Satan's Buffet of Nankan

This place is new. James bought some pig feet there. He said they were good. Pig feet are a little greasy for me.

Six is considered an auspicious number here, and it has a pleasant sounding name in Chinese - "liu." Now and then I'll see business ads with lots of sixes. Awhile back I saw a truck with a "Call This Number to Order McDonalds" ad and the number was all sixes. It made me laugh because that would never fly in the States.

In other news, I was light on posts this week because I was spending all my time finishing a treatment for the producer we've been talking to. We met her and one of her directors in a McDonalds Tuesday night. It seemed like there was lots of nodding and positive energy, so we have our hopes up...

But this is the first time they've seen anything in writing from us, so we have our fingers crossed.

I rewarded myself for all that work by watching three movies today. Yeah, that's right: Witness, followed by Panic Room, and then Drag Me to Hell at the theater. I also squeezed in a nap and a run to Pizza Hut for a large supreme.

Before you chastise me for not getting outside to enjoy a summer Sunday, let me tell you: I tried that last weekend:

I only look shorter because they're standing on the sidewalk and I'm not.

James' family is in town. We drove North to visit Dharma Drum Mountain, a big modern Zen Buddhist temple. There was a shuttle from the parking lot, but James' uncle thought we should walk.

Despite drinking water, I got a nasty headache. It's just too hot these days.

In the photo you can see my umbrella - I take one everywhere now to keep the sun off. You Americans might think I've turned into a crazy old Asian lady - but it's YOU who are crazy!

Most women carry umbrellas here for the sun. It helps with the heat, and it keeps me from getting sunburned without slathering greasy sunscreen all over. I may even keep it up when I return!

As a kid, I resented my mom insisting I wear a t-shirt when I went swimming. I've since accepted the reality of my complexion, and I plan on not looking crispy when I hit 35 thank-you-very-much.

Aside from the heat - the temple was beautiful:

From Zen Temple and North Coast Beach

We couldn't take pictures inside

The monk who started this temple lived by himself praying/meditating for SIX YEARS! I don't think I could do six days, but James' uncle said six years isn't that long compared to others.

We ate lunch inside. There were separate dining tables for men and women. And since it's a Buddhist temple, there wasn't any meat - just rice, tofu and veggies, plus some fat mango slices. Also no ginger or garlic: monks and nuns can't eat anything too spicy.

James' uncle said when monks take their vows six holes are burned in their heads with a stick of incense. Now when I see monks, I look for scars. Sure enough, they're there.

After the temple we went to a beach. But it was really crowded and we could only swim within a small, shallow area - there was a boundary rope and the lifeguards would blow their whistles if anyone swam beyond it.

There were so many people, the place couldn't help but be dirty. There was lots of floaty plastic trash. Eeeew.

From Zen Temple and North Coast Beach

I hear there are nice beaches here, you just have to know where they are. That's all the news here. Now perhaps I shall go watch some TV to top off my day of lethargy.