The Rumble Pack

Shijiazhuang might not have much to offer tourists, but it does have a handful of mountains, including Baoduzhai. This apparently translates into “Baby Made of Corn” or something to that effect, though I don’t see the resemblance. It’s quite a hike (4,000 steps), but once you get up to the top, several temples and Buddhist statues await. Below are some of the sights along the way (The two ladies in some of the photos are my teaching assistants, Ashley and Sophia).

Forgive my cultural insensitivity, but this guy below, one of the emperors of a Buddhist heaven, bears a striking resemblance to my late bulldog, Fred.

P.S. Mmmmm…Chicken feet!