wax on, wax off

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Nei Hao Ma?

I was enjoying dim sum with friends last week. While chatting, I abruptly stopped--a bowl of fresh roasted (shiny and slippery) peanuts had been served as a complement to the dim sum and I had been casually picking them up with chopsticks--rather skilfully, I might add. I felt trimphant--truly assimilating. If you don't think it's a big deal--take out a few peanuts and try to pick them up with a set of PLASTIC chopsticks--takes some maneuvering! If Mr. Miagi from the Karate Kid had been there, it would have made the moment complete.

Forget everything I've said to date about my favorite place in Hong Kong--I can now stop looking because this is it. I'm not sure why it's not a prominent listing in the guide books except that it recently underwent a multi-year 35 million dollar restoration and only recently reopened. IT is the Chi Lin Monastery and Nan Lian Gardens in Diamond Hill. This is the largest complex (17 buildings) of wooden structures built in the Tang Dynasty style of architecture in the world. The gardens, Xi bridge, Pavilion of Absolute Perfection and Blue pond were developed in the Taoist style, a classical circular landscape garden based on the Jiangshouju Garden in Shanxi Province. This was the most peaceful afternoon I have spent in Hong Kong. Thousands of trees and plants including Buddhist Pine, Orange Jasmine, Cypress, Fig, Elm, Chinese Hackberry, Surinam Cherry and India Laurel Fig are planted here. I took some digital photos but went home to get my manual Nikon and returned the next day for more shots, I was so enthralled with the place. My professor recommended the vegetarian restaurant in the garden and it was a calming experience with waterfalls cascading behind large glass walls. I learned later that this garden had opened to the public the week that my dad passed away and so it is even more special to me and a place of uniquely personal peace.

On the subject of tasks at hand, one dissertation--I have begun an outline of the literature review and have provided a timeline for the project to Dr. Lee. Not bad, huh? The entire fate of this project hinges on my ability to get a basic understanding of the spoken Cantonese language. I'll keep you posted over the course of the next six weeks, commencement of the language course to see what, if any, progress I make! If i crash and burn, it will have been an amazing six months of sight-seeing, essentially! Ah, but I've said it before...life's a daring adventure or nothing at all.

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Photos

Goddess of Mercy--Chi Lin Nunnery
She is said to be seated on a lotus pad in the middle of the ocean gazing downward at the moon's reflection on the surface of the water--representing the 'illusory nature of reality'.

Comments

[Steve]

Beautiful Place
Chi Lin Monastery and Nan Lian Gardens in Diamond Hill looked awesome! I loved the bridge and the carp!

[sharon]

Absolutely gorgeous!
I enjoy your pictures so much! Love ya!