Jinshan Culture Park

Our second stop was here.

This is Jinshan Culture Park also known as Jinshan Temple. It’s in Chengmai. The original site has long since disappeared, the complex was rebuilt in the 1990s and the tower between 2012 and 2014. There are numerous ‘alcoves’ where you can make offerings to all the various Gods. There are staff on hand so that you can buy the paraphernalia you need for praying, if you are so inclined, or just buy souvenirs. The tower is 13 floors high and we were just a little too late to be allowed in. Probably just as well! Another place that I would definitely recommend you visit.

You can see more photos in my album “Jinshan Temple”.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UzcUxsUKcbnuwa6dA

We finished the day by trying to find the beach resorts that were shown on out tourist map. We failed! So we decided that we would go to Lingao, for food and sleep. Food was easy, we stumbled upon a shopping park with many food outlets, tea shops and coffee shops. I can’t remember the name but it has a church opposite!

We thought hotels would be easy, we were wrong. Using our SatNav and trying the coast roads we found nothing at all, I guess we must have been in the wrong place completely. We did find a hotel in the end, not what we wanted, but it was somewhere to sleep.

And that brings us to the end of January. I’m sat here writing this with my half gloves on, it’s 6°C outside. It’s going to drop down to 3°C on Monday night. I’m also still hobbling with my heel, and sleeping badly with the pain in my ribs. Roll on Chinese New Year and the ‘Eyeballs In The Sky’!

I’ll let you think about the last phrase above. . . . Meanwhile, I’m going to drink some hot milk and put the hot water bottle in the bed. See you next month!

Fushan Coffee Leisure Park

January 31^st As we still had to wait for electricity we decided to try the tourism thing again. Fingers crossed, off we went. This was our first stop.

This is Fushan Coffee Leisure Park. It’s in the town of Fushan, which is near Chengmai. It’s not a bad place. There is a small plantation there where you can see the crops, and then a visitors' centre where you can partake of a cup or two. It was a fairly dreary day so none of the outside tables were in use. We had our coffee inside. It is a little bit of a rip-off, the coffee was ¥25 but then we had to pay another ¥3 for the milk (which was Nestles cream) and another ¥3 for a pack of tissues which we didn’t ask for. I was also a little disappointed that there is nothing in the way of a tour showing you how the coffee is produced. Fushan coffee is one of my favourites, but being a busy place, I think they make it in batches there; ours was served from a flask. However, it is still well worth a visit. All I would suggest is that you choose a clearer day so that you can sit outside and drink your coffee while ‘drinking in’ the view, which is excellent. I bought a bag of beans to take home.

You can see more photos in my album “Fushan Coffee Leisure Park” –

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EUt7Axy2DdBk5Cji8