Susy wasn't there because she finally hooked up with someone. She's now too busy spending time with her man. So now our new recruit went with us to the trip -Lyndale.
Again, we traveled by train. But this time, we tried to get cheap tickets for just 27kuai a pop and regretted it the whole trip..maybe until now. Riding the cheap car train was like riding the bus during rush hour -- only difference is that it runs an extended 6hours. Just imagine being cooped up inside a train where people can smoke and not care that others are inhaling second hand smoke..people sitting on aisles, we even had to step over people sleeping on the corridors when we had to get ready to leave the train. It was total mayhem. We swore never to exchange cheap train rides over the comfort of travelling. Never again!
We got to Datong, China - safely - at around 03.30. And the whole city was scary. It was like a scene out of one of 'em zombie movies. The place was deserted. And the way they drove their cars here..we thought the drivers in Xian, CH were the worst..now we think the Datong drivers topped our list.
After being bumped off from a non-existent hotel reservation, our cab driver found us a cheap hotel room. We caught a few zzzs and was raring to go at 07.00.
We hired the same cabbie to take us on a 2hr trip outside the city to visit the Hanging Monastery. We didn't know at that time that we'd get scammed.
If you look at the picture, it would look like it's big but it's not. It wasn't what one would expect a hanging monastery would look like. It's one example of a WYSWYG structure. Apparently, this place is only one out of the three hanging monasteries in China. The big one is located in Fujian, China. We are already planning our trip there.After going to the Hanging Monastery, our two-faced cab driver suggested we visit the Wooden Pagoda since it was on our way. We later on realized that it was actually located at another county.
There's a large buddha inside the pagoda although we weren't allowed to take any pictures of it. We were allowed to take pictures of the surrounding area...which kinda defeated the purpose of actually going inside and going up the rickety old wooden steps of the Pagoda.We ended our first day with a cab fare of 500RMB (multiply that by 6 to get the Peso equivalent), and walking around the city proper looking for a decent place to have dinner.
Our second and last day was spent going outside the city again on a different cab to Yungang Grottoes. As soon as we got to the place, we knew it would be amazing.
I've honestly lost count on how many times I caught myself staring in complete awe - with my mouth wide open - at how detailed the carvings on each caves were. Nagagawa nga naman ng mga tao nung hindi pa naimbento ang T.V.
I can honestly say that the Yungang Grottoes are way more majestic and beautiful than the overrated Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian, China. It probably stands along side the Great Wall of China in all its greatness. I would definitely recommend Datong, CH to those interested in touring China.There are more pictures here, if you'd like to see more of our Datong trip.
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