Got up early for day trip to TaiChung to visit my two cousins who are now Buddhist nuns at Chung Tai Monastery in Tai Chung. 4th aunty drove and 2nd uncle made really strong Pu Er tea. I think it required a bullet proof stomach to handle his tea. I can drink tea, but that was strong stuff. 4th aunty has never driven this far before. It quite scary to be in her car. She would suddenly slam on the breaks on the highway and be at a complete stop so she can think. No, she didn't pull over she just stopped middle of the road on the highway. Or she would stop right at the exit and figure out whether she wants to exit or continue. If we were anywhere else other than Taiwan on a very slow morning where there was hardly any traffic, I'd probably already have had 2 or 3 heart attacks from this. I managed to not get upset or be a back seat driver. I was so proud of myself.
Wei Xiang was in a different car with his fiance. The point of the drive was to introduce the fiance to the sisters. When we arrived there was a meditation retreat going on so the entire monastery was on a meditation schedule. I took a stroll through the garden. Then I was taken through calligraphy gallery to look at various artist's contribution to the monastery. I also went to the Vajra Tower area and then the Trippitaka Tower.
The restaurant is in the hotel. It was comforatble and the food was delicious. I like anything dim sum related, I didn't care for any of the other dishes that looked beautiful but tasted just average.
I finally saw my cousins. They looked happy and good. I was glad to see that. I has been 11 years since I last saw Han Jen and just 6 years since I saw Min Hua, the younger sister. I remembered the last time I saw Min Hua she was sad and worried that she may not be allowed to join the monastery because she's blind in one eye. I remembered when she blinded herself. I was there, I was 5 or 6 years old. It was very traumatic for me, there was blood everywhere.
After lunch we ended up going to the 50 Arhat Hall and the nun that 4th aunty was in contact with encouraged us to put coins in each arhat to increase blessings and affinities. It was fine, but somehow it wasn't. Hard to pin poin what was it that felt not right on.
The same architect who build Taipei 101 Tower also build this monastery. The building looks grey from a far but when you walk up to the granite walls, it's really pink granite. The grey feel really makes it gloomy to look at especially with the weather here.
Then we stopped by 2nd uncle's friend's place. He is a tea maker. He was once a tea judge by profession. He needed superb palet in order to do his job so he had to change his diet to maximize his sensitivity. He went vegetarian and he chucked out garlic, onion, shallots, leeks, chives, and alcohol. All those things interefered with his sensitivity and would interefere with his profession. Then years later, he got into meditation and became a Buddhist. Now he makes his own tea. He goes to China, particularly in the Yunnan Province to personally check out tea trees. He goes only for the organic. And if it is no longer organic then he know right away and he can no longer pick from that batch. He believes in only making and drinking organic. He makes really good Pu Er. I checked out his roasting machines. He poured us a lot of tea. I think I O.D. on tea today. He is a Sagittarian Virgo. I think this makes puts him in the right field of work.
He insisted on treating us to dinner. My 2nd uncle recently in the past few years became best of friends with him. We went to the same restaurant for dinner. He had two daughters the younger one was 7 years old and very mischievious. At the end of dinner she insisted there were ghosts in the restroom and she could not go that one of the adults will have to go with her. I decided to volunteer. She thought it would freak me out. Then I quized; her on what the ghosts looked like and where they were in the restroom, what did they sound like, what were they doing, etc.... I think I spoiled the fun for her. Well, if you are going to have me play this game then play was my opionion.
On the drive back 4th aunty was definitely tired. She wouldn't let anyone else drive her car. She was speeding and in Taiwan there are camera everywhere and they'll just mail you the ticket.
