we have been studying buddhism and taoism and today we were able to go to a taoist temple. the design and structure of the buildings was amazingly beautiful, the gods were so ornate and very well taken care of and the incense was stronger than in any 1970s hippie van. as soon as we walked through the "middle gate" of the temple the whole mood/aura of the group changed. we started walking with purpose and knew we had business to do while we were there.
our tour guide was a very friendly college student who is a taoist and is very passionate about what he believes, he was very eager to tell us about what each and every god did and how important ying and yang are. i was brought to tears many many times on the tour. i found the god that is supposed to be my "protector" according to the chinese zodiac and peter and i did some business with him. the air was very heavy in the temples and it was not because of the incense, everyone could feel it and our views of the taoist religion will never be the same.
after our tour, we climbed to the highest spot in the whole area above the temple and did business up there. it was a very hard climb, i would say it was the great wall for this area. we got to the top of the mountain and we read from a Book, talked and planted seeds. on our way down from the temple we got to meet the oldest monk there, he is 98 years old and we were able to talk to him and give him a few seeds.
i know i have promised to put some pictures up, and i am sorry i have not been able to yet, but here are a couple from yesterday for your viewing pleasure. i love yall and i would love to talk to yall, so give me a call sometime....tomorrow is a free day....hint hint!
much love, enjoy the pictures....
very yummy fresh coconut milk...mmm....
everyones favorite squatty potties! and i took a picture of the cleanest one (in KFC).
peter and me eating food from his hometown.
my favorite soup, 5 or 6 different types of mushrooms or as they say in china "fungus"
goodnight and stay tuned for more updates.
