Capturing the Moment

Byodo-In Temple   One of Oahu's hidden gems for visitors and photographers is the gorgeous Byodo-In temple. Located just past Kaneohe on Oahu's east side, this Buddhist temple is nestled up against towering green cliffs. The reflection pool in front is filled with bright orange koi fish and black swans, and peacocks stalk around the grounds as well.   Whenever I come here with a camera I end up staying well over an hour. The temple itself is modeled after the ancient home of a Japanese aristocrat in southern Kyoto that was built in the 11th century. A massive bell can be rung upon entering the complex and the sound it makes is said to rid the mind of temptation and evil. The center building of the temple houses a nine foot wooden statue of Buddha. The burning of incense as offerings and prayers are made in front of the Buddha statue creates an instant escape to the heart of Asia. I am always transported back to my time in Japan when I enter the main prayer hall. ...

  With all of the water activities here in Bali it can be easy to miss out on the beautiful mountains. You can see the volcanoes and mountains clearly from the coast in the mornings. By early afternoon the summits are cloaked in clouds and mystery. It is definitely worth taking a day off from the ocean to drive deeper inland and explore these mountains up close.   Heidi and I have been to one of the mountain lakes before so this time we decided to see Lake Bratan with its beautiful lake temple. When looking at a map our destination looks quite close to Ubud, but in reality it takes a long time to get anywhere in Bali. The roads are so small and congested that you are almost always driving under 50km/hr. Maybe the roads are still set up for bicycles.    I was blown away when we walked down to the lake temple. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple is a water temple built in 1663. Lake Bratan is known as the Lake of Holy Mountain due to the fertility of this area. It i...

Those are my sun glasses! Myles and Jack on the precipice    A nice trip to get some Balinese culture turned into a wild treasure hunt when one of the temple monkeys took a swipe at my eyes, snatching my sunglasses right off my face, and bolting into the thorny bush side. We finally got them back after the monkey dropped them and we doubled our caution around these little thieving pickpockets. Cliff hanging temple at Uluwatu Cute face, Cunning Thief   The temple at Uluwatu ( Pura Uluwatu ) was built in the 11th century. While not as big or majestic as some other temples in Bali, the location, atop a huge sea cliff, is a sight to behold. Upon entering we had to don purple sarongs so we would be properly dressed. We quickly found out that the temple is overrun with monkeys. Since they are considered descendants of the famous monkey god they are protected and fed here at the temple. However behind the cute face lies a cunning thief. They have learned to pi...