Yúng?ng Grottoes

I went to see these lovely Yungang Caves today.
Some facts from Wikipedia: By far the greatest attraction of the area is the 1,500-year-old Yúng?ng Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These mountain-side caves and recesses are filled with 51,000 Buddhist statues - the largest being a 56-foot Seated Buddha while the smallest is only a few centimetres tall.

It was big, impressive and beautiful. Getting there was a little bit difficult since the cabdriver didn't understand where I wanted to go.. So I called Shannon to help me out again. And she did, so wonderful. She even called me during her lunch break to check how I was doing. So very sweet!

I spent almost the whole day at the caves and the monastery in the park. At the temples one monk tried to tell me something, but I didn't understand him. I think he was explaining something about praying, or he wanted me to pray, or he blessed me. I have no idea. I shook his hand and walked on.
On my way back to town I bought some gifts. I went to the hotel and texted Shannon if she had any free time. She had not, she still had to work. So she called me asking if I could come by to her hotel. I went there to get the pictures she took of us yesterday (since my camera died) and I also gave her a little card and a present. She has been so nice to me these couple of days. It was the least I could do.


My boyfriend reminded me today.. I am already half way my China adventure. I think this calls for a little reflection time. So here are some things I will need to adapt to when I am back home in the Netherlands:
o Stopping for a red traffic light
o Not feeling like an International Supermodel
o Eating with knife and fork
o Speaking Dutch
o Wearing a seatbelt in the car
o Eating without making any sounds
o Not being stared at when you walk by
o Soft beds and chairs
o Not drinking tea
o Paying a lot of money if you go out
o Traveling for short distances
o Speaking without making hand gestures
o Riding my bike
o Eating yoghurt with a spoon, instead of drinking it with a straw
o Not being called beautiful by random people
o Buying food in the supermarket instead of on the street
o Wearing heels
o Taking warm showers
o Having a short lunch break of only 30 minutes
o Nobody falling asleep all the time
o Drinking water from the tap
o Talking to children
o Weekly workouts
o Not eating rice, or noodles, or rice, or noodles
o Having only one phone