Mount Tai

The University hosted a Saturday excursion to Mt. Tai for all foreign teachers.  They warned of the rigorous nature of the event which automatically eliminated a handful of teachers.  It was a beautiful day in October and we were excited for the event.  Mt. Tai is one of the most famous peaks in China.  Its picture is on their $5 paper bill (not really worth 5 dollars).

Mount Tai is about a two hour drive south of Jinan.  We cheated and took the tram car for the middle portion of the trek and reserved our strength for the final ascent.  I do not remember the number of steps it takes to climb to the top.  The sunrise view is most famous.  Many youth accept the evening climb as a “must do” while visiting Jinan.  It reminded me of the many who climb Mt. Timpanogas at night to watch the sun rise.

Here are some of the younger foreign teachers.  Notice Rick is there.

Who would want to climb all those stairs!!

I made it all the way to the top.  Unfortunately, the pollution was so bad we couldn’t see the city of Jinan.  Truthfully, we couldn’t see anything but haze.  It was nice to see blue skies for a day.

It was another busy sight-seeing day in China.  Notice the crowds at this site.

The writing is on the walls – we just don’t know what it says.

Most major sites in China have the Buddha markings also.  Each red ribbon is for a good luck wish of life or happiness.  There is also incense burning inside the temple.