Friday, April 3, 2009

Landing at Taipei

I know if I dont blog this I will never get down to it...:)

Have finally landed on Taipei grounds yesterday after a year's departure. The weather is much much cooler than Hk, which is something that suprises me since I had assume their 22 degree to be as warm as HK. Luckily I threw in extra jumper at the last min but I had to buy stockings last min for my boots as the wind was really too cool towards eve.

Mum was really excited! Initially while planning the trip, she always had no opinion and whatever seemed to do. The min we arrives at Les Suite and I was discussing with the congiere on the plans, mum started chipping in and throwing in sights she wanted to see. However not knowin of all those places, I didnt allocate enough days in Taipei to see those things she mentioned. Sigh.....

Anyway, we headed to Long shan Shi temple. Architecturally, the temple's roof is a massive colour of dragons and phoenix. It looks pretty new to me even though the temple has supposedly hundred of years of history and the oldest temple in Taipei.



As one enter the compound, you will be enveloped by the numerous devotees! It was an eye opener to see all the masses gathered together to chant the prayer (sound like a song), and kneeling and bowing. It was like those church mass but here, the atmosphere was natural, unpretentious and positively without those churchy instituitionalised regiment nor proceedings. I'm a person with faith without subscribing to a particular religion. While I would normally be turned off by religious gatherings, today, yet I was charmed by the group's melodious chant. A new experience.

After that, brought mum to Beitou for hotspring. That really made her day. It was her first experience in hotspring and i threw in an aromatherapy massage to enhance the hot spring effect. Mum wasnt too use to massage so she squirm abit as she was ticklish. She was fearful it would hurt like those nasty ones she had in thailand BBK and I had to tell her that she can tell the therapist to adjust the strength if it was too much, and to STOP comparing with BKK session since this is completely different experience. I think she enjoyed it coz she looked more relaxed than I was! Ha!

It was really cold at Beitou at about 17degrees and since we bought so much snacks at Long shan temple area, it was too heavy to stop over at shilin night market. Today we shall head to the Gu Gong museum and then the night market! Shopping shall be tomorrow!

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