day 55: 静升 (jingsheng) – 灵石 (lingshi) = 16,7km

An easy day. Mild temperatures. Roads winding through little villages.

People hanging out everywhere, passing the time.

Old people:

Young people:

I saw another burial on the way, but I didn’t take any pictures this time, I just stood there trying not to bother anyone.

From what they told me an average funeral ceremony costs about 8.000rmb. Quite a large sum considering that most people here only earn about 500 to 1.000rmb a month. Better not die.

Now guess how much a wedding would cost you then? TEN times this much. Better not marry!

Okay, since we’re being boring, talking about money anyways:

How much for Buddha’s head?

This is 资寿寺 (zishou temple), a place of worship originally from the Song-dynasty (宋 960-1279):

Someone had sawed off the heads of several Buddha statues back in the early nineties, then sold them overseas. A businessman from Taiwan later managed to retrieve them and give them back the temple, free of charge:

Looking at the seams around the neck of this poor deity, I was only wondering who would be willing to buy something like this if it meant that much hurt to so many people?

After visiting the temple, I walked straight down a little road that was all black with coal. Then I turned left and then right again and found myself on a newly constructed highway that lead to this:

Looks pretty hopeless, doesn’t it? I think I kept walking for about a half hour straight, always looking at this, then, when I got there, I went to a little place that had “shop” written over it, opened the door, and:

Oh how I love places like these! We used to call them “Tante-Emma-Laden” in Germany – Aunt Emma’s shop.

This one was really well-equipped and friendly-looking. Popsicles and leather gloves bathed in warm light…and a warm smile.

I had lunch/dinner next door:

Good noodles, and what’s even better: these folks were so much fun to talk to! I found out that the factory was in fact Russian-owned. We then made a scheme how I would wait for the beautiful Russian girls (“tall, so tall!”) who were chauffeured to and fro everyday in a black limousine, and how I would then work some of my natural German charms on them.

…too bad the Russian beauties remained completely invisible! But then on the other hand my new friends really didn’t think I stood too many chances the way I was looking, a dirty face and black fingernails, basically coming directly out of the coal…

Time to find a place with a shower!

Well, I’m in the city now:

A good place to take a shower.

Always keeping an eye open for the tall…

…ever so tall…

Soundtrack: Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Otherside”

—total: 806,3km