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Temples. Buddha. That was our last two days. The end.
Oh. Did you want some more details? Okay, okay. Yesterday, we began with a two hour van ride out of Chengdu. We went to Leshan. It is a tiny little town, to say the least. Only about 20,000 people in it. Ah, that still makes me crack up. 20,000 is a small population. No wonder when people from China visit McCarthy it is awe-inspiring. Anyway. We started with a boat tour. The main site was the Giant Buddha, built in 730 AD. Did you read that right? GIANT. Seventy meters (230 feet) tall, a giant Buddha is carved into the red rocks. It is like Mount Rushmore but for Buddhism. The boat ride doesn't get you to the spot, as we all thought it would. Instead, it just shows you the view from the water. This is the only way to really see the full view from the front. The sun blocked most of the pictures, but we tried. So we put on "lifevests" (yes, quotation markes are needed) before we went on top of the boat for a better view of the Leshan Buddha.
We had lunch in the little town. Afterwards, our driver took us to the entrance to the park. We climbed up the stairs with all the other tourists hoping to see the Buddha. The sun was beating down despite the grey sky filled with pollution. Sweat beaded on all of our foreheads, threatening to drop down at any second. On the staircase upwards, small caves, etched into the side of the walls, were filled with statues or pictures. Maybe it was a monk who influenced this area. Maybe it was a dragon, a tiger, or whatever else with a story. Abby, as always, painted the story for us and never let a detail slip. I've nothing but praise for this girl.
We arrived at the top of the hill and the head of the Buddha. They had not exaggerated the impressive size of this statue. Standing at the top, looking down, the people at his feet look like ants. The curls on his head alone are enough to impress you. Then add the details from those curls down to the toe nails on his huge feet? Amazing. Abby told us the line to go down to his feet could get quite long. We tried to scope it out before we made a decision. I urged everyone to go. Thirty minutes later, back to back with everyone else in the crowd, trying to decide if the sweat touching me was mine or someone else's, I wasn't very happy. Disneyland efffect. Dave kept looking back at me and saying, "Who's idea was this?!" But finally, FINALLY... we made it to the bottom of the staircase. People knelt down to kiss the ground and offer their prayers. The river rushed silently and confidently in the background. The city on the otherside kept going despite this whole other world happening here. Staring up at Buddha was almost worth it all. It was so beautiful, it was almost worth going back up the narrow staircase of packed people. But my travel tip for the day is, I think it is just as effective to stay at the top. Live and learn.
Back at the top, we wiped our sweaty brows before entering the temple. Abby told us that this was a odd spot because they built the temple before the giant statue. You would think that if they were going to build a big impressive feature like that, they would focus on that first. But not here. So we began our days of temples here. I'm going to save my thoughts and big descriptions for a bit.
We next drove to the bottom of Mount Emei. Signs everywhere were advertising PATA- Pacific Asia Travel Association- conferences. Little did we know, our hotel was hosting it. We entered into the hotel that was surrounded by it's own little rainforest. Inside was a chaotic mess of people, conferences, schedules, and name tags. But we checked into our room to have a quick break before going out to dinner. I sat at the window and counted how many different kinds of butterflies I could see in the tiny forest outside my window. It was gorgeous. My favorite hotel in China thus far purely because of that fact.
For dinner, we went to a place called "The Teddy Bear." It was a hostel/restaurant combo. The walls were covered in writings. Every inch was a piece of someone's trip. Of course, I signed it with a little piece of my mind. Johann wanted to just put his initials. I told him he wasn't allowed. So, in Brian's honor, he wrote, "But! Are we having fun?" I counted it.
There was a shirt on the wall with a saying on the back. "Walk with your feet. See with your eyes. Experiance with your heart." I was enamored immediately. Dave mocked me because, "How could you not do all those things?" But I bought it anyway.
Abby asked if we wanted to see a show that the local's would go to in the evening. So off we went. She wasn't kidding. I never saw another Westerner, but Ellen thinks she saw three. Either way, out of an entire theater, that's not a lot. They served tea along with the show. Apparently this area is famous for their tea. The show was a combination of dance, music, acrobatics, magic, and comedic routines. Johann and I agreed it was the equivalent of a Chinese adult "Prism" show. There was one point were it just turned into stand-up comedy. Johann and I laughed because that really doesn't work when you don't speak the language. Fortunately, Abby explained to us after the show all the hilarity. But it was truly an amazing show. Impressive, original, and funny- even if you don't speak Chinese. All four of us commented our content with the show afterwards.
