Bakwa Buddah Mountain

Two weekends ago Nandi and I hopped onto our scooters and drove an hour and a half to Chunghua. It was a cool drive, although our motivation wasn't the drive it was the mountain. More specifically the HUGE buddah on top of the mountain named Bakwa.

Changhua city is in Changhua county...I'm in Ching Shuei City in TaiChung County if you were wondering...so I crossed boundaries

Anyway the whole experience was REALLY cool. The Buddha was impressive as was the whole park. There is also a MASSIVE temple up there and it has really intricate details on all the pillars. The whole thing is really impressive,with the attention to detail.


A few interesting things worth commenting on. Its a moderate walk to the top of the mountain, and all along the steps to the tops there are vendors selling food and stuff... the picture shows the Chinese idea of GOOD PADKOS... good times.

Also you can go inside the buddah and look through its eyes to see the view, but unfortunately that part was closed, i nearly snuck across the red tape, but then some people came. And I couldn't think of a way to explain my 'not understanding red tape'.

After we were tired of the Bakwa Buddha we went and had sushi at Carefour... it was incredible. R7.50 a plate, for any plate, even if it was piled with caviare. Too great.

After that we made our tired way home at dusk... got lost but thankfully Nandi managed to figure it out. I had never travelled in that direction so it was all foreign to me.

Ok this is overly late, but better late then never.

A few weeks ago was moon festival. This is a Chinese festival and coming together is celebrated. It runs on a lunar month so its when the moon is full and round, also signifying unity. Apparently all family members try to be together at this time and people normally BBQ as they say... or just braai. People also give gifts and everyone eats moon-cakes, which are cakes that are round and have special fillings... some are especially yucky and others especially nice.

I got quite a stash from my kids which is really cool.


The Pomelo is the official fruit of moon festival, the kids wear them as hats and they do all sorts of crazy things with them. Also there is this really cool vibe and atmosphere, everyone is happy and excited... it was very cool


This is a kid with the whole pomelo thing going on. Her name is Sherry, I teach her, she is only 3!!! All the teachers love her, i think she looks like a monkey, a cute monkey, but monkey nonetheless.

Ghost Month

In Chinese Culture there is a lunar month called ghost month (it was in Sep this year) when the gates of the after world are open and the dead visit the living. During this month Chinese people will burn LOTS of 'God Money', (which is money you buy from shops near the temples and which is thought to be currency in the afterlife) they also leave out food for the ghosts so that they feel welcome. You will see people burning all sorts of things in these little drums outside their houses (so be warned if you ever visit Taiwan those little ornate drums are not rubbish bins)

Obviously there are a whole pile of superstitions that go with that, like no whistling because whistling attracts the ghosts and children are not left alone because ghosts will sometimes 'take' children with them when they leave.

So on the last day of Ghost month when the 'Gates close' the temples put out HUGE amounts of food, and there is incense burning EVERYWHERE and there are all sorts of things going on. All of this is set up in the street... so the road is just closed off... interesting.

Its all really interesting and a little weird. Please don't quote me on this description because its only what I've been told and seen, I keep on meaning to research the actual festival but haven't had a chance yet. (Terrible historian, I know)There are tons more photos on facebook.