The bus finally arrived at the Baoguo Monastery, a Buddhist temple & monastery where we would be spending 2 nights. There were people everywhere worshipping the massive Buddha statues in the temple. It really was a very serene environment. We were staying where visiting monks usually stay - right up the back in basic but tidy rooms. The showers were a treat - you went into this almost cave-like structure with a metal grill for a floor a single incandescent light & a smell you could write home about (I don’t think people only showered there).
The second day we were there, we caught a public bus to the summit of the mountain - Jinding Peak. It seemed to take ages to get there - maybe an hour or so - obviously a huge mountain. The scenery along the route was breathtaking - deep green gullies with rivers flowing through them. Of course, you have to completely surrender your fate to universal forces prior to getting on the bus. A two lane road which bends & twists the full journey, the mini buses thought nothing of overtaking on blind corners, unable to see if there was any oncoming traffic. But we got to the top alive & it was cold & drizzly & foggy. You couldn’t see too much at all. There was, at the peak of the mountain, this huge gold Buddha with four elephants you could barely make out through the fog standing at the base
Mt Emei is a beautifully green environment which is perhaps one of the most spiritual places I’ve been to in China. There are temples & monasteries everywhere, all over the mountain, & there’s this incredibly peaceful vibe about the area.
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