Emeishan
Trip Start
May 29, 2008
1
67
102
Trip End
Dec 19, 2008
Emeishan,
Sichuan,
China
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The next day we took a cable car up to Wannian Temple in the abundantly green mountains. It was a fantastic view from up there. When arriving at the top we visited the temple and monastery. The monks had their own vegetarian restaurant way up in the mountains and a different style bathroom to boot. It was interesting to see their way of life. Rachel had also done some great research on this area and had heard about a Duo Bridge area that was a much further walk then what the guide had originally proposed. He obliged very willingly once he knew we didn't mind walking to get a fantastic experience. Approaching the stairs for the 3km hike, we got bombarded by vendors wanting to take us by banana chair / lawn chair hammock to the bottom. We decided Rachel had to get the royal treatment by being whisked away on her hammock chariot manned by two Chinese gentlemen carrying each end of the chariot. She felt so pampered. Halfway to the bottom she was famished and we had to stop for her to get some water. It's a lot of work just laying there enjoying the scenery. By the way, the scenery was absolutely beautiful in this area. Rivers, ponds, towering trees, mountains, and mountain lodges dotted this gorgeous area. There was one tree in the middle of a lake that had no leaves, no branches, nothing and just sat there reflecting in the light off the water in the middle of the lake. It made for a great picture. The highlight of this area was a double bridge that is not seen by many tourists that visit this area. As has been the case for all of our best experinces on the trip, Rachel's great research yielded exceptional results. Even the guide was surprised that we knew about it. It was a gem in this already beautiful mountainous region of Emeishan. The double bridge was flanked by streams an small waterfalls of the most pristine and clear natural water we had ever seen. Much clearer than Thailand's Phi Phi Lay islands or even Erawan waterfalls. I would honestly think it would rival bottled water it was that unbelievable. The bridge was surrounded by vegetetation on all sides and made for a great picture. The rest of this area was just fantastic as we journeyed through chain-linked bridges, walkways looking over crystal clear lakes, mountains, and mountain lodges. It was a great experience all the way around.
Later, we had a local lunch where the highlight of this meal was that patrons will throw their scraps or other pieces of their food that they don't care for on the ground. Our guide didn't make mention of it as a special feature and we discovered that it's just normal eating habits in rural China. Even in a nice restaurant, our guide poured out some of his beer right onto the floor. You could be hung back in the States for wasting beer in some parts, so I don't think he understands the freedoms he is afforded in beer wasting in communist China. By the way, China resembles more of a capitalistic society than communist - I think the communist tag is to preserve tradition and save face. Our guide explained some of th advantages and disadvantages of a communist government with a capitalistic mindset like nondisclosure being a benefit to national security an other strategic decisions being one of their biggest advantages although bureaucracy still was a big disadvantage although it was improving substantially.
