Emei Part 2

On our second day in Emei, we cheated again by taking a bus only half way up the mountain and chose to walk downwards in one of the more scenic parts of the mountain. The weather was clear, it was baking hot, and our legs were sore.  But it was STILL worth it.

Though slightly templed out at some points of our journey, we saw a couple of really nice ones on Mount Emei. I used to know the significance of the padlocks, but I’ve forgotten. No doubt they bring good luck or fortune or a good after life or summat. Some lovely views along the way as well, with pavilions overlooking lakes and streams. And hordes of people, of course. We didn’t have any trouble finding the pavilion pictured below – we just had to follow the incredible roar of several hundred Chinese tourists stopping for a peaceful rest. Gav got roped into a group shot for someone’s photo album (we should start charging, really) and we continued on our merry way.

Day two was also a day for the wildlife. We were on a much lower, more humid and damp section of the mountain, much like a jungle sort of feel, so there were plenty of creeping, crawling, jumping, fluttering and leaping things to see. One butterfly took a particular liking to Gav’s hat and was quite difficult to shake off. The largest earthworm I’ve ever seen was slithering down the steps and this poor frog was sat so still that he nearly got Gavin’s foot on his bonce. Luckily Gav spotted him just in time, screamed like a girl and left the frog unharmed. And to finish off, a reprise of my Inca Trail photo album: “pwetty butterfly!”

Luckily we were a bit pressed for time, so when we climbed up this flight of steps, we knew it was our very last. For that day anyway. Phew!