This is a record of my thirteenth trip to visit the 142 Key Temples of China. Links lead to articles on the temple (or other site) named.
A fairly quick trip with Lila to see just two of my temples, but some interesting side trips, including the spectacular Longmen Cave complex.
Regrettably, I did not write this account at the time of my journey. I am reconstructing it from notes and photos over two years later, so there may be some gaps or even inaccuracies. I will improve it as more information (or a better memory) becomes available. Also, there is a Facebook Album of this trip; links will be added once it has been moved to The Temple Guy.
Monday, October 31:
A leisurely trip to the airport (after picking up more SD cards) for Lila's and my on-time 1:20pm flight to Zhengzhou, Henan (landed around 3:40). Just missed the 4:00 bus to Luoyang, so waited an hour for the 5:00. Bus ride about 2.5 hours; taxi to hotel, checked in, dinner in hotel dining room.
- Stayed Home Inn (Luoyang Middle Tanggong Road) every night
Tuesday, November 1:
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| Baima Temple |
Up around 8, I had breakfast at hotel buffet. We walked toward the bus station (across from train station) looking for brunch for Lila; at the bus station we researched rides, then ate at KFC. A taxi to
Baima Temple (1:20-4:05; my #80) (50rmb ticket) where we spent the rest of the day seeing the temple itself and the Qiyun Pagoda (4:05-4:40) next door. We asked a taxi to take us a couple of kilometers further, where I had a quick look at the remains of the Yongning Temple Pagoda (4:55), and then took the same taxi back to the "Today" mall, where we ate at Babela's Kitchen. Taxied home.
Wednesday, November 2:
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| Longmen Grottoes |
I ate in the buffet again, and we took a taxi to
Longmen Grottoes (11:15-3:05). After paying the steep 120rmb entry fee, we had a great day wandering south down the west bank of the river, and back up the other side. The grottoes were stunning, but the new, small Xiangshan Temple (3:05-3:50) was not so exciting. We skipped the Bai Juyi garden (former home of a Tang Dynasty Poet) because of time. After dawdling awhile longer (3:50-4:15) we took a bus and a taxi to Guanlin Miao (4:55-5:25) (ticket 40rmb), which has a burial mound containing the head of the historical and legendary figure Guan Yu. Buses back to Today Mall, where we ate at Pizza Hut, and a taxi home.
Thursday, November 3:
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| Shaolin Temple |
Buffet for me; taxi to the bus station and bus (about 1 hour 40 minutes, with lots of stops) to
Shaolin Temple (11:25-4:05; my #81). 100rmb to get in. The temple was nice enough, but the "Talin" (Pagoda Forest) next door was the best part. To get home we joined a tour bus (5:10-6:30), where we took a taxi to Wanda Plaza for Indian food and an 8:15 viewing of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Taxi home.
Friday, November 4:
For various reasons we stayed in today, working on trip notes and on picture editing.
Saturday, November 5:
Highway bus back to Zhengzhou (from a different station) and flight back to Shenzhen (18:50-21:10).
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