Some monks at the mall

Yesterday I left work a little early.  It is spring time here in Wuhan and yesterday it was a great day.  It was around 80 degrees and very sunny.

I got back to my apartment and decided to go get some food.

As is my usual routine, I walked the 20 minutes up to the nearby Wanda Plaza, which is a somewhat upscale (for China) mall.  It is not full of european designer shops, but it is pretty upscale for the local area which is technically an economic development zone.

The mall is where I get my Mac Donalds fix.  There is also a KFC, Starbucks and a Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut in China is a sit down affair.  It is not like a Pizza Hut in the USA.  They serve alcohol and have a much bigger menu.  I usually get a salad and a pizza.

Anyway, as I approached the Mall, I spied a man in monks robes walking towards me.

If you recall, when I was in Hong Kong I was accosted by a friendly fellow in monks robes who proceeded to pat my forehead and murmur some prayers.  Unfortunately, I read warnings about unscrupulous pranksters who masquerade as monks in Hong Kong for money.  They will bless you and then try and get you to cough up cash.  They fellow in Hong Kong only got two Honk Kong dollars from me, because I like to cover my bases in case, indeed, he was some sort of holy man.

So anyway, I saw a large fellow in robes coming towards me.  Unlike many Chinese people, he came right up and started shaking my hand.  I politely said hello but declined to accept his proffered beads.  I assumed he wanted money, and I was not sure if he was indeed a holy renunciate of the material world.

A little further on, I met another monk.  He was younger and said a few words in English.  I was hoping we could talk, but he indicated that he too was offering some prayer beads.  I had to refuse.

I felt kind of bad, so I went into Walmart and bought some oranges and bottled water.  I went back out and gave the younger monk the water and oranges.  At the time, I thought they they must be tired and thirsty.  I realized after the fact that, as monks, they probably cannot eat outside the temple and probably only eat in the mornings.

Anyway, he was happy at my offering.  There were about six monks there.  

A much older monk came over and gave me a small buddha prayer card, which he indicated cost 10 RMB.  I gave hime 15.

The buddha prayer card is plastic and looks like some sort of credit card.  Perhaps it works like a re loadable karma card.  I will keep it with me and will try and use it to store good luck.

Happy Good Luck Buddha's Credit Card!