Two-Day Tour of the Lotus Buddha Land
Since the pandemic started, I haven't left Hefei city, afraid that a yellow health code would affect my child's schooling. Finally, the child is on vacation, and a restless heart just can't calm down. On the morning of July 9, 2022, I woke up and my wife said, 'This weekend, the child has no classes. Let's go out for a walk.' We agreed immediately. It didn't matter where we went, as long as we left Hefei. Finally, we decided on Jiuhua Mountain, which is relatively close and safe.
After lunch, our family of three set off. The drive took about two hours. Around 5:00 PM, we arrived at the transfer center at the foot of Jiuhua Mountain. We parked the car, bought tickets, and took the scenic area shuttle bus up the mountain. Private cars are not allowed on weekends.
First, we looked for a place to stay. We planned to visit Baisui Palace tomorrow morning, so we found a homestay near Baisui Palace, which was also close to the bus stop for going down the mountain. The owner was also helpless—normally at this time, rooms were hard to find, but now there were almost no tourists.
This 'Mind is Buddha' wall must be newly built; I hadn't seen it last year. The sun was still bright as we walked along Jiuhua Street.
The Ruyi Stone should also be newly built.
There were few pedestrians on Jiuhua Street.
Unconsciously, we arrived at the square outside the mountain gate of Dizang Chan Temple. There were only a few square-dancing aunties, so there wasn't much atmosphere.
The temple closes its mountain gate at 5:00 PM. As the sky gradually darkened, we decided to turn back.
We found a restaurant on Jiuhua Street for dinner and continued walking along the old Jiuhua Street. This is the old Jiuhua Street, in front of Huacheng Temple. In the past, the crowds were shoulder to shoulder, but now I don't know where they've gone. It's actually nice—at least you don't have to worry about someone accidentally stepping into your shot when taking photos.
'Bright moon shining among the pines.' Took a shower, went to sleep.
D2 July 10, 2022
After breakfast at the hotel, we left our luggage at the hotel. We took the cable car up to Baisui Palace, encountering a few mischievous monkeys along the way.
Short-tailed macaques are a specialty of Jiuhua Mountain. They are not shy around people. However, tourists should still be careful not to tease them.
We soon reached Baisui Palace, which is currently building a new mountain gate.
Due to the pandemic, there weren't many visitors, which was good—everyone could enjoy the scenery quietly without worrying about tourists wandering into their photos.
We walked all the way down the mountain, passing by the Julong Hotel, and noticed that the pink water lilies were in bloom, but it didn't seem as many as last year. We followed Jiuhua Street all the way, ending at Yueshen Baodian.
We entered Yueshen Baodian along the long path that the four Tang monk disciples walked. By 3:00 PM, we decided to go home.
We left Jiuhua, but I believe there will be a chance to come back.
Around 5:00 PM, we arrived home in Hefei.
This trip showed me the impact of the pandemic on various industries. I sincerely hope the pandemic will end soon, so everyone can return to the days when they could freely go out whenever they wanted.
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