We today travelled to the Buddhist Grotto at Baoding Shan. The site began with a series of small retail outlets, including cages containing chickens and rabbits,We were driven to the start of the Grotto accompanied by Peter, our tour guide who was a rock carver by trade. Peter took us around Baoding Shan grotto. The grotto is comprised of hundreds of statues carved straight from the rocks hundreds of years ago by the Zhao Zhifeng between 1179 and 1245. Among the highlights of this Buddhist site include the Cave of Full Entitlement with twenty life sized Bodhisattvas, the twenty-metre-long Reclining Buddha and carvings depicting the role of parental kindness and filial piety in Mahayana Buddhism.
On our return we were fed at a local restaurant where we were each given plastic gloves before trying their delicacy of black chicken legs including their feet. ‘The food again was a challenge to our taste buds and included some interesting surprise dishes, including Lotus flower roots.

As Faithless say....... I can`t get no sleep

nee haa everybody! (thats hello in Mandarin!)
Well its 4 in the morning and I am wide awake in the city of Chongqing. We arrived yesterday and for the past 36 hours I have been completely fascinated by this place! It is just one major assault on your senses - sounds, smells, sights, and especially tastes are all completely different here in Chongqing. We visited the Children`s Palace today (Sunday) and then went for a traditional sichuan meal - tried Turtle soup, Whole Duck (yes, including bill!!) and some Yak! the food is very spicy in this region (and plentiful) Everywhere you look there is a different food, vegetable, meat, fruit, that I have not come across before. here is an account of the visit today. It was my turn to take notes - it's a bit formal but it is for the report that we have to do for the British Council....... see you soon - out into the rural areas tomorrow. Dislikes at the moment just two words - Warm beer!! - hope to finda few cold ones!