Oldest and tallest wooden pagoda in the world
N 39°33'41.3'' E 113°11'07.3''
Date:
27.10.2015
Day: 121
Country:
China
Province:
Shanxi
Location:
Ying Xian
Latitude N:
39°33’41.3”
Longitude E:
113°11’07.3”
Daily kilometers:
54 km
Total kilometers:
10,080 km
As the crow flies:
45.74 km
Average speed:
22.6 km/h
Maximum speed:
26.8 km
Travel time:
2:23 hrs.
Soil condition:
Asphalt
Maximum height:
950 m
Total altitude meters:
5.920 m
Altitude meters for the day:
20 m
Headwind Wind force: 5
35 Km/h
Sunrise:
06:48
Sunset:
5:34 pm
Temperature day max:
11 °C
Night temperature:
minus 2°C
Departure:
9:45 a.m.
Arrival time:
3:30 p.m.
Total plate tires:
8
Plate front tire:
2
Flat rear tire:
5
Plate trailer tire:
1
(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).
Because of the bad weather, we stayed an extra day with our friendly hosts. Then it clears up. The squalls have subsided so that the wind is now only blowing at force five. We pedal our horses in a westerly direction to get to Ying Xian. Our destination is the oldest and highest wooden pagoda in the world. The S 303 leads us through a wide, flat high valley, which is bordered by mountain ranges. To our left is the impressive, 150 km long Heng Shang. It’s actually a wonderful day if it weren’t for the heavy increase in truck traffic. One coal transporter follows the next. There are hardly any gaps. The well-developed hard shoulder here offers us a certain safe distance from the metal monsters. However, as it is made of concrete and the road is almost always elevated, it has an unprotected angular edge to its right, from which it descends several meters. We are therefore forced to be extremely focused. Just a few seconds of not paying attention and we would break our necks or be run over on the left side by the voracious truck tires. “We thought we’d chosen a secondary route,” says Tanja. “I didn’t expect to encounter as much traffic in western China as in the east. I hope it doesn’t stay that way,” I reply, not knowing at this point how wrong I am, especially that this road is relatively quiet compared to the ones ahead.
In the afternoon we reach the hexagonal Sakyamuni wooden pagoda, built in 1067, under a blue sky. It has also been a listed monument of the People’s Republic of China since 1961. Because we made such good progress despite the headwind and the many trucks, we enjoy the whole afternoon exploring the imposing structure and its surroundings…
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