A couple of weekends ago, we went to the Valley of the Temples, which sounded a lot like we were going to be in an Indiana Jones movie. It’s up in Kaneohe, north of Kailua, and is actually a cemetary. Lots of them: we passed Catholics, Buddhists, and more we couldn’t see, stretching into hills beyond the road.
The Byodo-In Temple is the part where you can walk around, with its own parking lot and admissions booth. It was built in 1968 without using nails– out of concrete, so it won’t get eaten by termites. Inside is an 18 foot statue of Buddha, covered in gold leaf. It seemed disrespectful to take a pic of Buddha or use the flash inside the dark space, so I didn’t.
Surrounding the Byodo-In is a big koi pond, which seems to be four separate ones but is connected. (Cadillac and I were just debating this recollection.)
It’s very green and very mosquito-ey– I came home sporting 12 bites on my legs (no joke). Apparently, applying repellent over sunblock is not good.
For a dollar, you can buy koi food and feed the fish. You can also ring the bell (free) with a giant log, something the kids wanted to do too much of.
The day was also very hot and humid,despite it looking so nice and cool in the pics, so every part of me was fluffy, from my fingers to my face to my hair. I have not been able to wear my wedding ring one day in Hawaii, though it used to be loose– as soon as I step outside my body swells in protest. Or it’s reacting to mosquitoes. Maybe that’s why ladies wear the flower in their hair to signify single/married– more practical than a ring.
But, the best part (for me) was the gift shop.
This is because I bought a lucky cat, the sort you see in Japanese or Chinese restaurants, one paw raised. The left invites money, the right luck.
So I thought, do I need luck or money?
I thought luck, because luck can bring money.
Anyway, I brought it home and Elyse told me she had been given a cat with the left paw up, so we had both. We placed them facing the front door, as you’re supposed to.
And do you know what happened? The next day I received a check I’d been missing, and the day after that I got another check, and then our whole Internet cable issue got resolved.
I hoped that the lucky cat had been blessed by one of the priests– after all, it is a temple.
Thanks, Lucky Cats.
MARGARET DILLOWAY 