Going to Shaolin next month

[Shaolin68]

I'll be fufilling a longtime dream by actually visiting the Shao Lin temple next month. The wife and I are taking three weeks to visit a few spots in China, my personal highlight will be going to the temple. Anything before or after that is just icing on the cake. :)

I've some questions for those who've gone or are familiar with the area:

*How long should it take me to see the grounds? Should I plan on two days, or just one?

* Best way to get there?

* I anticipate staying in Luoyang so we can see White Horse Temple and Longman Grottoes. What else over in that area should we try to see?

* Best (or at least quality) place to stay?

I'd appreciate any/all advice I can get.

Thanx :)

[GeneChing]

You should take a look at our 2005 Shaolin special (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=590) because it will catch you up to what's happening now, as well as our 2003 Shaolin special (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=397) since that issue was designed as sort of a FAQ for Shaolin travellers.

You can easily see the temple grounds in a few hours. If you can get the time, you'll want to hike to Tamo's cave. It's possible to do that and see the temple in one day, but you'll be rushed, so I'd take the extra day. Now, as mentioned in that Shaolin special 2005, there is a highway that connects Shaolin to Loyang and White Horse, sort of the tourist route, if you will. It greatly reduces your travel time between these areas and opens up a lot of different places to stay. Shaolin is now only about an hour away from Zhengzhou, so you could even stay there, if you like big congested cites. I would recommend that you try to spend a few days in the area if you can - there's actually a lot to see on Songshan beyond Shaolin - some spectacular hiking, Confucian and Taoist temples, the enormous private schools at their daily training - it's different if you can stay longer. The quick tourist snapshot of Shaolin is not nearly as impressive, but if that's all you can manage, it's better than nothing.

Are you going through a toursit group?

[Shaolin68]

First, thanx for the links. I found your site via the magazine which I picked up at Borders. Good mag! :)

We're traveling solo, without a group. Which gives us more freedom but (I suspect) more risk and less comfort. We're basically going:

Shanghai
Nanjing (maybe)
Shaolin
Xian
Shenyang (maybe)
Beijing

Before heading back to L.A.

Seeing other temples in the area sounds fun, tho hiking might be out of the picture. I'll need to figure out transportation and a decent place to sleep.

How English friendly is this aspect of the trip? I could prolly figure out the characters for Shao Lin on a bus sign; would that be the best way to get there?

Again I appreciate the feedback.

[GeneChing]

You should contact my friend, Mr. Wang Yu Min at C.I.T.S. - he's a local travel agent who handles everyone from the Abbot to Sin The, from Demasco to little ol' me. Here is the website (http://www.shaolinkungfutour.com/) - feel free to mention my name. There's a lot of foreign travellers going to Shaolin, and A LOT of scam artists that will pick you up at the train station and *take you for a ride*, if you get my meaning. You can trust Mr. Wang though. He'll give you a fair price for his services and can cater to your exact needs. It's what he does, and since he's the VP of C.I.T.S., he's accountable and reliable. He can set you up with transportation and hotel (although if you read that 2003 special, I give enough info for you to do it yourself, if you want).

Xian is beautiful. Be sure to check out the street market near the mosque. That place is a shopper's paradise. For Beijing shopping, check out the top floor of Hongqiao market, if you can. Both used to be decent sources for antique weapons. ;)

[Vasquez]

You should contact my friend, Mr. Wang Yu Min at C.I.T.S. - he's a local travel agent who handles everyone from the Abbot to Sin The, from Demasco to little ol' me. Here is the website (http://www.shaolinkungfutour.com/) - feel free to mention my name. There's a lot of foreign travellers going to Shaolin, and A LOT of scam artists that will pick you up at the train station and *take you for a ride*, if you get my meaning. You can trust Mr. Wang though. He'll give you a fair price for his services and can cater to your exact needs. It's what he does, and since he's the VP of C.I.T.S., he's accountable and reliable. He can set you up with transportation and hotel (although if you read that 2003 special, I give enough info for you to do it yourself, if you want).

