Photo Friday: Valley of the Temples, Oahu

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After our flight over the North Shore, we headed back to Turtle Bay to check out and make our way back to Honolulu for the remainder of our trip. When we first landed, we had driven to Haleiwa straight up H2 from the airport up H2, and I wanted to go back a different way. That’s how we came to explore the Windward side and find ourselves in the Valley of the Temples one hazy Monday afternoon.

We hadn’t planned this brief detour in advance, but on our way down Highway 83, I was Googling “LOST filming locations” on my Droid—hello, geek alert!—and lo and behold, it returned Byodo-In Temple, which was just a few miles from where we were. And so we went. As if there was another option than to stand on the same bridge where Jin proposed to Sun!

It was a $3 “donation” to be admitted—side note: why is it called a “donation” when it’s required fee to enter?—so we paid and made our way over the bridge to…Korea!

It rather cracks me up that the engagement scene that was supposed to have taken place over the pond in Asia (Season 1, Episode 6: House of the Rising Sun) was actually shot on Oahu. I guess that’s the beauty of film, though.

And it had wildlife to boot, too. Byodo-In: a zoo, cultural experience and holy visit, all rolled into one!

But what a secluded, breathtaking spot, eh?

(P.S. Stay tuned for my big announcement this Sunday! I’ve been keeping a super exciting secret from you guys for a whole month now, which is pretty much unheard of if you know me and how big my mouth is.)(P.P.S. Not a baby!)

*All photos taken with a Canon T1i, Canon 17-85mm lens or Sigma 10-20mm lens, neutral density (1000x) filter, and housed in a LowePro SlingShot.

**For more Photo Friday fun, visit Delicious Baby.

 

COMMENTS
  • May 13, 2011

    My guesses on the big news (that is NOT A BABY!):
    1. Book deal!
    2. Giveaway!
    3. Ella is taking over the website to torture us daily with cute photos.
    4. TWO BABIES!? (Haha, I joke, I joke…)

    • May 13, 2011
      Kristin

      Haha, none of the above but I like that you have faith that I can land a book deal…put that forward in the Universe and maybe one day it will happen! =)

      • May 13, 2011

        You totally can! This reminds me, I found a way to link your Frommer’s California 2011 book on my site. It makes me giddily happy that it’s on there!

        • May 13, 2011
          Kristin

          Um, I love you guys and want to keep you both around always for when I need a pick-me-up. Being my friend comes with lures of lots of free chocolate. Sound good?

  • May 13, 2011

    I’ve recently caught up with the rest of the world and started watching Lost on Netflix. What a surprise that the proposal scene was filmed in Hawaii!

    Thanks for sharing. Great pics, as always.

    • May 13, 2011
      Kristin

      Watching a show after it’s over is the best because you have–in the case of LOST–about 100 episodes to look forward to whenever you want/have the time and don’t have to wait a week (or longer) between each episode. Scott and I have done that with Dexter, Big Love, Breaking Bad, Damages and now Battlestar Galactica in just the past six months alone. (Yeah, yeah, yeah…we have no social lives, clearly!)

  • May 13, 2011

    Was it as deserted as it looks in these photos? I love spots that are off the beaten path and less crowded.

    • May 13, 2011
      Kristin

      There were probably three or four other couples there while we were, but the grounds were huge, so not totally deserted but sparse enough to take photos without anyone else around. Then again, Jen said in the comments below when she was there a whole tour bus pulled up, so maybe we just hit it at the right time? (A Monday afternoon in April, FYI, should you ever go there, too!)

  • May 13, 2011

    Amazing shots! I love the one with the sky and clouds moving over the red temple.

    I have to ask what’s up with the goldfish. We were in a place recently where they were the same. Why do they like to be on top of each other, it’s kind of creepy!

    • May 13, 2011
      Kristin

      Haha, that thought didn’t even occur to me but now that you mention it, nearly every resort we visited on the Big Island also had a pond like this! Maybe it’s a Hawaiian thing?

      • May 14, 2011

        You know, somewhere in my deep archives of photos, I have the exact type of photo from a Costa Rica amusement park with the goldfish toppling over each other. I think it’s an international thing!

  • May 13, 2011

    So gorgeous!! I had no idea this existed, what a fantastic find!

    xox

  • May 13, 2011

    Um, I would have judged you had you NOT gone to see the LOST filming locations. 🙂

    • May 13, 2011
      Kristin

      I went to see as many as we could find! I was Googling away on my phone practically the entire time we were on Oahu just to make sure we weren’t near any vital site and totally missing the opportunity =)

  • May 13, 2011

    I’m so glad you found a neat spot on the windward side drive. We found it slightly depressing with all the weather beaten houses and felt like we hadn’t known Hawaii had the hard life, too. This would’ve made it much better!

    I’m so excited for your secret!!

  • May 13, 2011

    LOST had me convinced they filmed in Korea too! You’re right, though, it is such a beautiful spot.

  • May 13, 2011

    Beautiful photos and have fun to visit the place where LOST was filmed.

  • May 13, 2011

    Appreciated also by me, and I’ve never watched LOST!

  • May 13, 2011

    When we visited, a tour bus had just let off so it was horribly crowded and not so much fun…still a beautiful spot though. Pretty pictures!

    • May 13, 2011
      Kristin

      We must have lucked out as there were probably only six other people there while we were (a Monday afternoon in April…that could be why!).

  • May 13, 2011

    So beautifully captured. Awesome.

    • May 13, 2011
      Kristin

      Thank you so much!

  • May 13, 2011

    so beautiful!!! i am planning to go there in august!! i did not hear about this place on my previous trip to HNL

  • May 13, 2011

    I love the mist hanging over the mountains. Gorge.

  • May 15, 2011

    The mist is beautiful, and it has that movie-magic look! I can totally picture a movie or TV show being filmed here. Looks like you got a good deal for your $3 “donation.” 🙂

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