RAJI WRITES

There are few places on earth where, the second your feet touch the ground, the stress drains away. Hawaii is my #1 place in that regard. Kauai is the northernmost island, not as developed as Oahu, Maui or the Big Island, and less visited. its natural beauty is legendary, and recognizable from films such as Jurassic Park. Here is a typical vista, with the Pacific Ocean, lava rocks, and palm trees. This is in Princeville, on the North Shore of Kauai. Also in Princeville is

At the botanical gardens in Princeville, the tour guide pointed out some deep blue spheres on the ground, which she said were fruit of the Rudraksha tree. I perked up at this, not knowing where they grew aside from the Himalayan foothills. Inside each fruit is a seed, which is made into the Rudraksha beads. She surprised me further by saying that there is an entire grove of these trees near a Hindu monastery in the hills of Kapa'a. I had no idea there was a Hindu monaster