Sunday, August 20, 2006

Kuanyin (Guanyin かんのん 観音)

Despite some rain in the late morning and mid-afternoon, I went for a short hike today. My destination - Taichung's Kuanyin Temple, located at the entrance to the Takeng (Dakeng 大坑) mountain area. Kuanyin is the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy In Japan, she's known as "Kannon". Supposedly this is where the Canon camera company got its name. It's a short but steep hike from the road to the temple, and especially on a humid day like this one, it didn't take long before I was dripping with sweat. Here are some photos of the temple:

 
Above on the right is a memorial to the four victims of what is known in Taiwan as the "Pachang (Bachang) Creek Tragedy". On July 22, 2000 four people working in the shallow Pachang Creek in Chiayi (Jiayi かぎ 嘉義) County were trapped by a flash flood, and waited for three hours while the military and police argued over whose responsibility it was to rescue them. The four were eventually swept away and drowned, and the whole unfortunate incident was broadcast live on TV.

I have no idea who this figure represents. I just like the expression on his face.

No day in the hills would be complete without some critter pics:

I'm not sure what this is. A whip scorpion perhaps?

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