Emeishan and Leshan

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Today is our second day in Leshan, and we are sitting in a nice internet cafe where no one can speak English and it is all teenage boys playing videogames and talking smack. At least we can still use the internet, Microsoft rules the world. Before that we spent 3 days hiking on Emeishan, an 1800 year-old Buddhist pilgrimage. At the highest point, it was over 3000 meters. The hike was challanging mentally and physically, and there were really nice cliffs, waterfalls, temples, and pagodas. There were also aggressive Tibetan Maccaus that would challange people for any food they had and we had to stare them down. Plus, we saw a female bearded frog. We enjoyed staying overnight in the monastaries and eating really good vegetarian food. The pilgrims were really friendly and kept trying to talk to us, and even at one point some octogarians fanned us as we rested together. Unfortunately, we could only use sign language to have the barest of communication. We took a bus back to the bottom of the mountain, and it was only a 30 minute bus ride to Leshan, a smallish city on the convergence of three rivers. Most tourists come here to see the Giant Buddha (Dafu), built about 1500 years ago; it is over 230 feet. The city itself is pretty fun. The people we encountered were really nice, maybe due to the presence of Dafu (and/or the income he brings in). Hardly anyone could speak English, and we got more stares here than anywhere else. Food and accommodation were also some of the cheapest we have gotten. We paid less than 10 dollars a night for our hotel and about 1 dollar for several really good 3 course meals. Our internet access now is costing 30 cents an hour. Based on the street scenes, people here seem to be really into clothes shopping, haircuts, exercising and food. Tomorrow we take a 7 hour bus ride to Chongqing, the largest city in China, at 35 million people. We are going to be there for two days and one night before boarding a ferryboat for 3 days down the Yangtze. Then, we have a 7 hour bus ride to Wuhan, where we stay for 1 day, before we take a 17 hour sleeper train to Shanghai. We will have to add photos later because neither of us brought our cord for our camera. Also, I forgot to add earlier, for those who are interested, there really is hardly any surfing on hainan. We asked a diver who said that in February there is some surf, but generally there is none, contrary to some sources (www.wannasurf.com). We did see some nice sand bars that would be perfect if there was any swell, which there wasn't. Keep well,
Jeff and KK

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Comments

[Mom and Dad]

great trip
Hi Jeff and Kaley, your hiking adventures and monastery stays sound very interesting and fun. Glad to see that you are navigating around China so well and getting to see so many beautiful and unusual sights. (We wish we were there with you). How is the weather? love, mom and dad

[Sue]

Journal
Glad you are having fun, but I must say I am disappointed that I cannot see Dafu. Please update photos!!!

[jenny and david,abby and shai]

ohh my god!!!!!!!
kaley, a few things. i can't believe how good looking your boyfriend is, you are soooo skinny and the places you have been are mind blowing. jenny in shanghai go to the new museum of history, it's across the street from the new opera house. jenny