September 19, 2025
LONGSHAN TEMPLE, one of the most popular in town and so pretty!
This Temple was very active with lots of locals in doing prays for their past relations, remember it's the Ghost Festival. So lots of food donations are brought to the temple, blessed by the incense burning in the big metal pot shown here and then left for those in need. The other thing is you hear coins and wood blocks being dropped all around the areas where people are praying - I asked a local what the symbolism or significance of this was and they told me your asking the spirit for direction. Not really sure I get it all but was fascinating to watch. Beautiful place especially at night and the tables and chairs and tents seem to be temporary meeting spots during this festival time to share a meal.
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Fun day in the waters of Tioman Island, Malaysia snorkeling with friends. Life is good! It was nothing fancy, a boat & captain, who spoke minimal English and barely interacted with us, for roughly 7 hours. We started the outing spotting a group of dolphins and was quickly at anchor drop 1 of 6. The distances between the 6 snorkel spots was minimal, which gave us lots of time in the water (at least 45 minutes, at each spot) with an added stop for a lunch break at local restaurants. Even the restaurants were fast and efficient, definitely used to catering to the boat crowd.
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.