On our second day, we visited a the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddihist Society. It was beautiful. My tank top and shorts were considered disrespectful so I was given a robe to wear during the visit. (100 degrees and a robe? SWEET!) We were given VIP access to a temple and were instructed on how to meditate. During our calm, quiet meditation session, I started coughing uncontrollably (GREAT!) and I walked out of the temple in order to not ruin everyone's experience. The monk/tour guide followed me and offered me some blessed water which I gladly accepted. If I believed in its healing powers, my cough would be cured. Later, we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian lunch. I kept coughing. Sad face.
After the temple, we went to a local beach called Fulong. I swam, observed sand sculptures, and took a nap on the sand until we were awoken by an afternoon rainfall and it was time to go.
Observation: girls wear bikinis under their umbrellas but are fully clothed when they go swimming. Jack said the girls are embarrassed and like to cover up their bodies. (But didn't I just see her half naked on the sand? Does water make you look more naked?)
I also had my first experience with a Chinese toilet. Super!
Hope the water was warm. Was the vegetarian lunch cooked or raw? Any tomatoes in the recipe? Are carrots common?
ReplyDeleteClothing impedes any real swimming, but if people simply wade in the waves, a shirt or similar cover may be simply a way to avoid sunburn. Were any people applying sunscreen? Avid "sun worshippers" learn after age 30 that UV is no friend of the skin. If a very big wave hits, a very skimpy bikini might not stay in place, either.
DeleteThe squat and rinse plumbing fixture you encountered may be preferable, particularly in public facilities, if it is duly cleaned after each use and the user need not touch the recepticle directly. Public facilities in the US are forever getting plugged up or consist of unfragrant port-a-potties that the user cannot clean at all. It may take some time, though, to learn to squat semi-dressed and not lose balance. Be careful with what you eat and drink, until your stomach gets accustomed to local microbial "flora," so that you don't have to squat every few minutes.