There was some festival going on in the square in front of the temple, and there were many stalls selling food along the streets. The temple was a little bit more quiet, but it was also fairly crowded, not by tourists, but by a lot of people, here and there, doing their offerings and praying. Many tables with food offerings and incense candles were in many places too. I cannot really express how, but even with all the people around, the place felt quite laid down and relaxed, almost familiar. Yes, there were many people praying and doing what they had to do, they had the right music and I would think it would be easy to go into a more spiritual state of mind, but at the same time you could see an old lady eating some noodles for dinner or people sitting on the sides of the main court, resting and driking water. It is a very different style.
When I went back out again, I took a walk around the nearby streets, where there are several night markets. There is a curious distribution of space. The street next to the temple is full of shops selling religious stuff: dresses, candles, Buddha figures, ghost money, whatever you like. To the South side, there is the clothes' market, that fills the streets with numerous racks of hanging clothes: trousers of all kinds, jackets, dresses, shirts, etc. I did not look for the famous Snake Alley, because I did not have the time, but when I was walking back towards the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, I found a sector of animal shops, particularly birds. I saw all kinds of cages, which reminded me of a book of Chinese tales we had when we were kids, and many birds. Parrots, cuckatoos, peacocks and similar birds, with a leg tied with a small chain and standing there out of the cages. A big mix of colors, sounds and smells.
Since the temperature was so nice, I kept on walking all along the Botanic Gardens —which I must visit some other day— as far as the illuminated CKS memorial. A very nice walk.
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