2011 - NZ To SF - Day 100

Day 100: (21 August 2011):
- Morning: Take bus to one of the bus stations.
- Was worried about ID req’s as sign suggested ID, but never checked.
- Not long until bus leaves, so got on bus. Buses in China are usually surprisingly modern, but sometimes not well maintained.
- Driving out of the city, see wide avenue, new highways, bridges, new decorations/lights on road & lots of construction outside city walls. Old city wall.
- Stopped at an outer bus station just outside walls near shopping plaza. Bus now full.
- Nice long drive. Some traditional houses/villages en route. Offer pay 5RMB each he’ll get us to hanging monastery.
- Suddenly hit hills. Windy road & villages below. Bus stop to pick some one up at edge of road / let ppl off, etc.
- See massive new highway w/ bridges & tunnels under construction.
- Town is kind of out of the way down road.
- Made 2(?) stops, moto-taxis waiting for bus.
- Drop us off a bus stop. Transfer us to a taxi. Dad didn’t realise this is what’s going on.
- Drive up to monastery includes pitch of us to go up mountain for a pretty high price. Tell us we don’t have to go in, best view is outside.
- 150 RMB admission. Toilet stalls w/ plastic bags? Someone cleaning or emptying bucket below.
- Walk around a bit. Pagoda. Photos.
- Large dam & huge tunnel entrance. Under construction?
- From map, mountain does not seem far. Just past dam. Looked at map after coming back.
- Stairs, nice view at bottom, look up.
- go in, follow a path around narrow ways.
- Very crowded, wonder if designed for this load.
- Wonder where the money is going & what happened to monks.
- Narrow ways. Small rooms (statues) & walk over roofs.
- See the wood beam-in-cliff structure holding temple. Wonder why they added the extra thin long supports.
- Mix of Dao, Buddhist, Confucianism items.
- Some rooms have great wood carvings, very complex, painted. Roof patterns, beams, etc.
- Near end, a front passage & pack passage against cliff.
- Gift shop, etc. Stamps w/ hanging temple. Seems stamps are always popular & sold in Chinese gift shops. Lots of tickets also serve as post cards.
- Cool cliff staircase w/ wood stairs above section.
- Overall, cool, but small.
- Bathroom break for both, wait @ pagoda.
- More selling abt. trip to mountain. Agree to take us back for 20.
- We get in car, & he go to pull other people.
- Joined by a couple who will go to mountain. He drive us back first with couple in car. Tell them it won’t take long.
- Not long wait for bus to wooden tower. Leave very soon so get on bus.
- Short drive just out of town then stop, tell us going to the end town to transfer.
- Follow person down dirt track to a minibus parked under bridge in shade. Ahead is sand tarp or inflatable barrier, then water.
- Wait a while, some more people board.
- Perhaps other bus is making room for more pick-ups & this is express? Turns out is prob. Not the case. Mysterious transfers.
- Bus drive to road & tell us to get off again.
- Wait a bit & transfer to yet another bus.
- This time, we actually head off to the town. & make it in OK time.
- See signs to tower in town. Get dropped off relatively central, after making a few stops.
- Also a small nice old-style town centre. Feel is that this tower is the lifeblood of town, drawing visitors.
- Town dirty: garbage on streets, kids pee, dogs poop, etc.
- Find a (chain) restaurant to eat.
- Tower very old. Now can only go to 3rd floor, some renovation above.
- Old dark steep staircase. Statues in centre.
- Nice view of surrounds. Old village atmosphere. New big temple.
- Tower obviously leaning, cracks & small “crunches” in beams.
- Tall statues & paintings on ground floor.
- Turns out tower hit with cannon during some war. See obvious damage outside. Looks like close to collapse.
- Decide go see buddhist relics. Extra 100 RMB / person.
- Small room. Low security. Some photos of relic in detail. Adjascent room with relic. Very unimpressive, but cool there were 2 relics & where they were found. Dad wonder if they are real, seeing the low security measures. Feels is a bit of a rip off.
- Walk around a bit more & decide to head back.
- Took a “super tuk-tuk_ to bus station.
- Waited. pretty dirty. Bit smelly due to bathroom inside. Pear. Ask for extra RMB 1 each for highway, or get off bus.
- Took bus back. Guy talk to me. Me nervous due to imperfect Chinese. Gave directions. But went with dad’s plan, as not really listening to them for some reason. So get off bus a bit early. (One stop or two?)
- See a cool street market. Ate “dou mian” at a chain-like place.
- Walk back, buy more water, as usal & go to sleep.
- In non-deluxe room now. only diff I can see is no computer & fancy shampoo/soap. One floor higher, directly above prev. room.