MINAHASA BUDDHAYANA

Good Morning Wednesday! Suns out!

MINAHASA BUDDHAYANA. Now that's a mouth-full isn't it. Go ahead - try and say it.

You're probably wondering about the photo - no doubt. I love it. I guess every once in a while my weird side comes out. Just about makes a person want to write a fairy tale book about it. Kinda has a Lord of the Rings character feel to him - don't you think?

So this photo, along with all the other little ones at the bottom of the post were taken at the Vihara Buddhayana Complex, a Buddist Temple in the Minahasa Highlands (North Sulawesi) near a place called Tomohon (aka, 'The Flower City' - and for good reason it has that name in fact - flowers galore, everywhere in that place). The mountain in the back, is Gunung Lokon - an active volcano. We were told it last erupted a couple of months ago, but I'm not so certain of that. Depends on who's version of what erupted means I guess.

There's a bit of a funny story, a legend about the earthquakes and the rumblings of volcanoes in this place. And yes they have lots. So apparently when the wild pigs (boars, and no - didn't see one) rub their bodies against the trees - the vibrations cause earthquakes. If a small pig rubs it's back, then the earthquake won't be strong - but if it's a big wild pig then it'll be a strong one. Apparently these guys also have a habit of scratching in the the dirt - and if this happens, then the earthquake will be a really, really big one, causing houses and bridges to collapse. (And that, explains why there seemed to be so much construction going on.)

Anyways back to the Buddhas - it's a really cool place and definitely worth the look. If you take into account that the main houses of worship here and all over this area are churches (loads and loads of them - hardly a mosque about) this Buddhist Temple is some what of an interesting phenomena. Seems a little some what out of place, as do the Many Faces of Buddha, a whole row of Buddha statues that line the entrance road into the place.

YESTERDAY: Was busy. Just all sorts of stuff. Unpack. A visitor (tourist) that needed to go out. First trip to Balikpapan - first trip to Indonesia in fact. A Stal Kuda stop. A whole bunch of Photo-shopping. Emails - a whole whack of that. ....... and a nice great big bunch of WANT-TO-DO stuff. It was a good one. Gotta like it when you have days like that!

TODAY: Ah well, once again you start out the day with a plan and not long into it - it gets all re-arranged and blown about. Now I need to re-think and re-org a whole bunch of stuff. No worries though - we'll get it.

....... and I have this incredible urge to get some fresh flowers in the house.

Good to Go!