A 1360 year old temple and ginko tree

Near Maple Leaf is a temple that Justin wanted to visit before we left. Thomas said not many Caucasians go there, so we were a real oddity. It's located in a dusty square in a small village. In the center courtyard is an enormous ginkgo tree. I took one look and had visions of the little ginkgo in our patio growing into this magnificent monster. We asked a young apprentice monk the tree's age and he told us it is 1360 years old - as is the temple. So, I think it will be a long time before our ginkgo takes over the Westwood Plateau. A museum was attached to the temple - we saw pottery dating from the Han dynasty that was over 2000 years old and had been recently unearthed - in 2002. There were also some really beautiful and amazing (words fail me here) examples of root carving. The temple and museum were a real treasure in the dust and haze.