Yuntaishan Day 2

Zhuyu Peak...to the top!

As her shirt says, Emily plows
ahead up the very steep stairs.

Following a day with behind-the-scenes waterfall tours and scorpion tasting, we didn't think we could have a better day at Yuntaishan. Were we ever wrong!  Kam and Sherry led us to some absolutely inspiring, breathtaking places. In our private tour bus, we drove to the base of Zhuyu Peak.  Kam gave us two choices to make it to the top: the long way or the short way.  These park rangers did what they know best and chose the long way.  Apparently, only old people take the long way, but we enjoyed our walk nonetheless.  There were some great views!  After taking the long way, we arrived at some stairs.  Some very steep stairs.  So we climbed.  We climbed some more.  Oh, and we continued to climb until the stairs became steeper so we could climb some more. Finally! After stumbling our way upward, we reached Zhuyu Peak!  

This statue told us, "You're not
even close to the top!"

Ahh...the temple at last.

Awaiting us at the top was a Daoist Temple.  Stunning!  To over-simplify Daoism, Dao practitioners believe in things like naturalness, compassion, and simplicity.  There was nothing simple about the walk up, though!  And all around us, people placed prayer cards, on which each person wrote a wish.  

Prayer cards hang from
every available surface.

Because the temple is so high, we wondered if the wishes and prayers made it to their destinations faster.  Our experience at a sacred temple was already special, but then a small, friendly-faced man wearing the navy blue clothes of a Dao monk approached us.  Monk is not quite the right word for this man, but it is the best we can find.  He was the supervisor of this temple and invited us to tea!  Tea, of course, is very much a ritual across China, so for us to be invited to tea with a Dao monk (on the very tippy-top of a mountain peak, no less!) was quite an honor.  We were inspired and honored beyond words!

Such a profound experience!

The old stone village.

We could have stayed at that temple for hours! But our intrepid tour guides had more activities on our day's itinerary.  We walked back down more very steep stairs to our bus, and went on our way to another speechless experience.  Primarily known for its scenery, Yuntaishan also has a number of old, small villages within its boundaries.  Kam showed us his favorite.  

Megan, Emily, and Kam enjoy
lunch at the Li home.

Tucked way back into the mountains, we spent the afternoon at the home of the Li family. Because the Li's home and the surrounding buildings are an active village, few visitors are allowed the privilege of visiting. Again, another honor! Making the visit even better was a lunch invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Li. 

The Li family also operates an inn.

The Lis have a picture of...Pete and Jacob!

Will this picture make it on the wall?

We had a tiring weekend, but the inspiration and good feelings we experienced energized us!  We wonder where our amazing journey will take us next.