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The Pagoda at Shibaozhai
2010.05.18
This is the Shibaozhai pagoda. I saw it also called the Shibaozhai stockade, which is a much better translation. It houses a very steep stair way that brings you to the top of the mountain. Before the flooding of the valley, the entrance to the stockade was hundreds of feet above the water level. Because of the flooding, they have built a retaining wall around the base of the tower to protect it.
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Sedan chairs waiting to take people to the pagoda. That is our cruise ship the Viking Century Sun in the background.
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A few years ago, all that is now water was lush farmland. Again, it was misty along the river.
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Stall after stall of the same merchandise
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We bought one of his drawings. we should have bought a couple of them. We made a mailing tube out of 1 liter water bottles to get it home without being crushed.
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Fans for sale.
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This was one of my favorite stops. It seemed like such a simple stop but in truth this little town had so much to offer. The pagoda itself was a defensive staircase protecting the temple/monastery at the top of the hill. In order to protect it from the rising river, a retaining wall has been built around the base and a bridge connects it to the town. The streets between the dock and the tower were lined with souvenirs stands--most of them selling the same kinds of things in the same styles and varying color schemes. For those who like to bargain, it was a good chance to buy souvenirs and an astute bargainer could make some good deals.
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