Thursday August 9 - Chengde

(First of 4 posts)



This was a day of travel for the group.

We woke up and went to breakfast at the buffet. Now you must remember we are at a 3 star hotel in ChengDe so it isn't up to our standards. We had water up to our ankles in the shower and the rooms were clean and had internet that was all it had going for it! We didn't really eat anything except rice and MacLean ate hard boiled eggs. Thank goodness for them.

We finished sitting in the dining room and got ready for the day's adventure. We were off to the Mini Portula Palace. This is a replica of the Buddist Palace in Tibet. It was very beautiful and we walked up the stairs for almost 45 minutes. It was hot and hazy and the sun was trying to come out. When at the top we could see the city and the mountains in the distance. We could also see the huge walls of the summer resort which is bigger than the Forbidden City. It was used for the Imperial family as a summer get away.ChengDe was built around a river and the Buddist temple and the Summer Resort were the focus of the city. The Buddist temple had many great spots of just look at the buddah's and take time to pray and worship.

It was so peaceful I loved just standing in front of the biggest buddah's and saying a quiet prayer. we are so thankful for this opportunity to visit MacLean's birth country and see all the splendor it has to offer. She is enjoying this so much. I think it has given her a real peace of mind and sense of where she came from. Here are a few pictures from the Palace.

Shauna