The Taoist temple was full of other tour buses full of people who were actual spiritual practicers. We were phonies. But we indulged in the tradition by buying incense sticks outside the temple and then entering a smoky crowded courtyard where people were most certainly doing their thing. Everyone was carrying them over their heads to not get ash on anyone else. There were people kneeling and praying with the sticks by swinging them up and down in front of them. Some of them (like the woman pictured) gave offerings of fruit or even chicken to the gods. The instructions were to light our incense sticks and then put three in one place to the side and then three more to the main offering. So we did just this but without really understanding anything behind it. Then we got this cup of sticks with Chinese numbers and inscriptions on it. We were to talk to the gods in our head, say our name, why we were here and then ask the question we wanted an answer to. We shook the sticks while doing this and then tried to maneuver one to fall out. The stick that did would be our sign from the god. It had a number on it and then we paid $2 to get the translation. I am not going to disclose what I asked about but I didn’t take it too hard when Rebecca translated mine and it told me “medium to low”. It had a story about a King who no one believed but who knew what he spoke would be the truth because he was the king. So, I am going to selectively interpret this to mean that whatever I say something is and will, can be so. Convenient, no?