Today, April 2nd, we had a look around the inner city after grabbing some recommended local dishes, which i would not reconmmend. Comeing back on ourselves,at the far end of our street, we passed the street pool we came across a bike hire stand. Straight on the tandem we headed back to the hostel to decide what our plans were to be for the rest of the day.

The cycle ride was about 7km out of Pingyao to the Shaoglin Temple.My past experience of temples had been good, until i got to India and Nepal. The temples there seem to me a bit Naf.(no offence intended, ofcourse). They were generally on parr with a sewer, caked in faeces from the muts and monkeys and maybe even the love men who seeked refuge there. We also found that in alot of places the shrines were artistic replicas of their Gods, many in full on cartoon gest. The only reason i can think of why they do this, runs along the lines of Protestant beliefs. Maybe they dont need to glorify their religion and isntead true worship lies within. As for the s***, maybe its so holy that it can never appear unclean and therefore has no need to be maintained.

This temple however was exactly how i would build my temple. Built in authentic oriental architecture. As sooon as you walked through the main gates, after paying only Y25 (compared to the tourist prices in the inner city, nearer to Y10), it felt like you had travelled back through time. Picture Royal monks of the highest order wandering, purposefully, the courtyards, with young monks clustered under ancient fiery Yew trees being schooled in Tao.

First we came to a giante statue of what looked to be Vishnu the HinduGod. I couldnt makes sense of this, but i pushed forward in awe. Passed the Hall of the Land God, God of War and Hell, accompanied by lifesize scultpures of judges from Satans court. In the Hall of the Buddha, on the walls werre mini folecles of depictions of the life of the Buddha, complete with Buildings and animals and people. Mainly made from, what i could gather as there were purpose built square iron gate cages just inside the entrances of the doors, was mainly terra-cotta, maybe wood and some stone. Some even seemed to have strands of straw, inside, that or plants growing. Every one 3D raised from the high walls.

I feel an overwhelming excitement as i look up at these ancient artifacts. Few that had been restored and still in their original condition but clearly cruymbled and weathered. The temple dated near to 500A.D and we calculated that many sculpteurs were gathered here, where i am stood today, oblivious to my future presence over 500,000 sunsets ago.