My first Car...umm I mean Scooter

Jake and I were given a couple of scooters from Marc Heckman, for only $3USD each. The name transferring cost were a little more. They have changed my whole world in Taiwan. I have been able to expand the world before me. It takes me only 15-30min to get to a place that use to take me 1 hour to get to by bus. This makes me really want a motorcycle in the states except the driving here is way more effective on a scooter. You can't just weave in and out of cars in the states.

Lugang Temple Tour

 Lugang is a port city in Taichung County, Taiwan. It is famous for some of its foods, its Dragon Boat Races and also its old temples. Marc took Jake, Brittany and I on a little tour here.

Many people come to the very old temples to worship. The town is full of gods. The men used to go out sailing and trading for goods while many of the wives stayed home to pray to the gods for their safety.

It almost brings me to tears watching as this father leaned over his son, holding his hands together, teaching him the proper form to worship the gods of Taiwan.

Many of their gods are surprisingly demonic like. The idols they worship or beautiful creatures but dark evil looking monsters, which they fear.

Similar to the Catholic church you can buy little spaces of lights for you dead ancestor. I'm not sure if this is to help them have a better after life or better chances of a good reincarnation.

Lugang is a very old town but over the years it has been expanding. The white part is where the land use to end but it has risen to the colored sections of the map on the left. I think it was like 5 meters every so many years.

Lugang is famous for its old brick streets, many pink hatted, Taiwanese and Chinese tourist visit. You will also see the tour guide carrying a flag to help keep anyone from getting lost. Funny thing is the Americans use tour guides less in foreign countries then Chinese use for a country that speaks the same language.

Giant Buddha statue sits over looking Lugang. You can actually walk right into the belly of Buddha (not as exciting as it sounds). On each floor is a different stage of Buddha's life.

There are 12 men sitting around Buddha

Pokemon Tower?

Lady selling giant Ostrich eggs on the way up to the giant Buddha.

Marc was kinda enough to get us some of this very gooey gel food stuff, which I have had many times and still am not use to the texture, before the ride home.

Zodiac - Mouse (aliah) Mountain

Little Temple along the path

We kinda missed a month out of our Zodiac mountain a month thing because of conflicting schedules but plan to hit two next time. We headed up to Mouse Mountain. It was a long drive up.  We stopped at a house for some help, the lady let us park our car in her driveway, she also excitedly showed us picture of a snow fall there some years back.

The top of the mountain is covered in tea farms. Lots of the tea that is drank everyday come from here.

(picture below) Not sure why, but back in the small town was a lot of idol worship happening today.