Man Mo Temple

I was walking, walking, walking around Central yesterday and I spotted a peculiar looking building down an alleyway.  With its aquamarine roof and white walls it stood out sharply in contrast to the apartment building after apartment building.  So, I walked down to check it out.

It turns out that mysterious building is Man Mo Temple, built in 1848 at the beginning of the British rule.  The Man Mo Temple houses two gods, Man Cheong or the God of Literature, and Kwan Yu the God of War.  People come to the temple to seek the favor of the gods.  They burn incense and leave little gifts for the gods.

The place was packed.  Apparently everyone in Hong Kong wants to be able to read better or wage war.  For me, this place was a bit eery.  With incense burning from the ceiling, walls, people's hands and then the gong of a drum every time and offering was made, I couldn't help but feel that I was in a very foreign and sacred place.  The movement of people and the haze from the incense smoke made it all seem like some sort of strange dream.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat was really amazing.  This house of Islam can hold up to 20,000 people between its male and female prayer rooms.  Despite having to wear abaya, getting a tour of this mosque was really great.  All of us were lacking in knowledge of Islam- up to this point we had read some of the Quran and had talked to Arab friends about the religion, but our tour guide showed us how Muslims pray and what to do in the mosque.  We also left the mosque with loads of free books (information on women in Islam, why they don't eat pork, etc) from the Mosque Education Director who sat us down in his study to specifically tell us about his religion.  While I don't think I'll be converting anytime soon, the grandeur of the prayer rooms (though the women's was more drab) and the friendly staff did make a good case!

check out more photos here