A Very Buddhist Birthday

35 today and another blinding & bizarre birthday on tour! Running a private tour of Taiwan and spent last night in a lovely hotel in Tainan with Tot, opening my pressies at midnight. Today we headed out to Foguangshan, Taiwan’s largest Buddhist Monastery, a huge complex stretching across the bamboo-clad hills, dotted with shrines, statuary, lanterns and orchids. We were shown round by a lovely, lively nun, radiant with inner belief. We meditated for 7 minutes that somehow managed to feel like 7 years (and yet 7 seconds at the same time) and then headed up to the giant gold Buddha which overlooks the complex as the sun was setting. It was here that the nun took it upon herself to sing “Amitofah Simon” to the tune of Happy Birthday. Afterwards we headed for a vegetarian feast at the monastery teahouse where a birthday cake was rustled up and my 35th was firmly sealed into my memory banks! To cap it all the monastery is only half-an-hour’s drive from our house so I headed home for a night with Tot; thanks Arlene & Don for being such lovely guests!