One of the most beautiful places on the island is hidden away, out Kadena Air Base's Gate 3, east on Rte 26 through Chibana.
The Southeast Botanical Gardens has been a favorite for decades. We first saw the place in the 1970s then again in 1987. It opened in 1968 and operated until December, 2010, when it closed rather abruptly under a management re-organization plan. After almost three years it re-opened July 6th, 2013. I got to see it again, finally, in October, 2015.
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1987 with Zac and Brittney
I had stopped off at Sun Sea to get a few things and on the way back decided to check out the Gardens.
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Before going into the Gardens I paid a visit to the Partnership Shop & Cafe. It wasn't very busy and would have been an excellent time to grab a bite but just wasn't hungry. So I can't give an opinion about the cafe.
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So, after a brief visit in the shop & cafe I ventured on into the gardens. There was a wedding going on over on the Botanical Garden side of the park and the woman at the ticket booth told me that it was closed to the public until around 2:00 p.m. I remembered my previous trip and recalled that the Water Garden was, in my opinion, more interesting anyway so it wasn't a big deal. My only concern was that by the time the Botanical Garden side was re-opened there might not be very good lighting and the sun would be low. But then I realized that the sun wasn't terribly bright so maybe it wouldn't be such a problem.
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