Day 13: The road to Shaolin...

...the home of Kung fu!

We said goodbye to our Xian guide Leilei, then endured a very uncomfortable 6 hour bus ride. Sore bottoms, limited legroom, people doing strange things like cutting their nails, and only 1 squat toilet stop. Gill was wishing she hadn't shared a bottle of (very nice) red wine with Leilei the night before. As we approached our next destination, and drove between the rolling green mountains, Emma was getting very excited about tomorrow's hike. Finally arrived in Shaolin and was greeted by Vicky, our next guide.

Visited a local Kung Fu school, of which there are over 100 in the area. We had to giggle when we noticed the Shifu (Kung fu master) had also been our taxi driver earlier. 30 students (age 10-17) wowed us with their martial arts talents. Much hard work and discipline necessary to move with such power and grace. Among other things they broke concrete slabs with their hands and bent bamboo spears with their throats (made Gill squirm) - wow!
We were surprised to learn that Kung fu is more than a sport, providing an honourable vocation which can enable positions in the army, police force, roles in film and television, and teaching both in China and overseas.
The school is located in such a tranquil scenic place, we enjoyed being able to watch the sunset over the mountains too.

Completed the evening with another enjoyable mandarin lesson. Enjoying home made Chinese food cooked by hostel owners - haochi (delicious)!

Gill & Em xRead more