While the man-made temples on top of Mount Emei have been really impressive. The best is yet to come. Something that is completely natural. As we walked past the Golden Summit Temple, what unfolded before our eyes is the amazing view from the summit of Mount Emei. The mountain just drops off into the chasm below. The clouds swirling below give that really mystical experience.
What we are seeing is another one of the must-see sights in Mount Emei – the Sea of Clouds. And true to its name it really is a sea of clouds below us and as far as the eye can see. It is totally impossible to see the bottom of the cliff. Fortunately, visitors are protected from any unexpected falls by the guard rails. However, if one leans far enough, it is certainly possible to fall to one’s doom.
There is a phenomenon here that ranks as one of the must-see sights in Mount Emei known as Buddha Haloes. They are actually illusions much like a rainbow is. The mist refracts the light from the sun and comes out like a halo which the Chinese have called Buddha Halos or 佛光. In ancient times people would see Buddha Haloes and believe them to be calls from beyond and would throw themselves down the cliff in ecstasy. Nowadays, people don’t fling themselves from the top anymore (I think there is a fine for that). Unfortunately for me, I didn’t not get to witness the Buddha Halos, it happens in certain times in the day and in certain conditions.
Off in the far distance is the Wannian Temple 万年寺. But there didn’t seem to be any way for us to get there since there was no clear path to it. They said it was under renovation. It is too bad since we were already there. However, the view of the temple with the mystical looking clouds is certainly something I would remember.
Near the Silver Temple, is a nice viewing spot called King Kong’s Mouth 金刚嘴. I’m not sure about why it was called that but I guess the gaping chasm below would resemble King Kong swallowing anything that happens to fall through it. There is a rock where visitors can stand and take in the view. This rock is totally unprotected, it doesn’t have any fences or rails to prevent people from falling from the rock. At the time, there was a monk meditating on the rock itself, but soon a lot of young teenage kids came and probably ruined his meditation. These kids would climb and jump on the rock. I was totally surprised how much nerves these kids have just jumping on the rocks, apparently disregarding the fact that a wrong step would mean certain doom. I actually tried stepping on that rock but it was too much for me so I just sat on it. Chicken.
On the way out of the summit, was another temple like structure but it seems no one visits these. In the end we just took some shots of the place. Bought some instant noodles for lunch. It may be worth remembering that it is expensive to buy food on top of the mountain but we didn’t really have much choice since we were already starving.
Overall, Mount Emei is one of the most memorable places I have ever visited. The proper way for me to visit this is to overnight on the mountain and watch to see the sun rise. This would a compelling reason for me to come back here. For people who haven’t been here, I would seriously recommend visiting Mount Emei. It is not UNESCO World Heritage listed for nothing.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/EmeiShan.kmz} zoom=14]