Also because of the re-routing, we had to stop in Kaohsiung City on the south side of Taiwan
instead of Taipei on the north side. At least this time we had a tour arranged.
It's really a beautiful city. From the ship, you see the cruise terminal on the left and a
see-through building on the right.
We go to the Go Guang Shan monastery.
Here's our tour guide with today's map.
There are various statues all around the grounds.
The main attraction is this huge Buddha with 400 life-size Buddha statues around him.
It is a very impressive display.
Down the row with the main river of the city in the background.
Looking out over the city.
Here's us with the main Buddha statue in the background.
Each of these statues is hand-carved; no mass-production here.
A close-up of the plinth that the main Buddha is on.
Looking down at a variety of statues along the road that you come up on the way in.
There are also child-like Buddha statues along this driveway.
One of the many pagodas.
This garden meditation area is just gorgeous.
Double-click on any of the pictures to bring up the larger size.
Heading toward the main shrine area.
Some pretty flowers.
A map showing the orientation of the shrine to the Buddha.
A Kwan Yin statue in a small pond area.
As we are leaving, a shot back to the main internal gate.
They take us back to the center of town, around a large lake.
On the way, we see this noodle shop in operation.
Here are the Spring and Autumn pavilions, across the street...
...from the Zuoying Chiming temple that we are visiting.
Our tour guide in front of a decorative carving in the middle of the staircases.
Kimberly in front of the guardian lion-dogs.
Inside it looks very colorful.
A shrine with several figurines including Bodhisattva.
Another carved niche area.
This is a working temple with several niches for various gods.
Across the street is the Spring and Autumn pavilion, with Guanyin on the dragon's back.
You can enter the mouth of the dragon...
...and walk through these tunnels...
...and come out the mouth of the tiger for luck. But don't go the other way.
On we go to a Confucian temple. Beyond this entryway is the ritual cleansing area.
The main gate of the temple.
The inner courtyard and main shrine area.
There are no statues here because Confucius is a man, not a god to be worshipped.
These are musical instruments played during ceremonies.
Another view of the main shrine.
Off we go for a lunch, this time more of a lazy susan buffet style.
Even the metro rails have manicured grass instead of gravel.
We head to the Pier2 Art Cernter, a hip-and-happening area. Note the funky fans on top of this building.
This bridge rotates 90 degrees once or twice a day to let ships pass by on both sides.
A view back up toward the cruise terminal and our ship.
These bells ring on the hour and play a variety of tunes.
A dragon statue on the river.
