2009 September | Saben and Lin

It’s a long way to the top…if you want to rock and roll

August 9, 2009 – Day 227 – Mount Emei, China

Well, not much to report today as we spent 11 hours climbs stairs.

Ok, ok, so there’s a bit more to it than that but from 7:30AM until 6:30PM we were climbing the stairs toward the top of Mount Emei (Emeishan, said in Chinese). Our morning began with the first bus of the day at 7AM from the tiny town just at the base of the mountain to our chosen starting point, Wuxian Temple.

Qingyan Pavillion

Sometimes I want to…eh eh…get away…

August 8, 2009 – Day 226 – Leshan, China

It’s surprising how people behave in the midst of one of the most grand and sacred Buddhist sites in the world. I mean, all the kicking and shoving, the elbowing, the near stampeding conditions after waiting in line for 2 hours before getting to go down the rather perilous carved stone stairs, stairs that are perilous on a day when you descend them alone, not to mention having 200 pushing, shoving, kicking, elbowing Chinese people at your back. It is not the most serene, peaceful feeling that one would expect from visiting such an important Buddhist site. Strange thing, indeed.

The stone Budda of Leshan

Ahhh, an oasis in the city

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August 7, 2009 – Day 225 – Chengdu, China

We are so happy that we switched hostels! Last night was spent at the amazing Sim’s Cozy Garden Hostel and it was awesome! Anyway, light post today because we stayed in to work out our Tibet plan, which is quite a mess! Note: Sim’s has a great posting board for trying to find other travelers for Tibet groups.

Lindsey enjoying some lunch

Fuzzy wuzzy was a bear

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August 5-6, 2009 – Day 223-224 – Chengdu, China

Spent most of the hot, humid and uninviting day at the People’s Park. It is a nice park but rather small compared to so many other parks of China. This heat just saps the strength and will to do anything right out of us!

So happy together.....

Farewell charming Dali

August 3-4, 2009 – Day 221-222 – Chengdu, China

Had to leave lovely Dali this morning and head back to Kunming to catch an ongoing train for Chengdu. We are due to arrive in Chengdu tomorrow…

Out on the town

August 1, 2009 – Day 219 – Dali, China

As it turns out, Dali is not a “charming little town.” Charming, yes, but definitely not little or a “town!” It is actually quite large, even the walled Old City. Most western tourists like to stay in the Old City but most Chinese tourists prefer to stay in the New City leaving the old city all to us by late afternoon.

Old lady in the back streets

Comin’ round the mountain

August 2, 2009 – Day 220 – Dali, China

Today was the best day we have had in China so far! We took the incredible cable car up Cangshan Mountain and hiked all the way around it (about 15 km in total). After the initial few flights of stone stairs, the going was smooth and easy on the flat stone path that snaked all around the mountain.

Up the mountain

Bad Day, Good Day

July 31, 2009 – Day 218 – Dali, China

Today, determined to get to the Stone Forest, we awoke even earlier (6AM!) and arrived at the minibus street to catch the morning “rush” to Shilin. We hoped for a cheaper fare (actually, the correct fare!) but today we were met by something even more frustrating: there were no buses would take us, no matter how much money we had!

Random Bug, because I can't find a photo that equates horrid frustration

Failure 101 and eating in China

July 30, 2009 – Day 217 – Kunming, China

Well, we and a fellow traveler we met at the hostel suffered a failed attempt this morning at trying to go to the Shilin Stone Forest. We arrived early, as the hostel staff suggested, but the only 2 remaining minibuses that were heading toward Shilin wanted to charge us each almost 3 times what the fare should have been.

Lunch!