June 7, 2024
Exploring Las Palmas
Took the public bus about 45 minutes to the north part of the island to explore capital area Las Palmas. Went with 4 others from group and we split once in town, with Mark & Darlene doing hop on off bus and Peter Cris and I walking the town center. World Of Music And Dance sign for big festival put together by Peter Gabriel every November in Gran Canary.
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After a leisurely lunch sitting seaside, we went to the Castillo de la Luz a former fort, up at the Port, that now has the ruins of the Fort combined with a modern art gallery, , for the sculptural metal workings of Martin Chirino. Provides an interesting viewing space for both.
Then back on the bus to hotel, a quick shower and dinner. After dinner Delia & Peter and I took a stroll down to beach area and walked around the plaza people watching and strolled along the beach path thru many restaurants, bars and shops and ended at dunes section - sands blown in from Sahara, along southern island coastline.
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July! Here on the Odyssey we celebrated in the SE Asia Sea on our way to Tioman Island, Malaysia . We have such a talented and dedicated group of residents here, they put together a fun hour of things to celebrate and embrace a lot of what we collectively love about the USA. Even our residents from other countries - Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany , etc. joined in the fun! ( I lent my flag below for decorations)
Vihara Avalokiteshvara Graha or Guan Yin Temple is near 500 Lohan, so we also toured the grounds of this large Temple complex. It's dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and is one the tallest brass statues of her in SE Asia. She is just over 55' tall, coated in 22 carat gold and is surrounded by scenic dragon fruit plantations. The tile work is intricate and textured with great details. The whole place is very tranquil and calming for meditation and prayer.
500 Lohan Temple or Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was the most interesting place we visited on Bintan Island . It features 500 hand sculpted, life sized, distinctively expressive statues of Buddhist disciplines (Lohans) surrounding a tranquil courtyard. They are arranged symetrical, in an arc and it's interesting how some pop out, as you look down the rows. The statues were crafted by artist in China from 2010 to 2017 when the temple was inaugurated; no two are alike.