Today we went to the Henshan Temple. It was spectacular. The ride there was fairly uneventful, though we went up into the mountains on these tiny roads. It was a little frightening especially since our bus driver hurtled as opposed to drove.
Our first stop was the epic, giant golden Buddha. We parked at the end of a pagoda-looking bridge on the edge of a river which was FULL of turtles and goldfish. Maybe they were koi. I don't know, but there was a ton. We crossed the bridge and climbed the stairs to the first level. I swear, Chinese people can't build anything if it doesn't have more than one level to it. Like the lighthouse trip yesterday, we climbed up a million and one stairs to get to it. Luckily, the up part was first. I like going up and then down better than down and then up. At the first level were the big, traditional tiger statues and some other statues. On the railing was an elephant. I took a picture for Haley. On the second level were some scary lookin' fellas glaring at me with swords held high.
On the third level, there was a place for prayer. We got to light some prayer incense. That was nice, though it bothered my allergies which have been acting a fool since I got here. LAME. But supposedly it's going to bring me financial prosperity. I could use some of that. Then we went up to the fourth and final level: the feet of the Buddha. He was GIANT. OMG HUGE. He was also very shiny and lovely to look at. After a few pictures, we headed back down to a bridge across from the first bridge down by the river. It was nothing much, just a few streams and plants. By the way, there are a fillion dragonflies here. Just saying. They're everywhere.
Then, we headed out to the actual Henshan Temple. I didn't realize just how huge it was until we got in and I realized that there were, again, four different levels to it. The interesting part is that you couldn't tell how many levels there were just by looking at it head-on. I couldn't even see the following levels until we got to the top. Each temple had different incarnations of the Buddha in them. The temples got grander and grander as we made our way to the very top. Once we got to the fourth one, though, the number of Buddhas decreased from, like, fifteen to three, each in a different position. Then, walking out from the building, I was able to see how far the temple reached. Needless to say, there is a picture of that. But even then, all you can see are the roofs. It's amazing.
I fell asleep on the way home. It was nice to have a nap. Especially since my allergies really have been kicking my ass. UGH. We don't really start class for another few days so that's cool. The students don't even get to campus for another few days. Hopefully they'll like me. Until then though, we're just chillin and doing what not. We did get to go to the store twice though. They've got some tasty snacks, I tell you what. I might have to bring some home or just take pictures and have you guys suffer. I'll see how I feel at the end of the trip. Also, it's really nice to know that when you withdraw 500 yuan it's only taking $75-ish out of my bank account. That makes me happy. I haven't even come close to spending even 100 yuan and I've been buying lots of snacks. With all of these stairs I keep having to climb, my blood sugar keeps dropping like a mo' fo'. I'll probably do a mental update later, just to let you know how I'm feeling and what not. I just thought you'd like to know a little about what I've been doing. :)
