Xuan Kong Si - Det hængende Kloster


[HOME]

1. Beijing 02.04.08

2. Beijing 03.04.08

3. Beijing 04.04.08

4. Beijing 05.04.08

MAP 1 Beijing-Yingxian

5. Beijing-LouCun 06.04.08

6. Lou Cun-YudouCun 07.04.08

7. YudouCun-Laiyuan 08.04.08

8. Laiyuan-Wangzhuang 09.04.08

9. Wangzhuang-Hunyuan 10.04.08

MAP 2 Yingxian-Taiyuan

10. Hunyuan-Dai Xian 11.04.08

11. Dai Xian-Xinzhou 12.04.08

12. Xinzhou-Taiyuan 13.04.08

MAP 3 Taiyuan-Linfen

13. Taiyuan-Pingyao 14.04.08

14. Pingyao 15.04.08

15. PingyaoHuozhou 16.04.08

16. Houzhou-Xiangfen 17.04.08

17. Xiangfen-Hejin 18.04.08

MAP 4 Linfen-Weinan

18. Hejin-Heyang 19.04.08

19. Heyang-Dali 20.04.08 Heyang-Dali

20. Dali-Xi'an 21.04.08

21. Xi'an 22.04.08

22. Xi'an 23.04.08

23. Xi'an 24.04.08

24. Xi'an 25.04.08

MAP 5 Weinan-Hanzhong

25. Xi'an-Mazhao 26.04.08

26. Mazhao-Yangxian 27.04.08

27. Yangxian-Mian Xian 28.04.08

28. Mian Xian-Ningqiang 29.04.08

29. Ningqiang-Guangyuan 30.04.08

MAP 6 Hanzhong-Mianyang

30. Guangyuan-Jianmen Pass 01.05.08

31. Jianmen Pass-Zitong 02.05.08

32. Zitong-Loujiang 03.05.08

33. Luojiang-Chengdu 04.05.08

34. Chengdu 05.05.08

35. Chengdu 06.05.08

36. Chengdu 07.05.08

37. Chengdu 08.05.08

38. Chengdu 09.05.08

MAP 7 Mianyang-Maoxian

39. Chengdu-Dujiangyan 10.05.08

40. Dujiangyan-Miansi 11.05.08

41. Miansi-Maoxian 12.05.08

42. Maoxian 13.05.08

43. Maoxian 14.05.08

44. Maoxian 15.05.08

45. Maoxian 16.05.08

46. Maoxian 17.05.08

47. Maoxian 18.05.08

48. Maoxian-Chengdu 19.05.08

49. Chengdu-Chongqing 20.05.08

50. Chongqing-Wanzhou 21.05.08

51. Yangtze River 22.05.08

52. Yangtze River-Wuhan 23.05.08

53. Wuhan 24.05.08

54. Beijing 25.05.08

55. Beijing 26.05.08

56. Beijing 27.05.08

57. Beijing 28.05.08

58. Beijing 29.05.08

59. Beijing 30.05.08

[BACK]  [NEXT]

English Version 10


Thursday 10.04.08
 
First an impression of city life in the evening.
Lights on bikes are unknown. Bicycles go dark like most mopeds and motorbikes. Besides the electrical bikes, I havn’t mentioned before. There are plenty of them, though. Some motorbikes carry lights though, and not to make it too tedious they carry sparkling blue and green lights too. And then they race around as in the daytime.
I consider a tactic for supper. The hotel rules are written in English in my room – and so is the menu? I go downstairs to look.
If they’re closing down the serving in this part of the hotel or I am too important a guest, I don’t know, but I’m shown to another part across the courtyard, that’s much more distinguished. In a fraction of a second 4-5 girls surround me. The menu is in Chinese, but there are pictures! What more can you ask? I choose a different dish but the entire turtle that’s staring at me and some more. When I’ve ordered, the head waiter (I think) arrives to manifest himself. What do I want? Is there nothing else? No, I turn him down. The dish is brought in a minute and they want to take away my chopsticks – do they really have knife and fork? Or is it just a spoon they’ll offer – but I’ll never know, cause I stick to my chopsticks. I’m doing allright, I think, even my technic can’t be found in any textbook. And there are no rules says my Chinese teacher and she should know if any?
Then arrives a glass of something I didn’t order, as far as I know. Maybe it’s on the house? It looks like milk, and I’m surprised when it’s hot. It even tastes a little like milk. The dish was 18 RMB. I’ve ordered rice and a Qingdao beer, so what’s the bill gonna be in this distinguished restaurant?
29 RMB. Rice was 5 on the mountain earlier (tourist prize!) a Qingdao was 10 at Far East, so that’s not bad and they’re so sweet and want to know everything. But I don’t get new information on the road to the monastery.
 
