Day 16 -

After the exhausting climb and the rest at the coffee shop, we reached the temple itself.
At first it was very unimpressive, just a large open area between white walls. The flowering trees were in bloom, though, so it was very pretty.
However, as we continued further into the grounds, we came upon a group of buildings. Ian is wearing a mask because he has an alergy to cedar pollen.
We stopped at one of the buildings and got our books stamped and then continued deeper into the grounds. At the end of the area, where the hills came together and formed a small valley, we discovered a flight of stairs.

The area around the stairs was beautifully landscaped and contained a number of small statues and shrines. This is a place to leave lighted candles.
We went up the stairs and at the top received a surprise, which I will tell you about in my next post.