A Few Guanghzou Highlights

It's past my bedtime & I've just popped a couple of nyqil, so this will be a quick one! I went to two temples today- the temple of the 5 immortals, and the 6 Banyan tree temple. Both were amazing and uniquely wonderful in their own ways. The 5 immortals because of it's quiet location, the wonderful tower (story tomorrow-stay tuned), and the beautiful sculpture of the 5 immortals and their goats. The 6 Banyan tree temple was wonderful because it was a hub of activity and the center of a world- tourists and local chinese coming together and experiencing the beauty of the temple. And at the top of the pagoda, sheer and utter peace. I'll have to explain that tomorrow too. Until then, enjoy the pics.

These are the 5 celestials (immortals) and their goats.
A quiet space, leading to an even quieter space. It reminded me of the chinese garden in Portland- only for the reason that once you get inside the walls, the sounds of the world kind of "die away" and you really don't hear anything. That's what I felt when I walked in this place. Outside in Guangzhou the city is loud and alive and moving and exciting- inside it is calm and tranquil and quiet. You can hear the wind through the leaves.
At the 6 Banyan Tree Temple- there were people everywhere. I had to wait for a moment without people for this pic.
The door to the monks quarters- one of the monks had left his shoes out drying.
You can always tell when you are coming up on a temple because everything in the surrounding shops turns up in shades of gold. This is in the temple of course, but that overwhelming amount of gold is echoed in the shops outside on the street as well.