May 11, 2013 - On to Wutai Mountain

Set off with Molly & Wao (driver) at 08:30 towards the mountains. For some bizarre reason I had to be insistent with Molly that I was going to sit in the front of the car. (Much later in the day, after asking me again if I wanted to sit in the back as long drive / sleep etc, she said Wao felt under pressure with me in the front ! As he speaks no English and I speak no Mandarin, I decided to ignore it. No way was I going to be driven watching the neck support of the seat in front - nor craning forward so I can see out - like Molly has to...

Apr 16, 2010 - Buddhist shrine Wutai Mountain

We left Pingyao at 5:10 PM and driving along the Dayun highway to our next destination Taiyuan. It took about one and half hour and 132KM arrival in Shanxi world trade hotel on Fuxi road in Taiyuan; we had dinner at Wangtai restaurant near the hotel. (Recommendation their soup very good) We left the hotel in the morning 9:30 next day to start our next journey Wutai Mountain 332km away from Taiyuan. I drive from Dadongguan entrance through city ring highway to Dayun highway to the north, at Yizhou city turn east about 152km to Wutai city...

Oct 12, 2007 - Datong/Wutai Shan

Well, I'm sorry to report that our luggage was broken into on the train and my cell phone was stolen. It didn't work here anyhow, but I still feel like calling just to cuss out the person answering. Enough of that. Today, we saw the Hanging Temple, which is a monastery built into the side of a cliff, it was really high up there, but the guide said that it would still be washed away in a flood. A dam has been built to protect this treasure. It was scary to look over the edge, not many guard rails! After lunch, we saw the Wooden Pagoda,...

Mar 26, 2006 - Vegetarian Monks Score a Point!

Wutai Shan (Buddhism's sacred northern mountain) My roommate here turned out to be an itinerant Tibetan Buddhist monk from Manchuria - and not any monk, but one who had the exact same name (in Chinese) as me! This seemed to be an incredible coincidence, but it didn't seem to phase him one bit. 'It's destiny,' he said. He agreed to have part of our conversation transcribed, but only on the condition that he not be identified. I've thus referred to him as Lama Li. Me: When did you become a monk? Lama Li: When I was younger I was sent down to...