As soon as we jumped into our new culture, we celebrated the Chinese New Year. Welcome to the year of the snake! So, what's in store for the year ahead? Slithering our way into new adventures and transformations. Not that we're suggesting we will shed our skin or anything too drastic.
We now ask you to let your imagination run wild as you read about this adventure!
Referred to by the locals as, "Little Hong Kong", this nearby town is a mountainside city known around the mining community as home to the biggest tin production mine in Asia. It is the nearest town to us that offers a variety of attractions rarely seen by foreigners.
We decided to make the trip with friends of ours that know the town better than most. As we arrived in the town we found plenty of boats willing to take us on the lake, a line of people wandering through an exotic zoo, and a tram willing to take us up 2,000 feet to the temple that sits atop of the mountain, or we could just walk 3,000 steps.
It's a 45-minute ride to the heart of the town by bus or van. After a quick stop at the square we made our way to the zoo. Upon arrival, we were charged the entry fee to the zoo, which we thought was for the tram. The zoo is basically a small-scaled zoo full of animals native to this region of Southeast Asia, with the exception of a few. In keeping with many zoos from all over the world, the enclosures are too small for their inhabitants, a significant proportion of who seemed to be pretty depressed about it all. However, you could get right up to the cages or glass and get a great show.
Despite the above, we were fascinated by the variety of animals on display, which ranged from tigers, a hallucinating elephant, Asian black bears, wolves, cobras, and a variety of birds and monkeys that were not shy of giving us some entertainment.
The different animal enclosures are spaced along elevated walkways that loop throughout a park. At the end of the path we made it to the tram and steps. For a small fee we opted with the tram, plus no one felt like walking an hour up and an hour down.
On the tram ride up and down, we gained access to some of the best views of the city. Once atop of the mountain, we were surrounded by several towering temples. We began to pry for the people who believe in false idols. This has also caused us to think about the counterfeit gods in our own lives that we have created. We ask Father to remove these CG's from our hearts and that we may focus solely on Him.
We enjoyed the cool breeze our Father was providing. As we headed down the mountain in the cable car, we spent the time laughing and connecting with our friends.