Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

Buddhist and Taoist temples are ubiquitous in Taiwan, and many of them are historical, must-visit destinations. After traveling on the island rather aimlessly with my mother for months, we arrived at San-shen Three Saints Temple in HsinChu County with our travel companions, my aunt and cousin. In her childhood my mother often climbed the steep, unpaved road to reach the shrine. She felt strongly about this re-visit because decades ago my grandmother asked the saints to grant her a wish, which is lost to all of us, and my mother was determined to thank the saints on behalf of my grandmother. Built in 1902, the temple's latest phase of re-construction did not complete until 1973. That tranquil afternoon we were moved by the architecture's beauty and by the aura of serenity and piety. Facing the temple were rice paddies and farm life, with no telephone pole in sight!