Tea and Temple

The area of Muzha and Maokong in the South of Taipei are famous for the tea gardens, the temples and the Maokong Gondola. The latter transported of 3 Million visitors since its opening about 7 months ago ! We decided to contribute to this vast amount of visitors. (We were joking that this was also an act of compensation - if we have no opportunity to go skiing, at least we can enjoy a ride in a gondola...)

After enjoying a pleasant gondola-ride over green deep jungle, we visited the Zhi-Nan Temple.

This temple is a superbe proof that peaceful interreligiosity is possible. Gods and goddesses of Buddhism and Daoism are worshipped in the very same hall.


Kamil found a cat made of solid granite.


After these spiritual impressions, we turned to more profane matters - the tea gardens. The tea bushes grow in neat little rows.


At the Taipei City Tea Promotion Center, we learned about growing and making tea. It needs some imagination and fantasy, but eventually you can understand the various steps in producing tea.










After all this intellectual challenges, we granted us a cup of tea, appreciating what we just learned.

After a several cups of tea, Kamil started to feel very Chinese:


We ended our little excursion waiting in line for 45 minutes to go down again with the gondola... But the people here are very disciplined and waiting is not such a hassle. And nobody pokes you with his ski pole! (Always look on the bright side, eh?!)