Xian is beautiful. Be sure to check out the street market near the mosque. That place is a shopper's paradise. For Beijing shopping, check out the top floor of Hongqiao market, if you can. Both used to be decent sources for antique weapons. ;)

Could you send me some contacts at shaolin. I intend to make a trip there for 9 or so months.

[Shaolin68]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I wanted to say thanx for the advice at the time.

We did end up going to China. At almost the last minute, the mother-in-law invited herself along. My initial reaction was one of irritation but it turned out to be the best thing to have happened to us. My in-laws are Chinese and with them leading the way, I got to see ALOT more and spend ALOT less than had I gone without them.

We ended up staying in Luoyang and hired a taxi for the day. The newly built highway was virtually empty; an unusual sight for somebody from Los Angeles.

We spent one day around Shaolin. The first part of the day we took a gondola up to the top of the nearby mountain (Song Shan?) which was beautiful. Came back down, cruised through the Forest of Steles, marveling at the history of it all.

Entering the temple itself....just walking through the doors geeked me out. I was actually *in the Shaolin Temple* LOL. I'd been in plenty of temples by that point of the trip and Shaolin didn't really stand out from the rest, aside from the things that I'd been specifically looking for; such as the floor with the permanent indentations from years of practice.

From there we eventually got around to seeing the monk's performance. Which was....well....corny. Didn't come all that way to see a effing stage show, although I accept that its necessary for tourists to get their "money's worth". I was content just to hang out and be there. Between shows, a couple of the young kids started clowning with me outside the performance area.

All in all it was a great day. It was a something I was able to mark off my personal checklist for things to do/places to go.

I'd also HIGHLY suggest that people see the Longmen Grottoes. I lost a few pounds that day, between the humidity and the steep, long stairways. But everything of value takes effort, and the reward for all that exercise was some of the most astonishing iconography I will ever see.

What else: Shanghai ROCKS. I don't know what I expected (probably something dark, dangerous and misty) but the city itself shocked me. If I were to ever move to China that would be the place I'd go. Nanjing was cool, learned some real Chinese cultural history there (ie, Dr Sun tomb) and ate the best.noodle.soup.ever at a vegetarian restaurant. Were I a rich man I'd fly back there once a month just to have it again.

Xian was cool. The area around the mosque (and the mosque itself) was beautiful and alien. Beijing, I could do without ever seeing again. Shenyang was where alot of my inlaws were and we had a great time there.

Truth be told, I learned a little bit of what its like to be a stranger in a strange land. Its given me a little insight into what it would be like to be an immigrant, and to be deeply homesick for familiar sights. We had a great time but it was also wonderful to land back at LAX and go get a cheeseburger with a side of fries and an iced tea. :D

So sorry again for bumping this, but just wanted to say hello and thanx for the input back then.

[sun dragon]

Did you get to train at the temple?

[sun dragon]

You should contact my friend, Mr. Wang Yu Min at C.I.T.S. - he's a local travel agent who handles everyone from the Abbot to Sin The, from Demasco to little ol' me. Here is the website (http://www.shaolinkungfutour.com/) - feel free to mention my name. There's a lot of foreign travellers going to Shaolin, and A LOT of scam artists that will pick you up at the train station and *take you for a ride*, if you get my meaning. You can trust Mr. Wang though. He'll give you a fair price for his services and can cater to your exact needs. It's what he does, and since he's the VP of C.I.T.S., he's accountable and reliable. He can set you up with transportation and hotel (although if you read that 2003 special, I give enough info for you to do it yourself, if you want).

Xian is beautiful. Be sure to check out the street market near the mosque. That place is a shopper's paradise. For Beijing shopping, check out the top floor of Hongqiao market, if you can. Both used to be decent sources for antique weapons. ;)


Hey GeneChing,
I check out the web site and it did not say in the training section about if you train at the temple or at a wushu school. Do you know if they let you train at the temple? How much is it for a month?

