Old is the "New" New

While most of us were shopping, Roy decided to get in touch with his inner buddha and venture to a temple within the Old Town of Lijiang. Though the town is technically old, much of "Old Town" was built in this century, and the temple is no exception. In 1996, a monstrous 7.2 earthquake shook Lijiang destroying 186,000 buildings and killing thousands of people. In the aftermath of the earthquake, millions of aide dollars came pouring into the city and much of the money was spent on restoration of classic structures to preserve the history and character of the town. As a result of the publicity from the earthquake, and due to the town's unique character, millions of people flooded the town creating a tidal wave of tourism that continues to this day. By visiting the temple, Roy avoided the crowds and was even able to find something unique to buy...a monk to say good prayers for his family for a month. I feel compelled to add that he was too cheap to buy the really great prayers and simply settled for the good ones.