Buddhism galore II: Emei`shan

The second part of my three days of buddhism galore was a two-day trip to Mount Emei--Emei`shan in Chinese. The mountain is one of the five holy buddhist mountains in China, and yet another of the mountains that have been stair-cased by some random, crazy emperor. I arrived in Baguo, the city at the foot of the mountain in the afternoon, planning to hike up the next morning. Unfortunately, I chose to listen to the Chinese local advice, and got a bus to the top and hiked down. Why is this not recommended? Firstly, it is much more painful. Secondly, there is a mental thin about going up a mountain. Thirdly, you can easily hike up and down in two days if you skip the rather boring summit crowded by hordes of Chinese who got the cable car up there--but this is the part all Chinese people brag about, so if you take their advice you try to do something you will not really appreciate. I hated the top and the temple, and I hated the bottom temples where the Chinese busloads skuttle along the lower paths for a few hours. But the middle--even though it was misty the whole way and rained rather heavily at times, I was soaked by the end of it and my shoes were ruined--I loved the middle! Just hiking (in stairs), no other people than the occasional local person carrying immense loads of heavy stuff past you, a monkey here and there, a snack-stand every now and then and a few temples inbetween, where you can spnd the night and get a lovely meal...it was heaven! (Or nivana, I suppose.) I spent the night at the Hongchiu Ping (Venerable Trees Terrace) having a lovely, calm eve in a bed literally 20 m behind their main temple and buddha statue.