Today (December 4) at Emei

As expected, no sunrise… but the rime ice was quite beautiful. Arrived at the Golden Summit viewing platform at 7:40 AM, and it was foggy. The ground was icy; staff spread de-icing agents in crowded areas, but other places were very slippery and required crampons. You need to take off crampons when entering indoors. Photography is prohibited inside the temples at the Golden Summit, and many people were sincerely burning incense and praying. After a round at the Golden Summit, pressed for time, I took the cable car directly down to Wannian Temple (photo 8). Only cable car No. 1 was operating. It took just a few minutes to reach Jieyin Hall, then walked to Leidongping to catch the scenic bus to Wannian Temple, about a 1.5-hour ride. From the Wannian Temple bus station, it’s less than an hour’s walk to the temple. Along the way, there were indigenous people, and the atmosphere was completely different from the Golden Summit—like the mortal world versus a fairyland. Near the mountain gate, on a flight of stairs, I encountered a troop of monkeys; a blogger was live streaming feeding them… Wannian Temple requires a separate ticket costing 10 yuan. The temple’s treasure is the beamless brick hall (photo 14), which houses a bronze statue of Samantabhadra riding a six-tusked white elephant (photo 15), cast during the Northern Song Dynasty. Many Tibetan pilgrims come to worship, and the chanting echoes inside the hall. Each time a pilgrim bows and looks up, the temple monks strike a large “jar”-shaped ritual instrument (a qing), producing a crisp, lingering sound that surrounds the ears—sacred and soul-cleansing. Wannian Temple is not large; it takes less than an hour to tour. From Wannian Temple, I walked to Qingyin Pavilion, then continued to Wuxiangang bus station, mostly downhill. Due to road construction, the bus ride from Wuxiangang to Baoguo Temple was extended to about an hour. Emmm… no time to visit Baoguo Temple. The Emei Mountain scenic area is very well developed overall. The hiking steps are well built, and there are many supply points along the way, so you basically don’t need to bring your own supplies. Prices on the mountain are not outrageously expensive. There are many temples where you can stay overnight and eat vegetarian meals, but I haven’t tried that yet. Should I climb the entire route once in my lifetime?