I visited Datong, China. This place has a long history and witnessed a period when Buddhism was still a foreign religion from India.

I visited the hanging monastery 1st. An entire monastery was built on the face of the cliff using cantilever system of frames and beams.

The columns of beam are not weight bearing and people opined that it was there to give comfort to visitors.

I reached it at 11am. The long queue of people trying to climb to the monastery made me gave up. See 1st pic. So I will just be happy by looking at it from below.

The next destination is pure bliss. Ancient buddhist trail plus a giagantic park attached to it,plus a museum!

The yungang grotto witness Buddhist devotion 1000s of years ago.

Ancient Buddhist carved beautiful sculptures into the mountain. Giant Buddha images and small images of angels and demi gods adorn the cave wall. Very awe inspiring.

Food here is rather salty. It’s the local preference. My favourite is the simple walnut cake I bought from a food vendor at the yungang grotto. Creamy walnut paste with bits of walnut inside.

The highly acclaimed restaurant Feng Lin Ge 风临阁 has a long queue but the food is a bit salty for me.

Flower shaped shaomai

Caramelized vinegar pork