Nuuanu Pali and Honolulu

After some great and productive work visits today I did a little shopping. I may have bought some new sunglasses at COACH that I didn't exactly, "need" per se, but I'll never tell. I headed out to stroll around Waikele and then stopped for a snack. Can you guess? Shaved ice! I found the cutest spot in Kaneohe and it was a close second to Matsumotos.

I stopped at The Pali Lookout on my drive back to the hotel.

Nu'uanu Pali is frequented by visitors to Oahu. The panoramic views of the windward side of the island were pretty awesome. From the lookout you see the 985 foot cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range. It was super windy! The trade winds flow through the valley from the mountains on both sides. It creates a tunnel with some pretty significant gusts!

I made a pit stop at The Kyoto Gardens of Honolulu Memorial Park. My friend Olivia and I visited the Kyoto temples in 2007 on a visit to Osaka. They resemble what we saw and were impressive.

I ended the day by visiting my first Buddhist Temple ~ Honpa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and study center.

Tomorrow I head to The Big Island. I have to do the pack/check-out/return rental car/check in for flight shuffle that usually leaves me a bit frazzled. But not before stopping for some local Saimin ~ noodle soup native to Hawaii. It's glorified top ramen... but when in Rome... :O)