Day 7: Xiamen and Gulangyu

We had a tasty Chinese breakfast at our hotel, where the cook made us Hakka-style pancakes, and then were on the road for a three-hour drive to Xiamen.  We went to the roof of our hotel and got this glimpse of the neighboring tulou before we left.  It certainly helps to get a sense of how big they really are.

First stop after arriving in Xiamen, was to the Nanputuo Temple.  The temple has particularly good fengshui because it has its back to the "Five Old Men" chain of hills and faces (Xiamen University) but then the water.  It is another old temple first built by a monk in the Tang Dynasty.

Calligraphy on rocks is popular in Southern China.

This was new to us too, young girls tied hair bands in the tree in hopes of romantic wishes being granted.

You can actually hike high up into the hills at this temple, but our guide didn't give us enough time to go exploring. 

We did see all the buildings with their various statues of Buddhist figures.  These are different depictions of the Buddhist pantheon.

After a lunch that included the most delicious bolo (sweet bun) fresh out of the oven that we didn't photograph, we were off on a ferry to Gulangyu.  Gulangyu is a pedestrian-only island that became an international settlement after Xiamen became a treaty port.

Not only does it have fine architecture, it has some beautiful blooming plants as well such as this bougainvillea. 

An example of Western architecture behind an Eastern-style gate.

Cute kids enjoying fresh mango on a stick.

Karl with Koxinga looming over his shoulder.  Koxinga was a historical figure featured in one of the classes Karl taught on Pacrim.

This island has a tropical feel -- bougainvillea and hibiscus blooming.

So much trumpet vine!

Koxinga -- facing Taiwan.

Karl waiting in line to buy us some Turkish ice cream.

View of the shopping area.  It's very touristy.

On the ferry back to Xiamen.  We had dinner and then went to the walking street for more shopping.  Then we stayed in the Xianglu Hotel, a huge hotel with over 1,500 rooms!