Friday 11.04.08
The trip to Xuan Kong Si is shorter than expected. I DON’T have to go through the tunnel. I ought to have seen it yesterday but you have to keep your eyes on the road when you’re going down!
It’s tourists prizes here. Even toilet – and it’s not water flushing – costs. Parking costs, on the other hand  someone’s keeping an eye on my bike, and that’s surely worth 5 RMB. The monastery is up there clinging to the cliffs which is almost like a roof up above. Long poles are supporting. From the first yard with souvenir shops the tour starts.
Through a narrow door and up even narrower iron forced stairs. Photos are not allowed. Past the first room, where Buddha is sitting surrounded by some disciples and a lamb? There’s a “kang” (traditional Chinese heated bed) with a coal stove, which isn’t in use. The monks have long left for tourism. Twisted dragons in squares in the ceiling, exept that very humble. The continuation is stone stairs in the cliff and a low wall against the abyss. I feel it in my stomach. In this floor a room with 4 Buddhas behind glass and a rather scratched picture of some monks on the wall holding a prayer carpet.
New iron forced stairs with a fence too low for me.
An extraordinary room filled with sculptures and ornaments. You can see the rock through holes in the ornaments. Two more stairs up nearly hanging in the air. It’s beyond my limits. The stair is hanging in the air. I put my writing materials away and secure the bag over my head so I can cling to something with both hands.
In the upper floor three sitting figures: Buddha, Lao Tse and a third one, two servants and ornaments, which partly covers the cliff. At last more Buddhas: Bao Shen and Ying Shen. Some coins and notes are put in a bowl and spread around. People don’t give that much!
The last room looks like some of the previous only some guards have been added at the sides.
Down a stair and through a hole in the cliff. A room with a multicoloured pillow, to kneel on. Powerful red and yellow colours. Three Chinese with hanging beards, two demons with a lot of arms and golden snakes twist on the wall above.
 


Better not suffer from fear of heights At the Hanging Monastery

 

Finally a room with a 100-armed? Buddha. In the last room with Buddhas behind glass I thank for my survival by placing a note in the bowl and walk back to the entrance and all the tea and coffee shops. There I see a group of westeners with a Chinese guide. I find myself staring wondering at them. They are the first I’ve seen since Beijing. Now I know how the Chinese feel about me.
Then it goes back down the road, this time I don’t have to turn at Hunyuan, but continue straight. The road is like a straight line, declining and with a heavy tailwind. My speed is 32-45 km/h for more than 5 km without doing anything. Then the landscape becomes flat like a pancake. Exept 2 rows of poplars divided by a draining channel at each side of the road there’s nothing but brown fields. The road is fine with shoulders and I’m doing a fair speed. The rest of the day to Yingxian nothing is happening. It’s just transportation. A small fat bird on a wire is the only break. It looks like an owl. I get my binoculars and there it is, the owl, sitting neatly watching me with it’s big eyes. Once I’m passed by two motorbikes each loaded with 3 sheep with tied legs and fastned one in front of the driver and two behind. A Chinese addresses me speaking the best English I’ve heard since Beijing. After some chat about this and that I ask him where he’s learned to speak so well? Just picked it up here and there. And watched CCTV9? Yes, he admits.
Reach Yingxian and find a place for 40 RMB. Then it’s without private bath and toilet. One wall is aluminium profiles and glass with a rolling door. And with windows at the “inner courtyard” where you can dry your laundry, as I’ve done. A washtub is right outside but toilet and shower is in the ground floor. Here are 6-8 rooms in all. It’s a bit labyrinthic.
Go to have a look at the city. The usual mixture of paved main streets with shops of all kinds and dirt roads and slum. They probably don’t see it that way. It’s just like it’s been for 100 years, exept electricity and waterpipes.
A new quarter is build in traditional Chinese style around the Pagoda, the city brand. It’s Chinas oldest wooden pagoda, how high is it? 60 m? It’s great. I don’t pay to enter. Have used enough on tourist attractions lately. Go for some food. Have found the other phrasebook. It tells the phrases for fried rice and fried noodles and the Chinese characters. It’s raining – a well known pattern – I hope, because then it’s stopped tomorrow.
I find a place, which shows to be very humble. The staff is a family, or part of a family: 3 boys and 2 girls. I wonder if the oldest is their mother? No, she’s too young.
It’s in China – they eat something different – they speak a for me not understandable language, but their attitudes and their clothing are universal. The youngest boy with his cap turned around partly.
What I show them in the phrasebook, I can’t have, meiyou! So I get the same as everybody else: steamed buns with meat and a bowl of noodle soup with VERY little meat and coriander leaves and a beer. The last is not common. It costs 10 RMB = 7 d.kr. When only it’s fried, baked or steamed enough all has gone well until now.
On my way back I go and find the “wang ba” which should be close, so this letter should be sent today.
 
57.74 km
17.56 km/t
3:17:14 tim
51.2 km/t

[BACK]  [NEXT]