My second visit to the Shaolin Temple (part 1 of 4)

(Note that due to poor Internet I have to post this in 4 parts.  Make sure you read in order.)

Yes I know I gave this temple a bad review (and imho the Fawang Temple, which is closer to Dengfeng, is still much more interesting to explore, and much less crowded) however I read that there are a few trails out back of the Shaolin Temple, and I was in a mood for a good hike on my last day in Dengfeng.  Not only that but there were several cable cars and a suspension bridge over a narrow gulley.  I figured I'd have a look around and see what I could find.  (Not only that I was still hunting for post cards, which I finally found in a souvenir store in the temple.  W00t!)

Right off the bat there was a Kung Fu exhibition right inside the front gate, which was much more interesting that the show the first time round.  And this time no ban on photography:

I took a few more pics of the temple (because why not):

I was interested in all the stuff the Shaolin Monks were selling.  A lot if it was medicinal, from their pharmacy, and a lot was food.  I didn't see too many people buying, although I wished I understood enough Chinese to listen in on the sales pitch.

There were 2 cable car rides on the far side of the temple - 少林索道 (shao lin suo dao) and 嵩阳索道 (song yang suo dao).  I opted for 嵩阳索道 (song yang suo dao) as recommended by my guide book:

It was similar to a ski lift that you might find at home.  They even took your picture as you got to the top to try to sell you a print.  (In fact they do this everywhere - in the temple, the Forbidden City, Olympic Park, Tiananmen Square - these Chinese are crazy tourists.  I thought of pitching a joint venture - have your picture taken with a foreigner.  We could make a mint together.)  At the top there was this giant rock that you could climb on top of and yell "Woooo!" (only in Chinese) at the top of your voice.