The 17th Floor of Queen Kapiolani Hotel. Room 1717

I was in my bunk at the hostel at 10:30. By midnight my eyes were still wide open, and after crawling out of the top bunk and stumbling outside with cell phone and computer, I made a hotel reservation while questioning what I had done in a past life to deserve degree of pain and torture on my spring break. By then it was too late to book in anywhere for the night (and I did think about it), and having made the reservation I resigned myself to returning to my prison cell hoping for divine benevolence. I found the cheapest option through Kayak.com and booked my aerial twin bed extravaganza on the 17th floor of the Queen Kapiolani Hotel. All in all, the room is fine - it has electricity, no roaches, an air conditioner, a bed, and - after banging on the wall to get the neighbors to turn the TV down - a quiet place to lay my head. Above and beyond the $65 a night, I have to pay $15 for the privilege of parking. Many parking garages it seems are ran independently of the bargain hotels.

I was awake the whole night and was aware of the coming and going of everyone in the hostel. plus the shrieks of laughter from returning drunken 20-somethings puncturing the steady rhythmic snores and grumbles from down below adding to my tortured pretending and rocking back and forth that everything was going to be Ok and my vacation was not going to turn into Abu Ghraib. My eyes were bright red when I looked in the mirror this morning - akin to those experiencing waterboarding - and the only thing that propped my eyes open till 3pm when I finally checked into my current hotel in the afternoon was cooing of the Starbucks maiden.

Amidst the series of unfortunate events, including the bursting of a black pen inside my book bag staining my clothes, hands, and computer accessories, the lack of sleep for two days, a car who's power steering would give out on a whim, and getting stopped by a cop for driving down a road where only busses are allowed, my day up till 3pm was tiring, filled with small frustrations, but overall good based on the experiences I had.

Ahh Waikiki...

Only in Waikiki will you find a noodle shop, a chic nightclub for the uber rich with bouncers who's necks are the thickness of your thighs, next to a pistol shooting gallery seemingly manufactured for the Japanese tourist industry and a Salvatore Ferragamo fashionista edifice where women without any muscle left in their arms - but with enough impatient lustful strength in their boney hands and extruding sinews, produce an American Express card out of their Gucci purses in a well worn and fluid motion... and gracefully swipe with a small, tired, yet satisfied sigh.

Where Stupid People come from...

At last - the source of this demographic has been identified, and a few freshly minted copies have been caught on camera. What goes on in Waikiki really should stay in Waikiki. Alas, the gift keeps on giving ;)

Leaving Waikiki...

Once you leave the manufactured plastic and marble playground crawling with white maggots - I mean limos.. and women adorning diamonds on every available surface, accessorizing occasionally with small tatters of strategically draped fabric - you get to experience quite a different Oahu.

Driving round Diamond Head en route to the windward side of the island and my destination - the Valley of the Temples just north of Kaneohe, I encountered an extraordinary sight - hundreds of people, completely unrelated, jogging and cycling along Kalanianaole highway past the mansions, sporting water bottles and brand name spandex and breathable rayon fabrics. A little more lean on my car's steering wheel would have plowed through this artery of gyrating neophytes and scored me at least 10,000 points. Once I passed the freak show of rich panting housewives with prancing poodles along side their pet Tour de France wannabe racer husbands with naired legs and numbered jerseys - the last throws of Waikiki's pretentious excesses gave way to vistas of the most beautiful unspoiled landscapes and beaches I have seen in my short, yet blessed life.

World Medicine Institute...

Nestled within the mountains of this valley is the World Medicine Institute Tai Hsuan Temple. I will be going there tomorrow to sit in on two classes and to talk with the administration about their Chinese Medicine program. I did not venture inside, but decided to snap a few shots for posterity.




East Kalanianaole Highway...

In short - Oahu is unbelievably beautiful - at least the parts that I saw, and I must say that the sights I saw, the most beautiful of which I either did not photograph, or the photos did not turn out well. The beauty I saw tops my previous adoration of Maui's coastline by far, and what Maui and the Big Island offer in terms of Haleakala and Mauna Kea, Oahu makes up for in its welcoming valleys. Maui's and Hawaii's lofty mountains are grand - and the pristine wildernesses compelling - but the treasures hidden on Oahu's weathered windward mountain range and the beaches thereon provide peace and welcome to the heart. Oahu has no highlands or upcountry that I've been to as yet, and this indeed may not exist here. Each island is indeed completely unique and incomparable to another.

