Day 6 - Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do
Last update: 26 August 2011 1:32PM (GMT+08:00)
Reported by Chan Chi Tim.

Another sunny day greeted Joey and the Taiwan Excursion participants on Day 6 as they set out earlier than usual to visit sites further away from the hotel.

The first location to start off the day was an interesting one: Si Ba Wang Gong Temple 石門十八王公廟 or Temple of the Eighteen Deities, located on the northern coast of Taiwan. Some people also call it the Dog Temple, due to the fascinating legend behind it.

During the Qing Dynasty, seventeen people and a dog journeyed on a ship for a pilgrimage. The ship capsized, killing all onboard except the dog. Despite being saved by nearby fishermen, the dog drowned itself and the act was said to be in honor of its master. The fishermen buried the dead, including the dog - hence, the "eighteen deities" name - in a mass grave. The grave can be seen at the temple's basement today.

Si Ba Wang Gong Temple is built into a mountain and faces the sea. It's a very happening temple with plenty of activity even after sun down as it opens twenty-four hours. As to why people are attracted to this temple can be seen on its landform. Joey pointed out the obvious key landform being the Open Leg water formation, which causes it to attract many people - including those, interestingly enough, who operate brothels. He also indicated that the temple is built into a Huge Door mountain that has Crab Eyes, which makes it well-known for asking blessings in terms of wealth.

At the tomb in the enclosed basement of the temple, it was noted that the Huge Door mountain is steep and it is located just beside the sea. Therefore, it meant that the burial spot had to be deep. While there, a few of the participants made some incense offerings at the temple - asking for blessings to increase their wealth, perhaps?

The entourage continued on with the Excursion to the ancestral residence of Lee Teng Hui 三芝源興居, the former President of Taiwan, who served in office between 1988 and 2000. Four generations of the Lee family lived in this mansion since Lee Teng Hui's great grandfather. The old mansion was backed by a "Prawn" formation and Joey pointed to the participants the many levels of Bright Hall in front of the mansion. They also took note of the drain, a feature which the "Prawn" formation requires.

A few minutes' walk away from the mansion is Lee Teng Hui's ancestral tomb, which faces N2 (Zi)子 . Joey pointed to the Fire Star Rising with Five Petals formation of the Ancestor Mountain. Along with the three Earth Element mountain backing the mansion, the landform of the tomb shows that it is capable of producing an emperor - or in this case, a president.

The participants were brought to look at the water mouth governing Lee Teng Hui's grandfather's tomb, which required a short bus ride away. There, Joey taught them how to identify the landforms: when walking into the mountains, look for the water mouth, and work backwards to locate the spot from there. Joey illustrated this on paper to show the participants on what to do. They were clearly delighted to learn this, especially those new to Feng Shui study and have no experience in locating the water mouth of a big landform. This was definitely an eye-opener to all.

After a fascinating morning, everyone was ready for lunch at the Sister Sea Food Restaurant. The lunch was a good one with sea urchin, barbequed fish and abalone with mayonnaise served.

While savoring the fresh seafood, at the back of everyone's mind was that this was the last day of the Excursion. The trip is finally coming to an end. Though learning Feng Shui was a big part of why they joined the Excursion, making new friends had the most significant impact of the trip. As the connection with others grew, they learnt even more. The participants also took this opportunity for group photos for remembrance, and exchanged contact details and even added each other on Facebook!

Our helpful Taiwan tour organizer, StarEvent, also asked if anyone wanted to make a last-minute shopping spree at Ximending, the bustling shopping and entertainment district in Taipei, before heading back to the hotel for a debriefing at the end of the day's agenda.

Participant Vivien Ng was clearly excited about it. "This morning, I checked that my luggage is almost filled up. I plan to do some shopping at Ximending later to get something nice for my niece."

With their appetites satisfied with good food, the entourage headed down to Din Tai Fung, the award-winning restaurant chain specializing in xiao long bao or small steamed buns. This outlet is the original flagship restaurant that started it all in Taiwan, which is located on the busy street of Xinyi Road. Today, the business has expanded its reach to many branches worldwide.

Here, the participants were given about twenty minutes to do a Feng Shui audit and to decode why the business is doing so well for many years. Joey eventually showed that this restaurant is receiving the Huge Door water. In addition, it conforms to the famous Five Ghost Carry Treasure formula. This is the much talked about formula in Feng Shui and now, everyone can see how it works in person.

The Din Tai Fung restaurant visit marked the final Feng Shui destination for the Excursion. As promised by StarEvent earlier, on the way back to the hotel, they stopped by Ximending for a one-and-a-half hour shopping spree. The shops there had plenty to offer everyone and all had a great time shopping. Some even managed to drop by one food outlet to taste this famous vermicelli soup dish which was really good and a must-try for all who visits Ximending.

To close the lesson segment of the Excursion, a debriefing was held at the hotel. Joey summarized the entire trip and gave opportunities for the participants to ask any further questions to clear their doubts. Joey brought up a discussion on FaGu Temple, reiterating the Nobility Star on the left embrace and the water mouth locking below the mountain. He also discussed about the God of Wealth temple and gave a walk-through on how the Golden Snake Coming Out of Cave came about. He also clarified on the Qi source to the Din Tai Fung restaurant which they had visitedearlier.

"This Taiwan trip is a total eye-opener for me, despite being a beginner," said See Ah Chong. "I learnt so much on this field trip. Next for me is to learn the theories."

"I've learnt Feng Shui in a classroom environment. I finally realized how classical Feng Shui assessment is done when I see it with my own eyes in this trip," said Fiona Soh.

Another participant, Ng Boon Yew, also agreed: "What I read in the textbooks now came alive in our site audits."

Everyone had a chance to rest and freshen up before the final night's dinner begin at 7.30pm. All were in a happy and relaxed mood by then. Cameras were clicking away as the participants were busy taking photos with each other as they talked and dined.

After dinner, the party begins! They had a karaoke session as well, where Joey even sang for them. All the participants were amazed with how well he could sing. Once everyone warmed up and became less shy, they joined in and sang as well. Midway in the karaoke session, they took a break for a certificate presentation session. Joey awarded each participant a certificate for completing the inaugural Taiwan Excursion. The party continued on till late at night as they were all too happy singing their hearts out.

The next day, everyone will leave Taiwan with a heavy heart, but with plenty of good memories to cherish.

As I have been reporting on the entire Taiwan Excursion from the start, sharing with those who were not here to experience this first hand, I can summarize this trip as follows:

We had excursions to China and Tibet in the previous years, but this trip to Taiwan makes it different from the earlier ones. It is crucial in our field of study to have an experienced master to walk the mountains and point to us the landforms learnt from textbooks. Joey did that all for the participants in the last six days. He elevated their learning curve to another level. The participants have clearly learnt what Feng Shui truly is. None of them drew Flying Stars chart. None of them use Eight Mansion formula. But all of them learnt how to identify good Feng Shui spots/areas on their own in this trip.

I have made new friends and forged better ties with my peers in this trip. We had a good time and tasted good food in Taipei. Yes, it is a memorable trip. If only we can spend more time here in Taiwan.

As an instructor, I wish, on behalf of Mastery Academy, to thank all participants for making this Excursion a success. We also thank our event organizer, StarEvent, for their strong support. May we continue to soar high in our learningsand expand our horizon, and continue to walk the dragons.

This is Chi Tim, signing out from Taiwan.

What Participants Say About the 2011 Taiwan Excursion: