Gushan Mountain...
Today's outing was to the popular recreation area near Fuzhou, called Gushan Mountain. The main part of the mountinous area is sprawling Buddhist monastery complex. We toured a large portion of the historic facility including many of the temple buildings and many of the trails through the hills. (For thouse familiar with the San Jose area, it was very similar to Castle Rock State Park above Saratoga; many steep hillsides with rock outcroppings everywhere.)
Seeing an active monestary was an interesting experience for both of us. It was amazing getting an close-up view of an idol-based religion in it's native environment. There were so many statues, shrines, etc. that our heads were spinning.
On the way back down the mountain, we stopped at the scenic overlook and tried to take pictures of the city below, but the smog was pretty thick. The long, winding drive also made us a bit carsick, but despite the downsides, it was still a fun day getting to see a more natural side of Fuzhou, and we have many memories that we will never forget.

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The entryway to the compound	Posing for a picture in front of the koi pond
This pagoda was used for burning incense	A restraunt in the compound (we thought it was odd too)
One of the many passageways	The natural rock canyons were so steep
Everywhere you looked, poems were carved in stone	This gorge was about 70' deep
Sarah held tight to Michael while looking in the gorge	More rock carvings
An artisitc roof tile "end cap" on one of the buildings	Everywhere you looked, there was a temple or pagoda
The writing on the left is ancient Chinese characters	We probably climbed a couple thousand steps!
The entry to one of the main shrines	The architecture was amazing
The main courtyard	A shiny Buddha
The scenic overlook of Fuzhou (with lots of smog)	One of the rikety gondola cars that climbs the mountain
We were all boarderline carsick from the windy road coming down the mountain	Looking out toward Michael's village (it's just beyond the far ridgeline)

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