Xi'An Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

I earlier wrote that we saw the Small wild goose pagoda. If there exist a Giant wild goose pagoda, then we must go see that one too!

We went there quite late when the sun was setting, with heavy clouds and a light rain, so I did not have the optimum conditions to take good outdoor pictures. Maybe I should have waited until it was darker and the spotlights were lit.

This time we didn't climb the pagoda. Partly because we were short of time (they'll close in one hour) and partly because Girlwing said 20 yuan was too expensive. 20 too expensive? In the tax-free on the way home she wanted to buy a facial cream for 800 yuan and she said that was very cheap. I don't understand the reasoning here...

Here are a few things that I liked to see in the temple around the pagoda.
 

 There are a lot of old houses in the area of the temple. Many of them contains altars to the many "gods", others are the homes for all the monks that live there.

When you get to the temple you often see one or more of this steel bathtub filled with burning incense. 

 Usually you use the incense or a candle and hold it like this and bow three times in each of the four direction while you mumble some blessing words in the Buddhist language.

 Here is the Giant wild goose pagoda, that we didn't climb.

A chinese lusthus (gazebo).

Some of the monks strolling around.

I could imagine myself living in a summer house just like this one.

A couple of local girls.

A famous Chinese monk who taught the Japanese how to write with the Chinese characters. He also taught them about a lot else from the Chinese culture and made them civilised so they didn't have to live in caves any more.

I can never get enough of the cool Asian roofs.

A monk reading from the holy scripture near a Buddha altar.