John and Cheryl visit Beibei

Our friends, John Mallo and Cheryl Larson, visited us over the weekend of September 26-30. Because we were here, they decided that this was the time to visit China. Of course, you don't just "drop by" in Beibei, China. After visiting Beijing, Xian, and Tibet, they took a 4 1/2 hour uncomfortable train trip from Chengdu. They got off smiling late on a Friday night.

On Saturday, we all took the cable car up Jin Shan mountain near Beibei (a hard thing for John, who has slight fear of heights). Cheryl and Jim hiked up to the pagoda on the mountain top, while John and I visited the Botanical gardens lower down.

I was fortunate to be by a Buddhist temple at 4:30 just as a 'service' began. They started with ringing a large metal bell. They lit incense sticks and blessed all four directions. They anointed the front of the temple with an oil. They prostrated themselves in front of an image of Buddha. I sat on this mountain hillside, listening to their chanting for a half an hour. In some respects, it felt very familiar (akin to St. John's). In others, I really was "half a world away." (Connie)