In the ancient cities area of Sri Lanka, on the road from Dambulla to Kandy, 3 km north of Matale, is Aluvihara, an undervisted and non-commercial shrine that we here at WoWasis feel is well worth a stop, We loved the Dambulla cave temples nearby, but the overt commercialism there we found to be disconcerting. […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Historical Buildings & Temples' Category
WoWasis visits Dambulla, home of Sri Lanka’s Buddha cave temples
Sri Lanka’s cave temples of Dambulla lie approximately 2 hours north of the city of Kandy, and one hour south of the ancient city of Sigiriya. The site, at first, certainly doesn’t appear to be very holy, with a garish, kitschy front entrance, hoards of hawkers, and an aura of commercialism that you won’t find […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Anuradhapura, ancient city, and Sri Lanka’s first capital
The ancient city of Anuradhapura is located roughly a 4 hour drive northwest of Sigiriya, which, along with Polannaruwa, comprises Sri Lanka’s three most significant ancient cities. This city is, to a large extent, defined by a series of dagoba’s, monumental stupas featuring massive domes. Although the small museum at GPS: N08°20.897’ E080°24.225’ is nothing […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Polonnaruwa, home of Sri Lanka’s monumental rock carving masterpieces
Polonnaruwa, roughly a two-hour drive east of the ancient city of Sigiriya, is famous for its monumental rock-hewn Buddha images, but also boasts remains of some finely-designed palace and religious structures as well. Declared a UNESCO World heritage site in 1982, the site is extensive, best traveled by auto or bicycle. The ruins are […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Sigiriya: Sri Lanka’s answer to Machu Picchu
Most western visitors looking for the South Asian experience travel to India. In doing so, though, they run the risk of missing out on Sri Lanka, home to the amazing World Heritage site of Sigiriya. This site comprises a series of foundations, walls, terraces, waterworks, and frescoes, leading up to the remains of a rock-top […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Taipei’s Baoan and Confucius Temples
Two of Taipei’s finest temples are adjacent to each other, and offer a nice contrast in architectural styles and bearing. Both the Baoan and Confucius temples are located a short cab ride from the Yuanshan MRT station. The Baoan temple is the more ornate of the two, dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, the god of medicine. […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Taiwan’s National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung
Although it’s not the easiest place to find (see our GPS coordinates below), we here at WoWasis think the National Museum of Prehistory in the southeastern Taiwanese city of Taitung is definitely worth a visit in you’re in the area. The building itself is gorgeous, designed by noted architect Michael Graves, and the displays are […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits hot springs and the Sietian Temple at Jaosi (Jaoxi), Northeastern Taiwan
If you’re driving south on the eastern Highway 2 from the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area, a refreshing stop is at the city of Jaosi (Jaoxi), just north of the city of Ilan (Yilan). Jaosi is famous for its hot springs and temple. We’d recommend seeing the Sietian (Xietian) temple first, then staying, kike your […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Taipei’s Xingtian Temple and fortune tunnel
There’s more than first meets the eye at Taipei’s Xingtian temple. It’s deity is Guangong, patron saint of merchants. The temple itself has soaring, ship-prow roofs adorned with carved dragons, and inside you’ll see people standing in line to get blessed by nuns in blue robes, who wave incense onto the clothes of visitors in […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis takes the Jiji Railway excursion train in Central Taiwan
It’s been said that the excursion train running 20 minutes up the mountain from the town of Jiji is Taiwan’s most popular scenic railway. It could be, because even on a Tuesday, it was packed. This narrow-gauge railway was built to haul logs to a sawmill, but no more, now it just hauls people. You […]
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