We met Michelle and her family and took off in a tuk-tuk to see a 45 meter high statue of Buddha. Mia is a huge fan of the tuk-tuk, also known as the "auto rickshaw". They are usually open-air minibuses. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuk-tuk
To me this looks like a scene out of Wes Anderson's latest movie, "The Darjeeling Limited".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Darjeeling_Limited
From the approach, this is what the statue looks like. It's scheduled to be finished in 2009. Right now they are completing Buddha's face with Burmese white marble. The rest is concrete.
New Year's Day is an auspicious day to go to temple. You can receive your first blessing of the year, which will continue your good fortune throughout the year. The Japanese also have this tradition. Here the girls are with their lotus flowers, ready to be blessed by the Buddhist monk's prayer.
This is temple below the big Buddha.
After the blessing we walked the steps up the hill to see the Buddha. This is a smaller statue at the top.
Here's Mia ringing the gong for fortune and happiness in 2008.
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