China Trip
Day 5 (27/6) - Hangzhou: Ling Ying Si (Part 1)

I went to Hangzhou alone, since Johnny Malkavian wanted to take photos in Shanghai.

Since I traveled on the more expensive trains, I found them to be excellent. Not quite Deutsche Bahn standard, but still entirely satisfactory. I should have bought one ticket for one of the cheaper trains, though, since jostling with chickens and elbowing peasants would have been an experience (note: not all 'experiences' are inherently good).


Shanghai Railway Station was alright, but Shanghai South Railway Station was extremely modern, with a design using lots of glass and steel. Instead of an area with 'drinking water' they had, more accurately, a 'tea water room'.

After the train left the station, I heard the announcement: 'Ni3 men2 de4 lu4 xing2 shen1 huo2 kai1 shi3 le4' (Your travel life-experience with us has started!) Maybe the people on the train were deprived and hadn't traveled by train before. They also wished us a travel experience impregnated with love and harmony. Gah. I was subjected to a barrage of announcements about not pouring tea leaves down the drain, not sitting on the window sills and saving water so they would not violate environmental regulations (no, I'm not joking).

Unfortunately, I had not remembered to use the one on the train before arrival, so on arriving in Hangzhou, I had to use the toilet. This was a big mistake, since I got what I paid for. The toilet was wet, dirty and reeked of the smell of ammonia. Many of the cubicles could not lock. There was neither toilet paper nor soap (yes, bringing your own toilet paper isn't always enough to see you through), nor any hook in the cubicle to hang my clothes or bag.

The bus system was quite good, so I hopped on a bus for tourists, intending to head for the Yue Fei shrine. I was surprised when it entered Ling Ying Si (Temple of the Soul's Retreat) so I got off there. Upon getting off, I was beset with people trying to sell me incense and joss sticks. I would've shouted *God is Great* at them, but they'd probably haul me away, so.

At Ling Ying Si, I saw that just outside the toilet attendant's room there was someone making wanton (dumplings). Wth.


These 2 ladies were doing endless takes of the entrance, so I gave up and memorialised them for eternity.


Kawaii old woman


Complex ticket booth

There was a cave at the site of the road to the monastery which I explored. Going inside, I found one of the many rock carvings the area was famous for (and which were relatively untouched by the Cultural Revolution).


Niche 93. 18th Arhat. Song.


You're supposed to grope the right hand of this Buddha thrice to be struck with good luck (or a prosperous streak). The tour guides were telling people you were then also supposed to put your hand in your mouth. I'm not sure if they were just trying to play a prank on their wards, but no one did it, since the only thing you'd be struck with would be Dysentry.


Peak flying from afar





Niche 90. Maitreya. N. Song.


Water continuously flowing down the wall, no doubt responsible for the erosion of the carvings.


This should be what Wikipedia calls "one thread of heaven" ("一线天")


The way out of the main cave.


Li Gong pagoda, containing the ashes of Huili, the Indian monk who founded the place


Niche 11, Bodhisattva. Yuan; Niche 12, Vajrapani Bodhisattva. Yuan.


In the lower left: "Embossment series of monk master in his explorative quest to the West for Buddhist essence" (the translation sounds like I did it myself - it's actually Journey to the West)





Laughing Buddha wearing a large pocket [Ed: ???]. S. Song.


No 50. Umbrella Heavenly King. Yuan.




Niche 66, Buddha of Infinite Life, Yuan; Niche 67, Mahasthamaprapta Buddha, Yuan.


Pillar beside Niche 68

Moving on to the monastery itself, I was annoyed to find that the ticket I'd bought earlier only granted me admission to the general grounds, not to the monastery.



















I skipped Yuyuan Hall, the highest, since I still wanted to visit the Yue Fei Mausoleum, Leifeng Ta and walk around/across West Lake.

"Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg." - Unknown

***

Rojak or the melting pot: Things I have said to evangelists

"It happened again. Two girls, bright, perky (in more ways than one), polite - approached me in a shopping mall, and asked me if I would be interested in attending a "special event" at their church.

I've always had a special interest in Christian evangelists in Singapore. Singaporeans as a whole seem to be shy about approaching strangers. Evangelists on the other hand, don't seem to mind, in fact, they're quite happy to do so. It's something they share with those credit card roadshow folks, time-share marketeers and "Hi we are looking for model" people.

(strangely enough, students on flag day seem prepared to die of embarrassment. And block the escalator while doing so.)...

EC: Yeah. Take a look at this handy little Christianity 4 Noobz booklet I happen to have here. All here.

Mz12: But I think I'm [insert faith].

Younger cousin: And I'm already Christian, cos I'm Catholic.

EC: Nya-uh. Did you know that [prominent leader of faith] went to hell? There was this guy, see, who had an mystical vision, and saw [leader] in hell. It's true. You can trust people with mystical visions...

YC: Did we just get converted? Mum is going to kill me.

Mz12: I think you go to hell if you convert.

YC: Mum's worse...

