very grateful that Bobby supported me at the dealers. ❤ I am always told that my English is very good, but I also have my inhibition threshold here and there. Our shopping tour finally ended in Kane’ohe at a Starbucks, where we treated ourselves to refreshment and chatted for a while before we put Bobby back at home. It was another great day - without question! ๐๐ผ
There is something that I already had on my list in 2019 and that I was finally able to take off my list the next day, the Byodo-in-Temple in Kane’ohe, which we visited on Thursday. This Buddhist temple is at the foot of the Ko’olau mountain in the Valley of the Temples. Built in 1963, it is a smaller replica of the almost 1,000-year-old Byodo-in temple in Uji (Japan), a landmark of the state of Hawai’i and it is part of the United Nations World Heritage Site. It's a very peaceful and impressive place.
Right at the beginning of the temple complex you will find the Bon-Sho, the holy bell, which every visitor can ring in order to cleanse your own spirit of evil thoughts and temptation in this way. It is said that the ringing of the bell brings happiness, blessings and a long life. Usually you ring them before you enter the temple yourself. We both ringed them and then entered the temple barefoot, lit an incense stick and prayed. Afterwards we stayed in the garden for a while, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and the beauty of nature. I could have lingered there even longer.
By the way, this district of Kane’ohe is called สปฤhuimanu, which means Swarm of Birds.
Continued in part 2! ๐
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