Kauai's Hindu Monastery

Every time we visit Kauai we discover something new. Last time it was the Lawa'i Buddhist    
shrines. This November it was the Hindu Monastery. The sanctuary was founded by Gurudeva in the '70s and has since become a Hindu center and monastic order for many monks. Visitors are welcomed daily from 10:45 to noon and are allowed to wander through the grounds and gardens. It's a beautiful and peaceful place.

Guests are encouraged to dress in traditional Hindu clothing when visiting. Alternatively, modest clothing is permitted. No shorts, short dresses, t-shirts or tank tops. Dean was wearing shorts so he grabbed one of the sarongs offered at the entrance.

                   This lovely pool, with a Shiva statuette and fountain, sits near the entrance.

                                                               The pool reminded me of Bali

The Kadavul Hindu Temple  is open to all

A view across the valley

Iraivan Temple across the Wailua River

Across the Wailua River stands the Iraivan temple, a mammoth granite structure carved in India by master stone masons and shipped to Kauai block by block. Resident artisans from India are still at work fitting the last of 3000 blocks of stone in place and "erecting an edifice according to ancient agamic mystical injunctions."

Visitors are not allowed to visit this temple unless they take the two hour tour, which we didn't do, but we could see it from the grounds across the river.

After wandering around the monastery for an hour, we visited the gift shop and then headed to the nearby Opaeka'a falls.

Clean Air in Kauai

Hiking the Mahaulepu Trail

                                       Just back from Kauai where the air is clean and bright

View from the Mahaulepu trail-this is where we spotted a manta ray

                                                           And the sea and sky are blue

Excès de Vitesse (French Speeding Ticket)

Look what arrived in the mail yesterday! A speeding ticket sent from France for driving 89 km per hour in a zone authorized for 80 km/h. The date of our offense was Sept. 11th and we were driving towards the Chateau de Brissac, which I noticed when we crossed the Loire on our way to Poissonière.

Chateau de Brissac

Our speed must have been clocked by radar because we were never stopped and we weren't aware of anything until we received the notification by mail.

Here's a closer look

Description of the infraction. Good thing I can read French

Dean is all for not paying, but I think I'll take the option of sending a payment by Visa in the envelope they provided. I'm sure the French traffic administration would keep hounding us with ever steeper fines and then find a suitable punishment if we ignored them. What could that be? Possibly not allowing us to rent a car in France? or not letting us enter the country? It's not worth the 45 euros they are charging. Talk about "the long arm of the law," or the long arm of French bureaucracy.