Maan Mountain and Xiao Lifeng Temple

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We drove to Jiangbei, the northern part of Ningbo to go hiking. There are quite a few mountains and trails in this area. It has been about a year since I went hiking in Ningbo and was looking forward to exploring another part of the city. We parked up in the carpark of a very fancy resort hotel, that is next to a lake. The lake is called Sunhu Lake and it looked pretty, but we didn't have time to explore the area around the lake as we were headed for the hills. We followed the road back round. It was really quiet, I know it was a week day, but there weren't too many people about. We passed an army base and lots of fancy houses. I think the houses were for military people and their family. They were nice, if a bit isolated. We found a path and signpost leading up into the Maan mountain so we headed up there. The entrance we took was call Sunhu Entrance, named after the lake. We climbed the first partof the trail and there was a clearing with some toilets and some information about the area. Then the steps started. There was a really nice stone gate, which seemed to mark the entrance of the trail properly.

The steps continued on and on. We climbed higher and were rewarded with views of Sunhu Lake. We could also see what we took to be another fancy hotel. We didn't know if it was finished or still under construction. There was also what looked like farmland at the base of the mountain. The steps were a bit of a killer and after a while, we came to a platform where we could take a rest. From there, we had a little bit of respite as the trail went down the other side of the hill before continuing up. At the top of the next part of the staircase, our views changed as the lake went out of view and we could see the temple up ahead. The temple was nestled in among many green trees that covered the mountain. However, there were one of two with bright red leaves, which made a nice contrast and reminded me of the beautiful autumnal colours I used to see in Korea. From there it was downhill to reach the first temple building that we had seen. To be honest, there wasn't too much there. Only a couple of buildings that were all locked up, so we couldn't go in for a nosy around and a small pagoda.

The main part of the temple seemed to be further up the hill, so we headed up there. The steps we had taken earlier had been replaced by a potholed road. This was a bit steeper than the steps, but not too bad. A little bit further up we came to some more buildings. Some of them looked like storage places and they were filled with Buddhist paraphernalia. There was also another locked up larger temple style room, which had an urn for burning incense sticks and a large candle holder outside of it. Being on higher ground meant that we had a nice view back over the building we had just come from. We could just see it poking out from in the trees. As we continued up, the path turned into a dirt track and it got a hell of a lot steeper. I was bloody knackered doing the last stretch and had to stop a few times. There was a really cute sign warning people to stay off the grass. The wording was really sweet; it said 'hands off other's treasures'. Sometimes translations go wrong, but this one was awesome.

Eventually, we came to Xiao Lifeng Temple. The temple was built during the Yuan Dynasty in 1341. It is surrounded by all different types of trees including bamboo trees. The information board in front of the temple said that there is a spring nearby, which has the sweetest water, but we didn't go to look for it, to give it a try. The temple had a bit of a derelict, neglected air to it. There were some blokes there, who appeared to be workmen, but we didn't see any monks. I don't know where they were hiding. The temple had some gorgeous artwork. We explored the various buildings. I love the papers with Chinese characters that are pasted on to the doors. They looked even better as some were weathered, tatty and ripped. We came across a really cool bug by one of the small buildings at the back of the temple. It was black with yellow markings and really long antennas. It had also hurt one of its legs and was hobbling along really slowly. Poor thing, at least being in the temple no one will kill it. We headed back down and had a look at the pond at the front of the temple. I took the same path back and met up with some of the others who had rested instead of continuing on to see the temples.

We headed back to the posh hotel, where we had reserved a room for lunch. I think we startled the staff when we walked into Fubang Sunhu Mountain Villa Hotel. The hotel was very nice and we were all hot, sweaty and clad in hiking gear. We had booked a private dining room. This concept is really common in China and other parts of Asia, but I have never been privileged enough to been to a room like this before. The room was gorgeous. It had a big dining table in the centre and there was also a couple of couches and a small coffee table. The room even came with its own wait staff, who looked after us. The food was amazing! It was all beautifully presented and tasted delicious. We had all kinds of thing: sushi, chicken, beef, pork, salad, fish and vegetables. If only every post-hike meal could be so opulent.

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