Longhu mountain

23.08.2015

Doreen brought me to the high speed train station for my trip to Longhu mountain. My next host was working all day, so I decided to spend the day in this famous park. That also meant that I couldn't drop my bag off at her house, so I might have to carry it all day. Oh snap. In general, I was really satisfied with the way I packed my bag. My clothes choices were not the most stylish, but at least everything was useful and nothing in my bag was inessential.

When I bought my train ticket this time, I was pleasantly surprised to see the man behind me tell off the people in front of me for cutting in line. He even yelled at me for not saying anything to them. I yelled back "I don't know!" (TEE BOO DOHNG) at him.

When we arrived at Yingtan, I noticed a couple and child getting off the train with me. They were speaking English to each other for some reason. I asked them if they were going to Longhu Shan and they said yes. Could I join them? Of course! Wow!

We got a taxi to take us to the park, which was 20 yuan for me ($4), because we shared it. Then, at the park, they found me a place to leave my bag, which was $2. That was fine. This was working out great! I bought the same ticket they bought, and we went into the park.

There was a raft ride included in our ticket, so we did that. Probably the job of raft punter is not a great one. But the difference of not having a motor on the boat was incredible. Even though there were tons of rafts going up and down the river, it was still quite silent and peaceful. The extra money for the raft trip was worth it, just to float down the river without an awful noisy motor in your ear all day. The punter told stories in Chinese that everyone laughed at.

After the boat ride, we went to see the coffins that were found in the side of the mountain. I guess the people who lived here in the olden days would put their dead relatives in coffins and hoist them up the mountain to stay, basically on a shelf, forever. Creepy or tender? I don't know.

My two friends took me out for lunch. I tried to pay but they were having nothing of it. When we went back into the park, we went to see another temple, that was restored in 1990 something so it was boring. It was the temple of the founder of a taoist sect. I don't know. In my book, it said there was an abandoned church down the street. I wanted to go see it, but my friends didn't have enough time for that, so I said goodbye to them and ambled off through the village.

I walked all the way to the end of the road but didn't see this catholic church. When I turned around to go back down a parallel street there it was! Really eerie and definitely abandoned. I looked in the crack between the locked doors and there were some pews and an altar, all in a shambles. China is so weird!

Further down the road was a really old temple, but it was almost time to meet Suki, my host, so I went back to the front of the park.

She worked right outside the park entrance, so it was no trouble to find her, and her carpool friend brought us back to the city.

I took a nice shower and we headed out for dinner, which was also paid for by my generous hosts. We walked around downtown in Yingtan for a while, but you know I hate shopping so that ended quickly and we went home to bed after I did my laundry again.

In the middle of the night, I got a random nosebleed. Gross. What else could go wrong with my body on this trip?

Me on the mini train