[Shaolin68]

Did you get to train at the temple?

No, but I did walk my @ss off during that trip. Lost a few pounds walking up and down narrow stairways on hot, humid days. Just thinking about China makes my feet hurt. :D

[monkeyfoot]

I agree with Gene, give yourself a few days as there are a ton of things to do beyond the temple.

I spent 2 day just trekking around songshan (give the cable car a miss, its much better hiking it) and felt like even that wasn't enough time.

Its a bonus that you are going independantly. Me and my girlfriend did and I think the experience was 100x better because of it. Loyang is really good and the grottos are excellent. There is also a nice little temple across the river from the grottos thats worth a visit. If you get a chance have a look around DengFeng. There are streets lined with martial arts shops selling everything from deerhorn knives to feiyues (the latter cost me about £1) aswell as some tasty places to eat out. At the center of dengfeng there is a square and a lot of steps leading up to a big pagado that boasts good views of the city. White horse temple is also excellent and IMO a nicer temple than shaolin :D

Have a wicked time, enjoy the sites.....and take the chunky lonely planet with you. (cannot stress that enough if your going independantly, do not speak chinese and are on a budget)

regards

craig

[monkeyfoot]

oww seems like my advice is a little late.....well im glad you enjoyed the trip anyhow

Apart from the fog, which you later realise is 'smog'.....what didn't you like about beijing?

I landed in beijing in february so it was like deep snow and minus 9 degrees.....i thought it was quite a nice city?

maybe different in the summer (if you went then?)

[Shaolin68]

oww seems like my advice is a little late.....well im glad you enjoyed the trip anyhow

Apart from the fog, which you later realise is 'smog'.....what didn't you like about beijing?

I landed in beijing in february so it was like deep snow and minus 9 degrees.....i thought it was quite a nice city?

maybe different in the summer (if you went then?)

Beijing reminded me of L.A., where I'm from. It was packed, rude, and full of people who were aggressively trying to rip me off. It was the one part of the trip where we didn't have family around, and virtually every transaction turned out to be a struggle not to get punked. Lesson re-learned: the ignorant get screwed. If you don't know the language or the city, people are going to do you.

You mentioned smog.....boy, people in the US have NO idea how bad it is in China.

The Lonely Planet guide was a mixed bag. Some of their hotel choices were.....questionable. Especially one in Kaifeng which just happened to be next to a construction site. That starts work at 6am. On a Sunday.

[sun dragon]

Can you just show up at the Shaolin Temple and train?

[monkeyfoot]

yea i know some of the LP recommendations are poor...but its still a godsend anyhow.

Ah you went to Kaifeng. Its got some really nice traditional buildings and a great night market. Did you get to visit the night market and try the spicy meet sticks? We stayed just down the road from the square with the McDonalds on it....tiny little hostel....well run down :D

http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?MemberId=17894884&PhotoAlbumId=2424464&PhotoId=12036105



Can you just show up at the Shaolin Temple and train?

Not sure mate. Me and my girl just turned up at the main accomodation place and got a cheap room no fuss. I'm guessing for not much more effort you could arrange some lessons

craig

[Shaolin68]

yea i know some of the LP recommendations are poor...but its still a godsend anyhow.

Ah you went to Kaifeng. Its got some really nice traditional buildings and a great night market. Did you get to visit the night market and try the spicy meet sticks? We stayed just down the road from the square with the McDonalds on it....tiny little hostel....well run down :D
http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?MemberId=17894884&PhotoAlbumId=2424464&PhotoId=12036105


craig Yeah the night market was really cool. I ended up eating this sandwich of sorts, I think it was a pickled vegetable with real hot spices served on sweet sesame bread. It was great.

[Eddie]

Can you just show up at the Shaolin Temple and train?

