I have just showered off most of the grime and opened a cold beer after 12 hours of glorious outdoor adventures in improbably gorgeous weather. We started off with a street food, seaside breakfast of doughnuts and chive crepes filled with fried noodles, eggs and hot sauce. As we ate, a line of monks and pilgrims slowly filed past us, every few steps lying down in oblation. Then, we took a pleasant 20 minute seaside walk past lush flora to the first of many temples we would visit. This little island has two monasteries and over 200 temples. We explored as many as we could, spending most of the day surrounded by monks, nuns, pilgrims, incense, icons and altars. So much beautiful art and architecture. For hours, we alternated our attention between temples and nature. We saw massive waves crashing against towering cliffs, lush bamboo and palm forests, birds, fish, turtles and insects as brightly coloured as jewels. We had many long, hot, sweaty climbs – sometimes to a shrine, sometimes to a natural vista. Then, there’d be cold water and cool ocean breezes as we caught our breath. We saw – and heard! – a pilgrim playing beautiful traditional flute music, monks chanting mantra, pilgrims dancing ecstatically before the giant golden statue of Guanyin. We had lunch at the monastery – a simple meal of rice with a savoury stew of tofu, mushrooms, cabbage, turnip, bean thread noodles, carrots and more (10 RMB, or about $1.70) each). Then more climbing, swearing, gawking… more moments of stunned silence. After lunch, we took advantage of the island’s excellent network of shuttles to explore the further reaches of the island. We got the best views – panoramic views of forests, cliffs, ocean, fishing vessels, temples, villages, pagodas and the stunning Baotuo Temple – from the cable car ride to the top of the sacred Mount Putuo. And then, despite being “templed out,” we explored the indescribably exquisite Baotuo Temple. It is without a doubt the most exquisite place of worship I have ever seen. It may be the most beautiful, impressive complex of buildings I’ve ever seen. Neither the Forbidden Kingdom nor the Temple of Heaven hold a candle to it. It is utterly astonishing in every respect. And yet, it’s empty. No tourists besides us. Just monks and a couple of workers. We’re the oddballs here. The monks take *our* pictures. Exhausted, we bus back to the hotel and cool off in the lobby with cold beer before heading for dinner at a little seaside stand. We have hand pulled noodles in broth with bok choy, mushrooms and fried eggs. Fitz, the historian, has three kinds of cold marinated tofu with stir-fried beans and rice. Sarah, the art historian, supplements her soup with razor clams stir-fried with garlic and chillis. Afterwards, we buy ice cream and popsicles (watermelon popsicle for me, coconut for Molly) and walk back along the beach. Fitz and Sarah head back to the hotel. Molly and I head toward the water one last time. It’s low tide and we want to look at the tide pools before it gets dark. We see tony crabs, and huge skittering bugs that look like crustaceans. We chat with the locals and admire the sand castles. It’s not until we get back to our room that we discover how tired, dirty, blistered and sunburned (despite multiple sunscreen applications) we are. It was a tremendous day, and one with nary any sign of the typhoon, now a mere tropical storm. A really good day… few better.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 12:31:04 +0000
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