When I was living in Japan, one of my coworker's said, "Once you've seen one temple, you've seen them all." I seriously used to think that because we would be visiting temples almost every weekend because they were one of the attractions of Japan.
But, I feel like, over the years, I have come to appreciate temples more, especially after visiting the Ping Shan Heritage Trail.
Today, I decided to stop off at the Che Kung Temple MTR and see what this temple was all about.
From the MTR exit, you can follow the signs all the way to the temple. It's a beautiful walk along a water way. It took about 5 minutes for me.
Because I went here after work, on a weekday, the temple was pretty empty. I am not sure what really made me decide to jump off here, but it was a good afternoon side trip. I think I might have needed some peace and quiet. The calm of the temple assured that I could get some of that.
As I took a walk through, I snapped some shots to share with you all.
1. The main entryway, which looks out to an open sitting area.
2. The huge cones of incense hang from the ceilings, filling the air with that lovely temple fragrance. I'm not sure how to describe the smell, but I love it.
3. The beautiful engravings/reliefs, sculptures/statues, and paintings of the Che Kung temple. This temple is so well maintained. Though I love the dilapidated temples and structures of the Ping Shan Heritage Trail, it is so nice to see how some temples are well kept…probably for tourists, but still beautiful to see.
4. The alters are always a draw for me.
4. In the courtyard of the temple, there are benches to take a rest. Sitting here made me feel like I was an ancient Chinese scholar or something. I bet many a scholars sat here and contemplated life!
5. The red is so red! Red is such a vibrant color. I was reminded of that after walking through doorways and around the temple's perimeter.
It's awesome that I have the option of just walking to the temple on a cloudy afternoon.