Usually you’d have to wait outside in the snow in a meditation position for days. Eventually, when they think you’ve shown enough determination, they will allow you in.

That’s standard protocol. Every one knows that! :rolleyes:



:D :cool:

[sk girl]

Can you just show up at the Shaolin Temple and train?
I am sure you could but I would pay for a tour guide the first time you go there then make friends with some of the monks then go back on your own.

[sun dragon]

I am sure you could but I would pay for a tour guide the first time you go there then make friends with some of the monks then go back on your own.


Thanks not a bad idea. I was hoping there was a tour guide that actually goes to the shaolin temple for more then an hour a day and wont rip me off for thousands of dollars or take me to some school thats right next door and tell me I'm going to train at the temple.

[Eddie]

why dont you try travel without using a tour guide. thats usually the best way to travel anywhere, and obviously much cheaper.

[GeneChing]

You can train at the temple now although I've heard that the lessons are tourist driven and expensive. There are so many fine masters there that the temple is not the first choice amongst the bulk of the Shaolin laowai club. Most tour guides won't rip you off four thousands of dollars. They may rip you off for a few hundred, but not thousands. That's true in any tourist area anywhere in the world.

[Blacktiger]

Im going Thursday this week......so pumped!

We are staying at the Wushu Guan which is meant to be pretty good...like a hotel so I hear.

My master's ex student runs the place or something so we should not have to much trouble.

Wooooo Hoooooooooo (in best Steve Irwin impression) :D

[GeneChing]

The nice thing about the wushuguan is that it's still in Shaolin Valley, so if you get up at daybreak, you can jog up to Tamo's cave and sit at the peak for an enlightening meditation. There's a trail that leads up the mountain from the side of the wushuguan opposite the temple side, the side closer to the valley's entrance gate. Take that trail up over the ridge and you can get up to the big Tamo statue from the back side, then go up to the peak where there's a small roofed structure, and then go down to the cave. It's a wonderful morning jog or hike. From there, at daybreak, you can get a glimpse of true Shaolin. ;)

[LFJ]

Beijing reminded me of L.A., where I'm from. It was packed, rude, and full of people who were aggressively trying to rip me off. It was the one part of the trip where we didn't have family around, and virtually every transaction turned out to be a struggle not to get punked. Lesson re-learned: the ignorant get screwed. If you don't know the language or the city, people are going to do you.

You mentioned smog.....boy, people in the US have NO idea how bad it is in China.

thats totally true of any large city i've been to anywhere in the world. "aggressively" trying to rip you off. yes, you've been to china. lol- i very much disliked guangzhou for that very reason- among others. but things we much nicer only 30 minutes away in a smaller (yet still large) city.

the smog issue is so true. walking in dengfeng on the sidewalk there was a giant mountain on the other side of the street and i didnt even notice it. couldnt see through the smog!

the link here says it all: http://tedlee.cn/2007/09/08/10-cities-with-worst-air-quality-in-china/

you went to luoyang. that made the top 10 list!

[LFJ]

Can you just show up at the Shaolin Temple and train?

i did. didnt cost me a cent.

[Shaolin68]

thats totally true of any large city i've been to anywhere in the world. "aggressively" trying to rip you off. yes, you've been to china. lol- i very much disliked guangzhou for that very reason- among others. but things we much nicer only 30 minutes away in a smaller (yet still large) city.

the smog issue is so true. walking in dengfeng on the sidewalk there was a giant mountain on the other side of the street and i didnt even notice it. couldnt see through the smog!

the link here says it all: http://tedlee.cn/2007/09/08/10-cities-with-worst-air-quality-in-china/

you went to luoyang. that made the top 10 list!

China was my first overseas trip, I've traveled all over the US and a little bit of Mexico. In a way I'm not mad at people who don't have much, and can get a little more by doing an ignorant (and comparatively wealthy) tourist. At the same time, it got to the point where I simply didn't want to interact with people anymore because virtually everyone was running a game.