The highway gave way to views of splendid beaches with azure water and coral reefs stretching for miles along the barely frequented shores. The towns along this side of the island are small but functional and you're certainly aware of this island being more populated than any of the others. Still, I may find in my quest on Tuesday to drive the whole island that there are more scarcely populated areas to be found. I hope to also go to the bamboo forest I heard about from a friend on the Big Island.






Valley of the Temples...

After stopping a few times to take pictures of some of the many breathtaking sights, I arrived at the Valley of the Templates - a large cemetery against the backdrop of a mountain range. It's known by this name because it is home to so many denominations' temples, including the Byodo-In Buddhist temple - a replica of a temple in Udo(?) Japan, built completely without the use of any nails.

Prior to going into the valley, I stopped at a grocery store to grab some lunch and I ate this very strange but very yummy creation which I pulled out of the deli case - it was a spicy tuna roll, but instead of being in a roll, the spicy tuna filling was put on a bed of rice and sprinkled with roe and dark red pickled ginger. It was very tasty. A note should be made that Hawaii in general is exceptional in terms of having restaurant-quality sushi available at your local grocery store made by in-house sushi chefs at half the price. This is true of all Asian cuisine on Oahu. I was amazed at the amount of Pho restaurants I came across. Not too many Thai, mind you, but my trip is young and I've not been looking :)

Once entering the valley I took my time to drive past some of the monuments and then headed for the Byodo-In temple. I spent about 40 minutes at the temple and took my time to enjoy the scenery. Prior to entering the valley I passed by the grocery store and decided to cut through the only housing development opposite the Valley and much to my surprise I found myself saying - I could live right here next to this valley in this housing community. Its so serene and filled with tremendous outdoor meditation opportunities and opportunities for contemplation. Still, the trip there had taken me 1 1/4 hours with a few minor stops, so I didn't expect that taking the H3 highway back through the mountain would have me back in Waikiki in 15 minutes! How's that from a commute from one world into another?

Had I not been tired, I would have continued along the coast rather than returning to the Honolulu area, but because it was still early I decided to drive to Wahiawa to see whether there was anything there worth seeing. I was sorely disappointed. This place is a dump and reminds me of Langley Park, Maryland. Yes, I know. That realization took my breath away too.

After internally battling over whether I should go through the hassle of exchanging the car, or just dealing with the lack of power steering, I decided to return it and got a Ford Focus instead. I'm not going to complain. The prior car was a Chevy. If they import so many Japanese tourists here, why can't they import a few cars too?




Chinatown...

After exchanging the car, I went to Chinatown, went down a street meant only for municipal vehicles and had the trunk of my car rapped on by the knuckles of a police officer while I was stopped waiting behind a bus. After explaining my complete lack of paying attention, the officer was nice and issued me a warning before wishing me a pleasant day. I parked, bought a few bags of herbs to take back home, and went to eat Pho. Mmmmm... Pho.

Requiem Aeternam...

Grant them sleep, Oh Lord! I only napped an hour. I checked in to the hotel at exactly three pm. After dealing with the broken pen disaster I took a nap. I wanted to sleep more, but my bizarre set of symptoms wouldn't let me. I gave up trying to sleep and in a daze, I proceeded to take my pulses. I detected pulses that I had never felt on myself before - full and large in every position, but especially in Kidney Yang. I gave myself a treatment - tonifying the KD Yin, and draining deficient heat. I also needled several other fire points on other channels based on Zang Fu pairing or 6-level pairing depending on what seemed most appropriate.

I had been building up this excess heat from the Vog on the Big Island. Over the past week it was particularly bad, and it seems that heat had developed which had kept me from sleep and given me a physiological hangover for the past 2 days. After clearing the heat I became aware of a dry cough and phlegm coming up as my lungs were finally releasing the Vog. After the treatment I felt peaceful, balanced, and though tired, I was no longer achy or in a bad mood and decided to hit the town.

After eating some terribly chosen food, I licked my wounds with a vanilla soft serve ice cream and returned to my hotel. Tomorrow I will go to the Bamboo forest in the morning, or hike Diamond Head before heading to the temple to sit in on classes.