Moon Festival at Longshan Temple

Tuesday night, Catherine and I made our way to the Longshan Temple. It's one of the more prominent Buddhist temples in Taipei. The place was packed! Catherine escorted me through explaining many of the customs and rites. It's a beautiful place.

I really enjoy visiting the temples. The artwork and aura is intense. Since Monday was a holiday, the temple was especially busy. I did my best to not disturb Catherine as she partook in the rituals. She was an excellent tour guide.

Here are some of the photos from our visit:

(I have finally discovered how to export photos properly. From here on in, they won't open up full-sized when you click on them...not sure why it took me so long to discover how to do this.)

Approaching the main entrance. The place was hopping.

The waterfalls are just inside the entrance in the first photo. I was quite surprised to see them.

Mugging for the camera. I don't allow myself to be on that side of the camera very often, enjoy!...lol

Some interesting etchings surrounding the entrance doors.

Looking back at the gate before we entered the main temple.

What a spread! Visitors bring offerings in order to show one's commitment and encourage generosity and virtue from the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

The main worship area. I had to turn off the flash on the camera because there was so much smoke from the burning of incense and candles.

One of the many worship areas. I love all the colors and intricate design-work.

There are several of these pillars throughout the temple. All of them have unique messages etched in them.

Catherine chatting with another young woman while waiting her turn to approach the shrine.

A fine example of the lovely artwork throughout the temple.

I took this to show the amount of smoke emanating from the temple. I was standing on the sidewalk quite a distance from the main area. It was crazy smoky.

I am planning on making a return visit soon. I want to go there during the day in order to catch some of the stuff that night shots can't pick-up.

Pictures!

Couldn't resist taking this one. This billboard is at the entrance of my local subway station. To Taiwanese people, pasty white skin is ideal. There is a huge market here for products to make you ghostly white...odd. Folks here are totally freaked out by the sun. It's not uncommon to have to dodge umbrellas on a perfectly sunny day.
Fridge magnets! An insanely popular collectible here. I have been sucked into the magnet mania. Every time you spend a few bucks in one of the local convenience stores, you get a free magnet. There are three major convenience stores here and they use the magnets to draw customers, it works! The ones at the bottom are highly coveted...I have a zillion of them...lol.
Sogo, the monster department store chain in Taipei. This is actually one of their smaller stores. I love the design, not the prices.
A common sight here. Temples are constructed in alleys amongst all of the towering apartment buildings. This one is next to my local supermarket. It's a beautifully ornate little building.

Pictures!

This is the entrance to my office. Notice the insane amount of bicycles and scooters.

A shot from my desk. This is the main entrance to the school.

Cindy, the silliest 2nd grader you'll ever meet. Her English is incredible. We have lots of fun.

A temple in the northern part of the city. This type of temple is very common all over the city, it's incredibly ornate. The architecture is impressive.