Laoshan Mountain & Huayan Temple

Though the previous day had been tiring after the journey ,visit to Polar Ocean World and to the seaside at dusk we were eager to see the other places in and around Qingdao.With just one day we had to decide between the palace and the Laoshan mountain.Someone told us that a trip to the Qingdao is worthless if you don't see the mountain and so we opted for a trip to the mighty mountain.

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....

Seaside by dusk-Qingdao

Quite some days[or is it months?] back,I promised to take you to the enchanting sea side of Qingdao.After a long break here I am ready to move on.....

After our visit to Polar ocean world,we wanted to go to the seaside and after a long drive we reached there.The drive parked the car nearby.Instead of crossing the road,we decided to take the subway to reach the other side and we were gifted with the sight of these wonderful stalls / shops that sells anything and everything....

Right from precious pearls to seafood you have it all there....

Pearls!!!!!

Astronomy / Photographic goods

Bags and hats

Corals and more pearls!

The stench of the sea food was too much to bear and hence no clicks..

We got to the other side and we taken in by the beauty of the sea side by dusk..

Before we could click a few shots it got dark suddenly and the surroundings lit up to brighten the atmosphere.

We reached the Zhan Bridge (Zhanqiao).It is also known by the names Qianhai Zhan Bridge, Nanhai Zhan Bridge and Grand Pier.It is one of the landmarks in this beautiful coastal city.I read that it was built in 1891 as a naval pier!It is 440-meter long and 10-meters wide.We walked slowly with lil angel in the stroller and the walk took us almost 45 minutes to reach the other end!Being a weekend the place was packed with both locals and tourists.

On either sides there were hawkers selling things like stuffs related to the sea like shell key chains,shell wind chimes etc.Apart from this there were kites huge and small being flown to attract customers and souvenirs by the dozens .

Hubby checking out a tiny table with chairs with an equally tiny tea set!

At the end of the bridge is an octagonal pavilion typically Chinese that catches your attention.


You can enter the pavilion on a payment of RMB 5 and you are greeted by a tortoise ,a stuffed one that is.

The locals told us it was lucky to place money on its back and as u can see it carries lots of money!

There is another belief like this too..


This one is inside a glass case and there is a small hole on the right.If you can put your hand through the hole and touch the back of the turtle and place money it is lucky and your wish will be fulfilled.Not to let go of this 'opportunity' hubby and me tried and we both succeeded!!!The people there told us not many can reach the back the turtle and this made us feel so special.

There were a lot of turtles / tortoise there,each one with an interesting fact.Here is special variety of tortoise swimming amidst some fishes ..


These below are obviously for sale...

A winding staircase leads to the second floor which houses the stuffed sea creatures and some tanks with fishes and corals-live ones that is.You can also get a good view of the city from there.

We were too tired,the day was very exciting and the long walk made us hungry.Eager to get back to the room,we hurried down to find them selling ice creams!We grabbed a couple of these cool delights and rushed the car.

We had plans of another exciting day ahead..So do come back in a few days to see where I am going to take you.....

Polar ocean world -Qingdao

As we left the hotel room after a quick lunch I was so eager to see the polar ocean world about which hubby had told me long before we had planned this trip.

With all the excitement of a school kid going on a picnic I got into the car and waited for Mrs.P family.As soon as they came off we went...

The first palace that we crossed is the Wu Si square which is quite famous.This is also called the May 4th square which got its name in the memory of the May 4th movement.

A view of the Wu Si square

Going past the beautiful architecture I was totally mesmerized and my joy knew no bounds when we reached the Polar ocean world!

Right at the car park you can see this wonderful fountain welcoming you.

Walk past it and to the right you will come to the entrance...

Even before you step in ,it gives you the feel like you are entering the 'real' polar world.The place is decorated like its carved in ice and at the ticket counter you can see all sorts of sea animals floating above your head.

The fee is RMB 150 per person and RMB 75 for kids.Lil angel didn't need an entry fee though![She was just 1 year old].This entry fee include the show too.They have quite a few shoes there and depending on the time you get there you get to see one of them.We went there around 2pm so we got the chance to see the dolphin show.

Once I stepped in I was truly stunned!Actually,you must visit this place to really feel it coz I think words are not sufficient!Rows and rows of glass enclosures filled with all sorts of sea creatures.

This place is the first in Chinese mainland to house the 1st Dolphinarium!Polar ocean world is the home to the North pacific bottle nose dolphins,California sea lions and harbor seals and thousands of ornamental fresh and salt water fishes[almost 10,000 varieties!],white whales,sharks,polar bears,sea oxen,sea lions ,walrus, king penguins beautiful corals etc.

Walking around this place we see a lot of 'snow'!Like a vehicle dashing out through the snow, igloos,a huge ship that has sunk in the polar region,rows of penguin figures looking at you!

The best part is they have huge name boards with descriptions in Chinese and English with all the data you need to know about any sea animal-the name, scientific name, average weight,height,where it can be seen,its habits ,what it feed on etc. placed right by the side of their enclosure.


If you are a science student then you will absolutely love this place and I feel taking kids to see such places makes them more all the more interested in their subject!


On the way to the Marine animal show,we met these 'Eskimos'!

We had to hurry as they announced that the dolphin show would start shortly even though we still had plenty more to see.But I just couldn't miss this show for its the first of its kind that I was going to witness one!

We were among the last few people to get in and soon the show began.They have a large screen in the front where you can see all that is going on in the pool.So no worries about finding the right place to sit.Here is the view of the marine animal show theater


The dolphin show was excellent!These cute creatures carried humans on their back,clapped to songs and danced for one,'answered ' questions,posed for photos,did a couple of tricks and the time just flew!!!The MC spoke in Chinese but that's no reason not to enjoy such an amazing show.

And here comes one small section of the video that we captured!But let me warn you that the video is a bit shaky as I didn't carry a tripod but its still worth watching..





And here is another one!




After the show,you can click a pic with one of the marine creature in the theater for RMB 50 per person per click!![Can't use your camera!]That's pretty expensive but a memorable one.They get you the print in a couple of minutes.

Though we wanted to take a pic,there was along queue for it and we still had a lot more aquariums to see so we hurried off to see them all.

There is also a store that sells polar ocean world related stuffs and we shopped for a couple of souvenirs.

By now I had click more than 250 snaps and a dozen videos in the ocean world alone and the battery was fighting for life![I had left the spare battery in the room]

We were tired yet were in no mood to rest but hungry all the same after the long walk inside the ocean world.So off we went to the nearby KFC for a quick snack before we headed to the hotel to freshen ourselves and give life to our ailing batteries.

See you soon at the sea-side!!