Thursday, April 10, 2008

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

Today Cara, Shawn, Sue and the kids boated to an island in the middle of West Lake called, "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon".  The pools on the island reflected a warm, sunny day for a change.  We have had so much rain lately, with more expected for the next 3 days!

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On the boat between the West Lake islands.
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My 3 monkeys, hanging out in a tree on the island.
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The sisters-in-law enjoying a sunny day!
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Sue decided to keep Sophie home today since she still seemed to have a bad cold, but it seems to have gotten much better today and she's back to her old self.
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One of the best places to get American food in Hangzhou is the local "Hooters" restaurant.  Shawn somehow got Peter and Jack to pose with  him and the Hooters girls.

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Next, I came home from work, and we were off to the Lingyin Temple.  Some of the pretty faces we saw...
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The Lingyin temple is one of the top 10 temples in China - they make lots of money from tourism and the grounds are gorgeous and immaculate.
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Gratuitous Spring flower shot...
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The entry-way of one of the temple rooms.  No photography allowed inside.  Darn!
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As you climb the hill behind the temple, you can look across the rooflines to the mountains beyond.
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LEFT: An interesting, colorful doorway in the temple, and RIGHT: a smoking urn, where people deposit the remains of their incense after using it in their prayers.
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LEFT: This little bug shows he means business with his red colorations, and RIGHT: Sue waits patiently for me to take a picture of a little red bug.
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Dragons and other creatures adorn this temple at every turn!
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I took this picture inside one of the temple rooms from outside.  The head of this statue must be at least 10 feet tall.  The room in which this figure sits (with 2 more of the same size sitting beside her)  is enormous!
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More decorations around the temple grounds...
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Cara has a bit of a cold so she opted to stay near the bottom with Sophie and Sue while we climbed all of the stairs to the top.
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Shawn and Cara having a rest in a little pagoda at the temple.
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Some Chinese style graffiti that someone carved into a bamboo tree, with the temple roofline in the background.
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The front of the Lingyin Temple main room.  Lots of people there on this Thursday afternoon, but thankfully it was not the weekend!
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More evidence of Spring in Lingyin! 
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Tomorrow we will try to hit the silk market, and maybe a hike, weather allowing.  Then tomorrow night I will take Cara and Shawn back to Shanghai for the long flight home!  I think they are ready to go back after an eventful schedule and the hectic pace in China!

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