The one good thing about Beijing was a hotel we stayed at. The bar was run by a Chinese guy who was also an American citizen. He was a retired teacher from the suburbs of L.A. and his bar stocked things like bagels, sandwiches, cheesecake, stuff like that. He also had several cute girls working for him; young, little English, and no real idea how to mix a drink so they just overpoured everything. :D Time spent there was time well spent.

The rest of the city I could do without.

[Blacktiger]

The nice thing about the wushuguan is that it's still in Shaolin Valley, so if you get up at daybreak, you can jog up to Tamo's cave and sit at the peak for an enlightening meditation. There's a trail that leads up the mountain from the side of the wushuguan opposite the temple side, the side closer to the valley's entrance gate. Take that trail up over the ridge and you can get up to the big Tamo statue from the back side, then go up to the peak where there's a small roofed structure, and then go down to the cave. It's a wonderful morning jog or hike. From there, at daybreak, you can get a glimpse of true Shaolin. ;)

Thanks Gene.

Replying to you from the Wushu Guan on location in Shaolin.

My Cherry has been popped. Got film crews up here at the moment for the K-Star TV show. Could not go and train where we wanted yesterday as Jel Li and his enterouge where here negotinating with officials for a possible movie here. :D

Our master came here and taught in 1982 from Beijing Uni so alot of the masters now running the place have been dropping in to catch up -oh so much chinese death wine.

Went up Songshan mountain yesterday and was blown away....oh my legs...
Our school came here previously 2 years ago and went on the walk which scared the sh*t out of them all..they warned us -they have made the path a bit wider now but far out its high and narrow..but what a view.

Dont know if you know him but we have been looked after up here by Master Jow who is the principal of the school right next to the wushu guan, he and his brother run the place apparently. Been taught some cool old forms.

My master cant believe how much the place has changed since he was here 2 years ago.

Also went to this fantastic sound and light show set on the back drop of songshan mountain - mind blowing not sure if you have seen it...this place just fires you up to train big time.

Reading Mat's book and coming here all at the same time has been wicked- I keep wanting to ask if coach Cheng is still here :D

Talk soon :D

[GeneChing]

I'd love to be in Shaolin when Jet was in town. K-Star too? The place must be hopping. :)

Did you make it out to the hanging bridge on your hike? If not, ask on how to get there. That's an incredible death defying hike, but you'll be a better person for it.

If Master Jow is Jiao Hongbo (Deding), yes, I know him. He's very powerful. He's also the same generation as my master, Shi Decheng. They both trained under Shi Suyuan. I think he's mentioned in Matt's book too, but I'm not sure where. As for Coach Cheng, he's now teaching in one of the private schools in Dengfeng. He left the wushuguan a while ago. I haven't seen him since 2003. Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me, remember what his full name is. I always new him as Cheng Laoshi, but there's no way in hell you'd be able to find him at Shaolin using that name.

[Blacktiger]

I'd love to be in Shaolin when Jet was in town. K-Star too? The place must be hopping. :)

Did you make it out to the hanging bridge on your hike? If not, ask on how to get there. That's an incredible death defying hike, but you'll be a better person for it.

If Master Jow is Jiao Hongbo (Deding), yes, I know him. He's very powerful. He's also the same generation as my master, Shi Decheng. They both trained under Shi Suyuan. I think he's mentioned in Matt's book too, but I'm not sure where. As for Coach Cheng, he's now teaching in one of the private schools in Dengfeng. He left the wushuguan a while ago. I haven't seen him since 2003. Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me, remember what his full name is. I always new him as Cheng Laoshi, but there's no way in hell you'd be able to find him at Shaolin using that name.

Yep its been great :D

Yes made it over the hanging bridge -wow -great for trying to cure vertigo -not!

Must be the same Master Jiao -we went and met his master and son down in a little village yesterday as well which was special, cant remember his name but he and his son put on a cool demo for us.

Must run got to go sword shopping :D