Exploring Old Guangdong: A Rainy Day in Dapeng Village

The front gate of Dapeng Fortress

I went on a day trip to Dapeng（大鵬）, a subdistrict in Shenzhen about an hour and a half away from the city center. Aside from being conveniently close to the coastline, Dapeng is a great place to visit to explore the history of the area before Shenzhen's formation.

Signage is in English
and Chinese

My day trip was slightly interrupted by the rain, but I was able to throughly explore Dapeng Fortress（dapeng suocheng; 大鵬所成）and Dongshan Temple（dongshansi; 東山寺）. 

I took bus E11 from Shenzhen North Station（shenzhenbei; 深圳北）, and got off at Dapeng Station（dapengzhan; 大鵬站）. Then, I walked to Dapeng Station #2（dapengzhan er; 大鵬站二）and took but 928 directly to the fort. Travel time was about two hours, but the scenery was interesting at many points so it didn't bore me. Plus I had a great book in tow. 

Dapeng Fortress was build in 1394 to protect citizens from pirates. Almost 200 years after it was built, the fortress was attacked by the Japanese. Nevertheless, the complex is largely still intact. A beautifully antiquated place, the fortress has clearly been restored, but it still retains it's age regally. 

Old homes

探險廣東：下雨天在大鵬

大鵬所成大門口

有英文的指路標誌，
對我門外國朋友很方便！

我去年去大鵬，當天來回的旅行。在大鵬，人不僅有機會看美麗的海邊，而且可以了解深圳地區的歷史。我下雨天去大鵬，但是我全面地探險大鵬所城和東山寺。

我從深圳北地鐵站出發，上了E11號公車，在大鵬站下。然後，我走到大鵬站二（只要大概五分鐘）上928號公車，在大鵬所城站下了。坐交通的時間一共差不多兩個鐘頭。對，很張的時間，但是有很多有漂亮景色的地點，所以沒有無聊，並且我帶來了一本很有趣的小說。

大鵬所成是1394改了為了保戶住在裡面的公民。雖然十六世紀日本軍隊襲擊了大鵬所城，但是它保存完好。真的是個漂亮的名勝古跡。很清楚，是以前恢復的地方，可是有古城的感覺。

老房子

Lots of Temples, Lots of People: Visiting Kaohsiung's Lotus Pond

The famous Dragon and Tiger Pagodas (longhuta; 龍虎塔).

Me taking several pictures as usual!

Many of the sites I visited in Kaohsiung were gorgeous and interesting; Lotus Pond was no different! Like the day we went to Cijin Island, my dad and I were blessed with beautiful weather when we visited the pond. You can tell by the bright blue sky in the pictures, right? I still find it hard to believe it was in the middle of winter! Southern Taiwan is definitely a great place to be in the during wintertime if you love warmer weather. 

Lotus Pond has quite an interesting history. The "pond" is actually a large manmade lake which was opened to the public in 1951. While the lake is a contemporary fixture, many of the sites around it have roots in antiquity. There are several temples, halls, pavilions, and palaces around the lake from centuries past. The area certainly has a nice ethereal feeling to it. 

I think it would take the better part of an afternoon to see all the sites at Lotus Pond, but you'd certainly be tired from all the walking afterward! Luckily, there is a long pedestrian road with several food venders right next to the lake so you can walk around a refuel simultaneously! 

A map of Lotus Pond, click to enlarge.
Source

Nonetheless, my dad wasn't up to the task of walking around the whole lake, so we only saw the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas（longhuta; 龍虎塔）, Confucian Temple（kongmiao, 孔廟）, Spring and Autumn Pavilions（chunqiuge; 春秋閣）, and the Pei Chi Pavilion（beijiting; 北極亭）. As we had to shuffle through crowds, it certainly felt like enough!

美麗的寺廟和很多人：參觀蓮池潭

龍虎塔

我拍了很多很多照片！

如果你搬去住在台灣，你會注意新的飯館開門的時候，會有很長的線在外邊。跟寺廟很像；有寺廟會有很多人。逛街的人，聊天，享受好的天氣，去老街買小吃。我很喜歡那個熱情的“寺廟的文化”。

因為在蓮池潭的寺廟很多，所以我覺得我說的“寺廟的文化”很重。要是你去高雄，你必須參觀蓮池潭 。不管天氣好不好，蓮池潭的寺廟也會把你迷住了，我覺得。給我在世界跟天堂的中間的感覺。

蓮池潭地圖。點擊看大圖。
Source

在一個下午，很容易看到蓮池潭的名勝古跡。地方很大，可是賣小吃的人很多。你可以一邊吃飯，一邊走路，不會胖哈哈！

我跟爸爸一起參觀蓮池潭。他不習慣每天多走路，所以我們只看龍虎塔，孔廟，春秋閣，北極亭。我們還逛老街買東西吃。一般的說，是個放鬆的天。

Xuanmiao Temple: Suzhou's Old Centerpiece

Xuanmiao Temple's San Qing Hall seen from the side.

The temple's main paifang or
decorative gate.

The Taoist Xuanmiao Temple（xuanmiao guan; 玄妙館）—"Mysterious Sublimity Temple" or "Mysterious Essence Temple"—dominates the center of Suzhou. Even so, it was not on my class' itinerary! Had I not decided to explore the city center with some classmates, I would have never visited this charming temple. 

