Buddha World
I should have known better. Of course, far too many of my memories begin just that way so I guess it was far from being a given. I know that the most common way to spend a holiday in China is to visit a culturally significant park of some sort. I know that LD has only lived in Beijing a few years and that she gets most of her information second or third hand – notoriously unreliable. And yet, when she told me that we would be spending New Years Day indoors doing something fun I still believed her. I should have known better.
Knowing that the crowds would make any indoor location uncomfortably warm, I donned a very light coat for the taxi ride. The anticipated 25 Yuan fare became 60 Yuan and we were unceremoniously dumped on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. We were at Badachu, a group of eight temples and tourist attractions spread out over several square miles of mountainside that I shall forever think of as Buddha World.
There were shooting arcades, ring toss games, chances to throw coins at holy bells to win wishes, snack stands, tea houses and places to buy your incense (No outside incense allowed, thank you!) People scurried around trying to have their pictures taken with one of the free-ranging cats that all such places seem to delight in. I’m surprised that someone hasn’t figured out how to make a little cash on that as well.
We hiked up miles of mountain trails trying to find the next temple on the list, as if we were filling out a scavenger hunt score card. While LD lit incense and prayed I tried to stop my hands from shaking long enough to take a few pictures. “You should have worn something warmer” she scolded. My gentle reminder that she had said we would spend the day inside didn’t leave much of an impression on her. It was off to another temple and some more prayers while I waited outside, trying to maintain feeling in my extremities.
Several hours later my incense-free prayers were answered and she agreed that we could come back in the summer and complete the holy tour. With any luck she’ll have forgotten all about it.
Once again, I should know better; she never forgets anything.
