Ahh, great God King Qingshan, responsible for the Bangka Temple Festival… Another cultural event I sort of stumbled upon not doing my due diligence as a tourist to inform myself properly about current festivals. Fireworks late at night had been going on for a few days – Vanida, a friend, from her posh perch inContinue reading “Bangka Qingshan Festival – Taipei”
Author Archives: Surati's Musings
Of Temples and Celebrations – Part 2
Welcome to Part 2! Come along for a visit to Guandu Temple, and get a little Zen at Linji Huguo Temple; then visit Yinhe Cave, Songshan Tianbao Temple, and Xingtian Temple. I think I’ll save a slideshow of the Bangka Quinshan Celebration for another post. Here we go… Guandu Temple The first time “I laidContinue reading “Of Temples and Celebrations – Part 2”
Of Temples and Celebrations – Part 1
During my time in Taiwan I visited many temples and then as now I delight in the colourful vibrance they add to life. They are sacred spaces in busy cities, places of refuge from traffic and noise, and of course active places of worship. I’ve shared in other posts about the Dragon and Tiger PagodasContinue reading “Of Temples and Celebrations – Part 1”
Lost and Found
I’ve been spending a lot of time labouring (with love) in my garden and making rather slow progress on my promised post on Temples and Celebrations in Taipei. So I’m slipping in this little post to tie us over… It’s about a recent ordinary and magical meeting – with Errol. It’s early March on myContinue reading “Lost and Found”
Tainan Moments
Time flies… and life on Canadian soil is engaging in quieter ways these days. Looking through photos in preparation for this post brought on a pang of longing to be back in the “oh so” colourful, lively and noisy streets of Tainan, the ancient capital of Taiwan. Or on a hike in the green andContinue reading “Tainan Moments”
Waterfalls and Memories of Lanterns
Sandiaoling, Shifen, Pingxi January 15, 2021. Shall we go for a hike? Where to? So many choices, so many beautiful places to explore in the vicinity of Taipei. I would really like to see the Shifen Waterfalls as I caught a glimpse last February from the train. They are beautiful. Kind of like a mini-mini-miniContinue reading “Waterfalls and Memories of Lanterns”
Sometimes, Things Happen Quickly…
Well, sometimes things happen very quickly… as did the decision, plan and execution of my return trip to Canada. Yes folks, I’m back on Canadian soil! In fact, on day nine of quarantine at my Vancouver Island home as I’m writing this. Ever since the Canadian government announced further restrictions adding a hefty price tagContinue reading “Sometimes, Things Happen Quickly…”
Yehliu Geopark
January 14, 2021. It’s a sunny day – gotta get out of town! Where to today? Yehliu Geopark! This one has been on my list of day trips from Taipei for a while. I am becoming more and more comfortable figuring out public transport, specifically the bus system. Google is pretty good at making suggestions,Continue reading “Yehliu Geopark”
Kenting – Of Beaches and Much More…
Early January. It has been cold in Taipei over New Year’s and temperatures continue to plummet. Unusually cold, I hear. I don’t mind it so much outside, it reminds me of home. But most buildings here don’t have heating, so it becomes a 24 hour thing. I sleep with a tuque. Oh well, this tooContinue reading “Kenting – Of Beaches and Much More…”
Of Mountains and Villages ~ Yushan and Kalibuan
(Catching-up with 2020 trips… November 26&27, 2020) Early morning, we watch the sunrise at Alishan (see last post), and after breakfast meet up with Kaya’s hiking buddies Sheradine and Linda, who took an early morning bus from Chiayi to get to Alishan Reserve. From here, we ride to Yushan National Park where they take aContinue reading “Of Mountains and Villages ~ Yushan and Kalibuan”
Surati's Musings 