Located on Guanqian Street（觀前街）, a famous pedestrian lane, Xuanmiao Temple's bright gold paint and predominant gate are difficult to miss. Initially built in 276 AD and named Zhen Qing Dao Yuan（真慶道院）, the temple was destroyed during the Song Dynasty, and then rebuilt and renamed in 1264. It was damaged yet again in the 18th century and repaired in 1775. 

玄妙館: 蘇州的老核心

玄妙館的三清殿。 

大牌坊

三清殿西侧鸱吻 

我跟中文課的蘇州旅行日程不包括玄妙館，但是我們休息的時間很多。我跟一些同學一起去了觀前街逛街，然後我們找到玄妙館。哪天我們很幸運因為只有一個鐘頭才關門。遊客很少，所以我們的參觀是和平的。

在我的看法，“和平”是玄妙館的主題。那個金紅的配色方案給我舒服的感覺。再說，是很安靜的地方，可以逃逸又擠又吵的觀前街。

Ueno（上野）: Culture + Commerce

A girl walking under a striking series of gates in Ueno Park.

A map of my Day 1 walking tour.

Source

I only went to Ueno（上野）once during my Tokyo trip, yet I wish I had made time to go again and more thoroughly explore the area. There's plenty to see in the district; most of the sites like the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Ueno Zoo, and Shinobazu Pond are situated within Ueno Park（上野公園）.

I spent most of my time at Ameyoko（アメ横）, arguably the commercial center of Ueno, but I wish I had focused more on Ueno Park. However, by the time I reached Ueno, it was already late afternoon. Visiting Tokyo in late winter has its perks as it's not peak tourist season. Nevertheless, you have to accept the much shorter days. I think visiting the park in the morning would be a great compromise.

Sensō-ji Temple（浅草寺）: Recreation + Religion

In front of the main gate, Kaiminarimon（雷門）
with a big chōchin （提灯）or lantern.

A map of my Day 1 walking tour.
Source

The impressive handiwork
under Kaiminarimon's lantern.

Traveling is like a drug to me. I seemingly have unlimited energy when I'm on a trip because I want to see everything. Although it's not possible to see all the main sites in Tokyo during one short trip, I packed my days as much as I could, yet I ended up crashing on the fifth day, and aside from going to Tsukiji Fish Market, I did nothing but walk around the neighborhood where I stayed, buy a pair of cute socks at the grocery store, and sleep! However, my first full day in Tokyo heavily contrasted my fifth; I went to the Tokyo Skytree area, Asakusa, Kappbashi, Ueno, and Tokyo Station Character Street! Furthermore, I footed it from Tokyo Skytree to Okamachi Station（岡町駅）and took in all the alleys and neighborhoods in between, then hopped on the train to Tokyo Station. That day, I walked for around eight hours. Maybe I'm a little crazy, but I love walking, what can say?

Sensō-ji Temple's famous
five-story pagoda（五重塔; gojūnotō）

Many of the areas I passed through on my first day in Tokyo deserve their own posts; this one focuses on Sensō-ji Temple（浅草寺）in Asakusa（浅草）.

Along with Meiji Shrine（明治神宮）, I think Sensō-ji Temple—also known as Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji （金龍浅草寺）—is one of the most famous temples in Tokyo. While both shrines are well-known, they are associated with different religions, Shintoism and Buddhism, respectively. Additionally, Sensō-ji Temple is the older of the two. By how much? Well, Sensō-ji Temple was originally founded in 645, and Meiji Shrine was constructed in 1920—you do the math!

Sensō-ji Temple is dedicated to Avalokiteśvara; two brothers supposedly saw a statue of the bodhisattva in the Sumida River near the location of the current shrine. The temple was bombed during World War II and subsequently rebuilt, thus the shrine also symbolizes rebirth.

Cherry blossoms @ Tian Yuan Temple (天元宮)

It kind of looks like the cherry blossoms are
growing out of my head!

Cherry blossoms are even more beautiful on
a sunny morning.

When I went to Tokyo, I missed the cherry blossoms there by a couple of weeks. Due to my schedule, I had no choice. Nonetheless, I don't regret it because Danshui is home to many cherry blossom trees in the mountains at the base of the scenic Tian Yuan Temple (tianyuan gong; 天元宮).

Every year, the flowers draw massive crowds from Taipei. Luckily, I lived 10 minutes away from the temple, so I could hop on the bus there without a hassle. However, the trip could take hours depended where you're coming from. If Taipei is your starting point, take the MRT to Danshui Station and take bus 875 of the cherry blossom viewing express straight to the temple. Naturally, the express only exists during cherry blossom season, yet the lines are long - extremely long. At the peak of cherry blossom season, they are even long on weekdays! However, the weekday crowd is definitely smaller than the weekend hoard.

The ride up the mountain to Tian Yuan Temple is fun, and the sights are majestic. One thing I love about the greater Taipei area are the rural pockets of semi-isolated communities and farm land. The morning I made my pilgrimage to the temple, it was gorgeous outside which significantly enhanced the view. I wasn't traveling far from home, but I still felt I was going on vacation. Once you're in northern Danshui's mountains, it feels like you're in a completely different city.

This was one of the few darker cherry blossom trees.