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Buddha
seated buddha rather large!!In the evening, I went to the Sichuan Opera with Elaine and Sarah, our mother /daughter Canadians from Edmonton. We were taken by Tao’s friend by car, which was fortunate as it had started to rain quite heavily… our first rain in China. The Opera was held in an open area quadrangle which was covered most securely by a large roof, and around us were shops of various clothing such as kimonos etc. The whole effect was quite colourful. As we were led to our seats, the usher asked as if we wanted a massage – Sarah said yes so she was whisked off. Elaine and I were surprised by this as we hadn’t expected this at all!! We sat in rows, but each row contained several small tables where we could see there were covered cups and bowls of unshelled peanuts. A waiter came around with a small teapot with a metre long spout with which he poured water over the jasmine tea leaves that were in the cups, refilling them throughout the performance. Sarah returned just before the start and said that her masseur had given her an all over
massage (over her clothes) in the back of the theatre – an interesting experience!! The Sichuan opera was great fun – only a couple of acts were overdramatised versions of Chinese opera ( a bit G&S) and interspersed were acts with a large hand puppet fairy, hand shadow performance, musicians playing various traditional Chinese instruments, and a burlesque-style skit which we only could glean some understanding. The whole show was fun, lively, and great to see.
14/5 Monday rain cleared.
The following day after Chinese brekkie ( not exciting – bowls of congee, steamed buns and pickled vegies) we set off for Leshan by private bus where we visited the largest outdoor seated Buddha ‘Da Fo’ which is 71 m tall and is carved into a cliff. Here, we could take pics at the top of the cliff, and then we wended our way down the cliff face on stairs carved into the cliff (with hundreds of other people) so the whole thing took about half an hour to the bottom. From there we took another carved staircase back up the cliff – worked our legs very well!!
From here we
went to our final destination for the day – Bagao Monastery near the base of Mt Emei ( Emei Shan 3099 m) one of the most famous Buddhist sites in China. Here we stayed in individual rooms, though shared toilet/ bathroom facilities. Dinner was downtown out of the monastery as noone wanted to eat vego. At 4.30 in the morning we were woken by gongs and drums signalling the start of devotions. We stayed in our beds, though others from our group went to watch a little of the chanting.
15/5 Tuesday
We packed our small overnight bag and after a quick brekkie, we caught the local bus all the way to the car park at the base of the cable car station near the top of the mountain. Here we had to wend our way up lots and lots of stairs ( at least half an hour climbing) before we reached the station. Then we lined up for about another half hour before we caught the cable car – only 3-4 minutes to the next point. From there, another 10 minutes got us fairly close to the top –
Roman gave up at this stage, and waited at the base of the temple while we went on up…. The views would have been great if it was a clear day, but everything in China is tainted with haze/ smog so the pics were not fantastic.
Going down was so much easier, and we got our first glimpses of the monkeys which inhabit the area and make life a little uncomfortable for people who eat and walk – nasty surprises by monkeys who steal their food…. We carried large bamboo sticks to fend them off as they can be quite aggressive. Finally getting to the base car park, we had a lovely lunch at a local restaurant before catching the local bus to our next exciting point – the car park from whence we would walk for 2 – 3 hours to reach the next monastery on the mountain. The way up was uneventful in the beginning – fairly large flat spaces then a step or 6, but soon enough the stairs became smaller and steeper and more rests were needed. We clambered over streams, beside raging torrents, swung over swing bridges and climbed and climbed. We
set off at 3.30 and reached our destination at 6 – not too bad – even Roman made it OK!! He is the oldest participant on our tour. A café nearly at the end meant a quick stop for a beer before returning here for dinner half hour later after an invigorating hot shower. Facilities were very basic as described before, but now we were on our own. The weather was mild though cool. And the area was visually beautiful.
16/5 Wednesday
The morning chanting only started at 6, so we had a good sleep. Brekkie of pancakes / scrambled eggs at the same café was enjoyed before starting our trek back down again. This of course was much easier – so we stopped a couple of times – the monkeys in large troupes were a worry so we had to stick together at times, and a couple of our group – Jethro and Lizzy jumped into a pool for a quick swim – the weather had turned quite warm.
When we returned to Bagao Monastery, we were whisked off by a local guide, Patrick, who really
Bagao Monastery
we stayed here 2 nights knew all the tricks, to a hot springs spa where we spent the entire afternoon being looked after. Lovely. Dinner and early bed before a long day of bussing…..
17/5 Thursday
We caught the local long distance bus from Emei Shan to Chongqing – a 7 hour journey – not much to report except for smog, lots of small rice paddies and vegetable plots and funny small villages that we passed through. Inevitable delays experienced before finally boarding our boat the Princess Jeannie, which holds about 180 people – mostly Chinese and about 27 westerners. Quiet evening while we ate our noodle dinners and drank lots of beer and watched the boat departing from the dock at 9 pm.
18 May – Friday
Early brekkie in 2 relays before heading off for a sightseeing tour of the Fengdu
Temple near the sight of Fengdu town – a ghost town left over after the 3 gorges dam project. Our guide, Merry, was one of the displaced persons, and is quite happy with the new arrangements ( 2004) but her grandmother is not
so pleased – memories gone forever.
Pleasant afternoon whiled away on board, dinner as usual, Chinese, and early bed.
Saturday19th May
Entered the first gorge, Qutang, at about 11.30 today – very beautiful, dramatic.
- Loved it! Now Shenny stream by smaller boat - very dramatic and beautiful. Lovely chinese lass spoke chinese all the way and didn't allow Tao, our guide to translate - she didn't get a tip!!
- Next gorge Wu - very dramatic though not as much as previous ones.
Today - Sunday in Yichang after 3 gorges dam visit - warm and steamy and in own hotel room - bliss - and internet connection for the first time since Chengdu - intenet sickness!!!!
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Maura
non-member comment
having fun
Glad you're having fun and getting your exercise at the same time! All that climbing steps etc will keep you fit. Lovely pics!