Taishan - 2nd Post

Here are some more pictures from Taishan.

This is a temple at the top of the mountain.

In case you missed the first post you can see it here:

Taishan - 1st Post

My translater program says the inscription over the door says "Joyous Sound Temple"










Here I am after getting off the cable car near the top of the mountain. I've got my coat open to try and get some ventilation and evaporate some of the sweat. The temp was well below freezing.

Here are is a shot of the roofs of one of the temples.

Another temple. I don't think we visited this one.

I think this is inside Bixia temple. Bixia is one of the important Taoist temples in China.








Lots of classic Chinese architecture.

There are a lot of shops and restaurants at the top of he mountain. I'm sure this place is very busy in the summer and on holidays.

It looks like this is a spot for offering incense to the gods. I'm not sure what to make of what looks like a box inside.















I wish I had paid more attention to which temple is which. Seems like every time you turn the corner you find another one.









These folks are preparing a local snack. The cooking surface is rotating and heated. I didn't see the beginning of the process but I think the batter is spread on the surface. After the batter is cooked an egg is cracked on the cooked batter and the woman is using a squeegie to spread the egg over the pancake. Once the egg is cooked, the pancake is removed and some sauce and vegetables are added and the thing is rolled up and eaten.

This a view from the cable car station. Again, it is hard to get a sense of the scale but he lower station is on the other side of the conical mountain in the center of the picture.

Is it just me or does the mechanism for attaching the car to the cable seem a little less robust than I imagined? I guess the silver clamp is somehow released in the station to allow the car to be disconnected from the cable.

There are a number of antennae and radar and communication dishes near the top of the mountain. Sort of spoils some of the view.

There are lots of opportunities to purchase souvenirs.

This is inside Dai Temple in downtown Tai'an. It's design is similar to the Forbidden City only on a smaller scale. The emperors came here to offer prayers.

Some of the cypress trees were planted over 2100 years ago.

Another scene inside the temple.

Finally, a picture from inside the restaurant where we had dinner after the mountain adventure. Many of the restaurants in China are huge buildings and are oriented toward large family meals or business entertainment meals. This place had some family oriented facilities in the center but meals are served in private dining rooms that run around the outside of the structure on 2 levels. There are no individual tables in an open area like you typically see in an American restaurant.