Chengdu II

We are on a drive of several hours, heading first to the holy mountain, Emeishan. We stop part way for a tea ceremony break. We are surrounded by tea fields and countryside, none of which we can really see because of the dense "fog" surrounding us. On our stop we were treated to some fancy tea pouring.
We went inside, a very loose term here in China as indoors can be colder than outdoors!, and had a bit of tea before heading back onto the bus. The kids were in the back row laughing and playing games while the adults were up front catching up on months apart.
Emeishan is one of the holy mountains of China and there are paths, pagodas and temples all the way to the summit. It would take 3 days to hike to the top. Today we were only taking on the lower portion, which had much beauty to offer. If we were to drive to the top, it would take a good three hours one way.

We went to this pagoda and found a fortune teller working in the corner.
Lots of people, lots of incense, lots of candles.

Storey and Luci took to the pillows for three bows to the Buddha to have the bell rung by a monk. Once for each girl.



There was a wonderful mysterious feel to the temples as we kept rising higher and were in the mist, fog and trees. A small brook we walked along on our way up the mountain.
One of several covered bridges we crossed along our pilgrimmage.
David and Laurel on the trail. We were able to keep warm while hiking up.
Ridley in yet another courtyard before a temple.

Love this sign reminding us where we are.
If you can click on this photo, you may be able to see the female monk (?) cleaning a dish. She was meticulous and precise in her work, not paying any attention to us as we walked by.
Beautiful umbrella-like palms.
We made our way back down the hill, back onto the bus and to the Leshan Giant Buddha which is the largest stone sculpture of Buddha in the world. The first stop up to the Buddha had a dragon enclave. If you look carefully, you can see the dragon's head hiding in the leaves up on the back wall.
A lion guarding the next corner.
A hidden, tucked away Buddha. Still working our way up.

According to records, this Buddha, at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qinqyi rivers took 90 years to be built. It is carved out of the side of the Lingyun Hill, with his head level with the cliff top, facing Mt. Emeishan.
With the drooping ears and hair arranged in a spiral topknot he is the shape of a Maitreya Buddha. Once again, clicking on the picture and looking carefully might reveal David standing on the other side looking over the expanse of the carved Buddha.

Another hidden Buddha on our way off the cliff.

We headed back to Chengdu and our first hotpot dinner that our guide, Nio, or Terrence as he gave as his English name, ordered for us. It was the Pearson family's first hotpot and Ridley and I loved the spicy side of it. Hotpot is a huge pot in the middle of the table heated by a gas flame under it with one side spicy, one side as a stock, bubbling away. Different meats, vegetables and goodies are brought to the table to be put into the hotpot, cooked and devoured. It was an unexpected treat. The end of a wonderful first day in Chengdu. Tomorrow, pandas!