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Hi everyone, sorry for the time it has taken for a new blog entry to arrive. Unfortunately, I have spent most of this week in bed, suffering from a horrible cold. Yes, you heard right, I have travelled to sub tropical Brazil and I have caught a cold. I know what you´re thinking but here over the last few weeks we have had crazy changes in temperature each day and I think this may be the cause. It has become the norm lately for the temperature to vary from 9°C to 27°C within a matter of hours, very confusing for my wardrobe choices and for my poor body!
However, it is not all bad news! My illness has opened up my world a little. I have been lucky enough to make a good friend here who has helped to look after me and has supplied me with gallons of special tea which definitely improved my recovery time and cured my sore throat within a day or so. Yin is from China and swears by Chinese medicine. The tea that she has been making for me is mainly made from fresh ginger, very yummy for most of the population I guess
however for me, it was...too spicy! I was a good girl though and drank all of it, I even chomped on the pieces of ginger when I was instructed too, ignoring the pleas from my numb lips and tingling mouth! And yes I am certain that it worked, I would even do it again if I had to!
Today I ventured out and back onto the tourist trail, continuing the theme my first stop was the Buddhist Temple here in Foz do Iguaçu. I know it may seem a little strange to some of you to find a thriving Buddhist Temple in Brazil, however Brazil as I have seen it is very much like Britain, there is a huge mix of nationalities and cultures here. A stark contrast from Peru, Brazil is a country of many different races and complexions, even I can pass as being Brazilian with my ´porcelain´tones! This is due to the huge numbers of people who have moved here from all over the world, this is very visible in Foz where we can find a very large Mosque situated nearby to the biggest Buddhist Temple in South America.
The Buddhist Temple is located in
a less commercial part of the town, where the streets appear neglected and the tarmac has not quite arrived. The houses are a mix and the area as a whole feels as though it needs a bit more love. And then on walking through the gates of the Temple grounds you are immediately transported to an entirely different environment where all you can feel is peace and calm. The grounds are huge and they feel empty, but not in a lonely way, in an altogether tranquil and comforting way. The first thing that your eyes are drawn to is the enormous statue of Buddha, impressive in the photographs but in real life even more so. Sitting 7 metres tall, his smile is contagious and relaxing. Beyond him there are many more statues and the temple itself.
In front of the temple, there is a very large reclining Buddha, who feels so serene that it is hard to think of anything other than that feeling as you look on her. She is flanked by two imposing figures who appear to guard her, although you look past them quickly as all you can see is her. The temple is behind her
and houses even more Buddha states, all different and yet all alike in the feeling that they give you, that of peace.
On emerging from the temple you are greeted by almost an army of statues, each one identical in appearance to the others. The statues are at least two metres tall, they tilt forward slightly and are stood in close proximity to each other. In this number and size, statues of any other kind may feel intimidating but with these you don´t feel any sense of this, all you feel is relaxed interest and childlike curiosity, as you wonder what the statues are trying to say to you as though a silent conversation is being had but you can only understand a little and you are eager to hear the rest. The entire garden has this feeling and as I left there, the feeling came with me. The temple and its grounds were enchanting and with the sun beating down, it was a wonderful place to just be for a while.
Take care,
Tasha
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