Today. The grey sky suggested the heat had diminished. It was true if you looked at it with an optimistic attitude. Dreams had mixed with memories in the night, leaving me in a melancholy mood. I was also beginning to realize this was my final day of "intense" traveling. We'll be going back to the apartment tomorrow. I understand it's still traveling. I mean, my goodness, I'll still be in China. But it'll be different. So I herumphed around, sipping coffee. Yes, herumph is a word now. I was deciding to just buck up when we rode in the van to go to the mountain.
This area is known for monkeys and temples. What is a better combination? Well. Let me put it this way. Abby said it like this, "The monkeys must be taking a day off." Not one monkey. The temples came through, but the monkeys will have to wait for another day. Abby told us normally they are everywhere. She wasn't sure what happened today. Banana strike possibly.
The first temple, Baoguo temple, sat on top of hillsides amidst the overly lushous green rainforest. The temple was adorned in gold despite being one of the oldest in China. After climbing a long staircase to the temple, the smell of incense greets you. Candles are lit everywhere you look. In fact, hundreds of candles lie on the ground in beautiful designs. Men, women, and even children light incense all around you. They bow three times, mumbling prayers, before sticking the incense in the holder outside. So many candles light the path and area that you quickly feel even hotter because of the flames. Inside the temple, a larger than life statue of Buddha greets you, as in all temples. People kneel to kiss the ground before Buddha. Old women who struggled up the steps diligently get on the ground to kiss the ground, palms open towards Buddha in hopeful prayers. A monk watches over the room with a look of peaceful knowledge. He beats the gong every so often that fills the silent room with a direct and powerful musical note. Flowers cover the alters where candles and offerings don't already sit. I'm not Buddhist, by any means. But it was beautiful.
We worked our way back down the mountain for lunch. Then we went back down to the base of the mountain. Disappointed about monkeys, we continued on to the next temple. The next temple was Wannian Temple. Honestly, as with cathedrals in Europe, there comes a point where I can only describe them so much. The basic concept was the same as the previous one except for this one was much bigger. But this one felt much more local than touristy. It wasn't in all reality. But for some reason the vibe of this one was people legitimately using this temple for religious reasons, not just visiting. So I sat and watched people knelt face down mumble heartfelt prayers. I took a picture with a shy kid and his parents who wanted to say hi. But I finally worked my way into a room of monks and women dressed in black robes chanting. The only instrument was a gong keeping the rhythm. The words came easily and from the heart. I found a bench in the back. I closed my eyes. I thought about that t-shirt. I know, I can't believe I'm about to pull a quote off a shirt. But I wondered why Dave didn't like it. Because I understood it immediately. I can walk up those stairs to the temple. I can see the statue of Buddha. But to experience it? That's in your heart.
I know I said it before, but let me say it again because I truly truly mean it all. I'm not Buddhist, at all. But it's beautiful. I know I'm going to sound like a hippie. I tried explaining this to Johann and he rolled his eyes while saying I must have been raised in Boulder. But I just find it amazing how everywhere you go, people are the same. We all want to find a way to explain terrible situations and heartache. We all want to protect our children and teach them morals. We all acknowledge there is evil in the world, then strive to find the beauty in the world. We all want to have hope and peace within ourselves. I'm not trying to make a controversial statement and I'm not naive enough to give a beauty pageant "world peace" speech. But I just want to say it like this. My feet were joyfully walking up the stairs. My eyes were brimmed with understanding tears. My heart was filled with love as I watched those people give their whole heart to chants and prayers. I thought of how many people I've seen, tearfilled after disaster, just hoping for a seed of hope. I thought of mothers holding their newborn child, praying for wisdom in raising their whole world. Across the world, the hope and love is the same. We all have one voice.
"This is the sound of all of us. Singing with love and the will to trust. Leave the rest behind it will turn to dust. This is the sound of all of us.
This is the sound of one voice. One people, one voice. A song for everyone of us. This is the sound of one voice."
