Quote: In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted in weird ways and they’re still beautiful
- Alice Walker
Spent some amazing days in Tainan. There’s so much history here. It’s the original capital of Taiwan and every time you turn around, there seems to be a temple right around the corner. As soon as I got off the train, I felt a sense of peace. It was like I could exhale. Five hours of walking today brought life to my soul.
First stop- Chihkan Tower: The history here spans anything that I've seen in my travels. The Dutch occupied the building in the 1600s and then became a Chinese pagoda during the Qing Dynasty. I always have had a huge connection to the ocean and resonated with the Sea Gods statues displayed in the building. Such a powerful presence that had. After exiting the building, I saw this marvelous, elegant tree. I have never seen a tree with such a huge trunk. I was able to take the most fascinating photo of it as the sun shined through its limbs.
They say Tainan is the land of temples and I have to agree. I visited as many as I could in one day. Each one brought joy to my being. From Lady Linshui’s Temple to The God of War Temple to my favorite, Tainan Grand Mizu Temple, they were all fascinating to explore. Each temple had its own protocol that the people worshipping followed.
Guanyin, the goddess of compassion, has been so influential in my life thus far in Taiwan. I feel any time I’m struggling; she is there. In every temple today, she made an appearance and every time I saw her, I became emotional. Whether you believe in a higher being or not, we all need that sense that someone is there, really there. Protecting and guiding us along the way. Some people will get this, some won’t and that's okay.
The next day my coworker, who is from Tainan, took me out. I really appreciate this woman! She has helped me in so many ways, from translating to helping me find my way around and sharing her love for Taiwanese food with me. I don't know what I would do without her. I thank the Universe for bringing her into my life. She took me to the Anping area to visit Anping Fort and the treehouse.
In the Anping Fort, I was fascinated by the way all of our cultures are connected. I'm Portuguese, and I know that my ancestors traveled the world during the period of intense navigation by Ferdinan Magellan and Vasco de Gama. I wonder if they came to Taiwan? After this thought, we saw a blue and white ceramic vase that I recognized as something that you would see on tiles in Portugal. I have a sense they were here many ages ago.
The trees were so cool in the treehouse. It blows my mind how trees can adapt to their environment and thrive. We could definitely learn a thing or two from trees and nature in general.
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