Mz12: I think I'm too young and you're not allowed to chose religions if you're too young. I can't even watch porn yet, how can I choose Gods?

EC: You watch porn?

Mz12: Erhm. Bye...

EP: Christ is the only pathway to heaven!

Mz17: Like Led Zeppelin?"


Incidentally, 'Evangelist' is an anagram for 'Evil's Agent'.

I always beat evangelists at their own game. Everyone should try that. It's great fun for the whole family!

Oddly the only time I've been approached since JC (6 years ago) was when someone who knew me tried to do it, and I'm told she was very traumatised by the experience. Maybe I'm too famous already, hurr hurr.

It's also interesting that the evangelists in recent years have stopped approaching Muslims. They're probably afraid of going to jail for sedition.

(X-posted)

"Example of a urinal cake in a Malaysian restaurant toilet, in the USA. Sticker above urinal says "please do not eat the urinal cakes""

(From Tim the Great)

"Real Jock
Gay Fitness Community"

WTH WHY AM I GETTING GAY FITNESS ADS

"One must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing." - Oscar Wilde

***

UK rejects music copyright extension - "The British government rejected a plea to extend copyright laws for sound recordings to beyond 50 years on Tuesday, prompting the music industry to accuse it of not supporting musicians and artists."
Finally, some sense!

Lowering the Bar: A Wine So Good It May Turn Your Robbery Into a Group Hug - "A group of friends in Washington, D.C., were enjoying steaks, jumbo shrimp, fine cheeses, and a bottle of the Chateau Malescot, when a man wearing a hood burst in. Pointing a gun at the head of a guest, he said “Give me your money, or I’ll start shooting.” Up to this point, the robbery was proceeding in the traditional manner, but then guest Christina Rowan said, “We were just finishing dinner. Why don’t you have a glass of wine with us?” Amazingly, he agreed, and sampled the Chateau Malescot St-Exupery. “Damn, that’s good wine,” he said. After a little more wine, and some Camembert, he had changed his mind. “I think I may have come to the wrong house,” he said, putting his gun away. “I’m sorry. Can I get a hug?”"

Couples to wed at 99¢ Only Store - "The low-frills wedding was conceived by bargain shopping guru Sue Goldstein, who has published more than 70 books on finding great deals and has appeared on TV shows including Oprah and The Today Show . "The whole idea is to draw attention to the ludicrousness of the extravagance of weddings," said Ms. Goldstein, who lives in Flower Mound."

Burglars Search Google To Break Into Safe - "Two burglars had door keys, pass codes and combinations to help them break the safes at an indoor amusement center, but they had to turn to Google for help to steal their loot."

George Comstock 1915-2007 - "Comstock began his career in public health as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Public Health Service in 1942. During the last six years of his 21 years of service, he was the chief of Epidemiological Studies, Tuberculosis Program. Comstock ran the first trials of the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis in Georgia and Alabama. The studies conducted there from 1947 to 1951 were essential to determining the vaccine to be largely ineffective against tuberculosis, which led federal public health officials to decide against vaccinating children in the United States with BCG."
Wth. And they only stopped giving it here 50 years after they found it was ineffective.

Lactic Acid Is Not Muscles' Foe, It's Fuel - "Lactic acid is actually a fuel, not a caustic waste product. Muscles make it deliberately, producing it from glucose, and they burn it to obtain energy. The reason trained athletes can perform so hard and so long is because their intense training causes their muscles to adapt so they more readily and efficiently absorb lactic acid."

Therapist 'had sex with split personalities patient's other self' - "A therapist has been accused of taking advantage of a patient with a split personality - using one of her alter egos for sex, another to be his cleaner and a third to lend him cash for holidays. When confronted by his alleged victim he refused to comment, saying he had a duty of confidentiality to her other personalities."

Rationally Speaking: And now one about Jewish Orthodoxy - "The fixation of even secular Jews – such as several of my friends – with adherence to downright silly rituals (usually in the form of complex and entirely arbitrary rules about food), and often with marrying only Jewish partners, is disconcerting... most of my friends aren't Italian, and I don't particularly look for Italians when pursuing a relationship. If I did so I would feel, well, racist. One can argue that the propensity toward insularity of Jewish communities is a result of many centuries of persecution from the outside, except of course that it is historically more accurate to point out that Jews (like many other fundamentalist religious communities) have always drawn sharp boundaries with the outside world. Indeed, given the already strong propensity of human beings for being suspicious of – if not downright hostile toward – outgroups, it is easy to see how Jewish isolationism has in itself been part of the cause for the persecutions"

Survey: Men Happiest With Smart Wives - "Every extra year of education a wife has under her belt significantly increases the chances her husband will report being highly satisfied with life. But Shane Mathew Worner, of the Australian National University's economics program, says it may be that an educated woman's earning power is her biggest asset."

A co-ed taupok from the ENS blog.

This is better than the small picture of the all-girl taupok from a few years back (then again it depends on your tastes, I guess).