A Lost Temple

While we are certainly adjusting to life in Lixian, one thing that has been disappointing is the lack of sightseeing there is to do. This is definitely not a tourist area, this is just China. So if you want to go sightseeing at temples, statues, gardens, and pagodas, this is not the place to be. That was kind of the situation we found ourselves in yesterday. The weather was absolutely perfect for sightseeing and hiking, but there wasn’t anywhere to go. So late in the afternoon, to keep from taking a nap, I decided to go for a bike ride. According to the map, our road ends a couple of miles down, so I decided to see what, if anything, was down there. At the end of the paved road, a muddy dirt trail runs up a hill. But it was rather well-worn so I knew people were using it. So I followed the trail. At the top of the hill was an amazing sight, an old, dilapidated pagoda. I was awe-struck. It was so beautiful and picturesque! But I didn’t have my camera. So I went home, got Seth and the camera, and we went back. At the top of the hill, even though the road keeps going, it turned into a big muddy mess, but Seth was able to brave our way through to get a closer look at the pagoda. Apparently, it was once a temple. Around the temple are several small shrine buildings. An old woman was there keeping watch over the place and I think she and her family actually live in one of the buildings. I’m not sure who the temple or shrines are dedicated to. It is not a Confucius temple. It might be to Guan Yin, but I don’t really know. It was really nice though, such a pleasant find. When I get a better camera, I will probably go back for some better pictures.