For our full day in Zhongdian we all went off to a Buddhist temple in the morning… not before stopping off for a quick yak ride though! Michelle was a bit disgusted at the way the owner pulled the yak around by a nose ring, and Jo (the only other person on the tour) was the only one brave (or foolish?) enough to go for a ride. She said that it smells even worse than it looks, but the owner was having a great time regardless and burst into song.
Shenanigans aside, we headed to the temple. You are not allowed to take photos inside any of the many temples in the sprawling complex, so you will have to make do with some exterior shots. The place was pretty cool, but not being very religious myself I didn’t get involved in any of the ceremonies or make any donations. We spotted one monk sorting through donation money (they even give change) and he had a huge wad of cash. They obviously don’t need my assistance!
In this particular branch of Buddhism (yellow? I can’t remember) the monks are allowed to eat meat, they have their own cars and mobile phones, and they are allowed to leave the order at any time. It kinda sounded like Buddhism Lite, but I guess it attracts the young people!
