Breakfast at KFC was a veg burger,a couple of super crispy potato fingers[not the french fries] and a piping hot cup of coffee.We wasted no time in resuming the journey as the driver told us it would take quite sometime to reach the mountain from the place where we stayed.So packing and loading our stuffs into the car off we went to the mountain.
On the way were greeted by this beautiful beach and it was pristine that we were forced to stop the journey and run to the beach.We had the beach all for ourselves!!!
The rocks near the beach offers a perfect spot for fishing....
In spite of being a very hot day,the water was surprisingly cool and we spent around half an hour splashing around and having a fun time.Then it was time we started off to the mountain.
Let me tell you a little of what I learnt about this magnificent mountain.It lies on the shore of the yellow sea and is said to have a dynamic history.It was the seat of Taoism and is believed to house supernatural powers.The cute girl at our Hotel's reception desk said one might even catch a glimpse of a 'mirage'.Don't ask me what she meant for I am as ignorant as you are on this topic and was in no mood to prod further.
This mountain has cliffs and caves entwined in springs and waterfalls.The mineral water in these springs are said to possess medicinal properties to cure diseases.There are several tourist attractions like Taiqing Palace, Taoism Temple, Shewnshui Spring, Longtou Yu, Stone Inscription in this particular mountain and trekking and cycling are the most famous sport here.
Out of the many tourists attractions we chose to see the Huayan Temple.
Huayan Temple, a buddhist temple, a located at the foot of Mount Naluoyan. It is composed of a pagoda yard with the mausoleumes of the abbots and a buddhist classics library with rich precious cultural relics.The Temple of Huayan Si, as it is also called,lies on the eastern slopes, and is the region's only Buddhist temple. The original mid-17th Century building was destroyed during the wars and was rebuilt a number of years later.
There is a separate lane of cycling/trekking and behind it is the beautiful landscape of the mountain kissing the sea...All these lovely scenarios are breathtaking as we climb up to see the temple...
A view clicked on the way to the temple....
Stalls selling mineral water,ice creams,snacks,caps,hats and incense sticks at the foot of the temple near the car park....
The Bodhisattva Guanyin stands tall and majestic and this is the view from the car park...
Beautiful carvings on the pillar on which Buddha statue stands
Here is another one
Take a closer look...
The entrance to the temple has this beautiful gateway.It was here that we were interview by the QTV[Qingdao TV] crew for a documentary on Laoshan mountain.They asked me to say something about our trip,where we came from and what we are looking forward to in this temple!I was thrilled!!!!
The beautiful carving on the floor below the gateway
Since one has to climb way to many steps to reach the temple,these chairs are available for hire at a nominal fee.They carry u up and down and you can enjoy the scenic view without getting tired.But we chose to walk...
One of the statues en-route the temple
A scary yet captivating view of the valley while climbing the way up
Stone benches to relax and refresh but since the day was too hot we preferred to walk instead of taking rest under the scorching sun
Exotic fruits and vegetables on sale on the way
A board explains the significance of the place on the way to the temple-The stupa yard
A small tank with cute little gold fishes swimming around at the entrance of the Stupa Yard.Here too people throw in coins for good luck...
The Pagoda
One of the Stupa in the yard
Some inscriptions...
Walking out of the Stupa yard and a little further up is a board explaining the brief history of Huayan temple...
Throughout the way,there are similar carvings on the path leading to the temple
Paintings in gold on the way to the temple
The Huayan temple.Since photography is prohibited inside the temple,I just clicked a few pics of the exterior.Monks still live here and we met a couple of them inside the temple who were offering their prayers to the Lord.The atmosphere inside the temple was cool and calming to the mind.We sat there for a while before starting our journey down...
This is one of the other temple located on either side of the main temple.Opposite to the temple is a souvenir store that sells buddhism related materials,scented candles,statues,incense sticks etc
The descend was a bit tiring.The heat had taken its toll when we climbed up and left us exhausted and made the descent slow.We made use if this opportunity to take in the beauty of the surroundings
The Buddha captured on the way back
We got into the car to go back to our place.We were totally exhausted by the heat and hungry from the climb.Though we knew we had seen just a fraction of what the mountain had to offer,we were content with what we had seen and ready to go back home.
On the way back we saw stores like this selling rock 'statues' to adorn your garden/home.they even make inscriptions /paintings on it if you want.A beautiful way to start a rock garden...
That's all for today friends.See you soon in another place, in an enchanting location...
Take care until then....
