TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2016
I went to Taipei to get my hair done. I wanted a light color and I really liked what the hair stylist did last time so I went to her again. If anyone is interested in getting their hair done, I recommend One Salon. It’s super close to Taipei Main Station. What I didn’t know was that what I requested was going to take 3 hours. 🙁 It cost 2,665 NT. It seems expensive, but I don’t know how I would even describe what she did to my hair, because she really did dye it a couple times. I had my hair washed three times while there.
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| Me, at the salon |
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| After |
For lunch, I bought salmon with rice from Sushi Express. It is so yummy and perfect for on the go and only 120NT. I loved it! I bought mine at their location inside one of the many underground hallways in Taipei Main Station. It was close to the red line.
Afterwards, I met up with my cousins and we went shopping in the area around Gongguan Night Market.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016
Xingtian Temple – located in Taipei.
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| Inside the temple (the other side of the front doors) |
My aunt was born the year of the Tiger and in Taiwan, the year of the Tiger is the least desirable year to be born. Something about a lot of bad luck, I don’t know. Anyways, my aunt wanted to go to this temple to bring her good luck for the new year. Apparently, everyone shared the same idea. I went as well and my aunt and I stood in line for nearly an hour just so we could participate in a ceremony called shoujing. The literal translation is “take away fright.” It’s performed on those who believe their souls have been ‘scared’. The temple disciple asked me my name and then she waved incense around me. The aim of the ceremony is to calm the soul and settle the heart.
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| Photo courtesy of Taipitimes.com |
While we were there, we also did the divination blocks to see what lies in our future. What was really helpful was the disciple who approached me. She explained the whole process to me in nearly perfect English. What I also liked about this temple was that they have someone to explain the divination results. My aunt translated for me, but at least it was something. One of the disciples also gave me a good fortune card. There’s a few lines of Chinese on the back. They said that if I read it every day then I will have more good luck. I’m not fluent or literate in Chinese, but I know my zhuyin. Luckily, the card has zhuyin on it so I could read it, but I don’t know the meaning behind what I read.
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| This temple receives around 20,000 worshipers everyday! |
I recommend visiting this temple. It’s different from Longshan Temple and it’s interesting to see the disciples studying there.
Xingtian Temple: No. 109, Section 2, Minquan East Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. Tel: (+886-2) 2503-1831 and (+886-2) 2502-7924.
How to get to Xingtian Temple: My aunt and I took the MRT. We got off at Xingtian Temple. Go out Exit 3 and turn right. Keep walking straight and you’ll see the temple across the street.
