My Travel Adventures

Exams are coming up next week, so even though my feet have been feeling a little restless, I decided I would not go anywhere far this weekend and focus on studying. My resolve weakened as soon as I woke up on Saturday morning, for the sun was shining and it looked like we were going to have a nice day. I ploughed through my work anyway, telling myself that if I finished early, I would go out and see a temple or a monument in the afternoon. The weather, however, was not on my side, and by midday, the wind had picked up and a light drizzle came over the city. By that time, I was already so excited to get out that the weather was not going to stand in my way. I remembered that I had been putting off a trip to the National Palace Museum for an ugly day, so I packed my camera bag and set off.

The next day of our travels, we took the train to Changhua. It is still unbelievable to me that I can use my public transit card throughout the whole island without the slightest of difficulties. The greatest attraction in Changhua, and the only reason for our visit, is the Baguashan Buddha, a massive statue erected in the sixties, that overlooks the city. What surprised me when we got there was that practically all the vendors were selling meat products, or at the very least fish and dried squid. I do not remember anything like this happening at the Buddhist attractions of Yunnan – in fact, many temples had their own vegetarian eateries.