Why I like biking to school

I started biking to school since the beginning of this semester and I enjoy it very much. First of all, biking saves me money. As a university student, I always feel the strain of managing my financial issues. Instead of struggling to pay for tremendous insurance, expensive gas, endless maintenance, parking permits or bus ticket fares, I only need to pay for the cost of a bike and this one time purchase can last for years. Secondly, biking is time saving and efficient. Traffic jams in rush hours are very common in urban area; therefore, everyday drivers just take them for granted. But as a biker, I rarely encounter this kind of obstacles. By biking in a direct and low traffic route, which involves trails and side roads, my traveling time only takes 15 minutes rather than 20 minutes by driving or 1 hour by taking bus. Also, biking is almost as flexible as driving, but it is much more manageable than taking bus. Since I started biking, I never suffer from being late for class because the bus driver takes off just a few seconds before I get to the bus stop. And physically, biking is healthy. By raising heart rate for 30 minutes with biking everyday, I can improve general fitness as well as respiratory and circulatory systems. Socially, biking opens my eyes to the changes around the neighborhood; it can also improve the relationships between me and the neighbors. Biking along the community, I can exchange greetings with others or even make stops and start chatting. Occasionally, I can give a hand to the people who are in need. Environmentally, biking saves energy and reduces pollutions. Being responsible for a better environment, I prefer biking rather than any other transportation methods. Last but not least, biking is relaxing. During the journey, I can think, focus and realize new goals and so forth. Riding on the recreation trails, I can appreciate nature – song birds fly over my head, gurgling streams flow along my side, chattering squirrels run across my way, and seasons change gradually from a flourishing summer to a deep golden autumn towards a peaceful winter.

Yu Tai Temple

After climbing for 999 steps, finally I arrived at the entrance of Yu Tai Temple that was considered as the Buddhist holy place in my hometown. The entrance was about 30 feet tall and 40 feet wide. Four granite pillars formed three gateways of the entrance with each pillar being twelve feet in girth. Three eaves were built on top of the pillars over each gateway. A black wooden tablet was hanging above the middle gateway with three encrypted golden words – Yu Tai Temple. Passing through the entrance, I stepped into a rectangular courtyard with two 60-foot-tall kapok trees standing on both sides. On the left of the courtyard, there stood a pagoda that was 9 feet tall with a history of more than 200 years. The ancient pagoda was respected as a cimelia of the temple. On the other side of the courtyard, an 800-pound bronze bell was hung in a pavilion. This bell was stroked 108 times by the monks on every New Year’s Day to celebrate a new beginning and to request blessing from God. A monument encrypted with the history of the temple stood besides the pavilion. At the far end of the courtyard, a ten-foot-high platform with two staircases on both sides rose from the ground. A two-floor building – Great Giant Palace – was located on the center of the platform. The main floor was the pilgrimage hall and the second floor was a loft surrounded by the roof of the first floor. The exterior of the building was mainly painted in red, but the roofs were tiled in golden ceramic. Being exited and curious, I stepped up onto the platform and walked into the pilgrimage hall. Three Buddha statues facing to doors sat at the back of the hall. The Sakyamuni statue, which was in the middle, was about 15 feet tall coated with gold foil. A long bench covered with red silk was placed in front of the statues. Three huge censers with burning incense were set on the bench. Being surrounded by the misty smog and mystic aura, I was confused if I should fell on my knees and prayed for my fortunes as the others did.

On The Way to Jing Gang Mountain

Playing cards in the train did help me kill time during the boring travel, but I had to rest because I could not keep my eyes opened any longer. After all, had been playing cards the whole night and the tine was 2 a.m. I gave up the so-called “last game” and headed into my narrow sleeper. Before long, I fell asleep while my companions were still enjoying their games.

“Wake up, man. Our stop is coming up in ten minutes.” John, who was the leader of the traveling team, woke me up. I looked at my watch. The time was 4:10 a.m. I got up and jumped off the sleeper. Like the other members, I began to collect my belongings on the table and put them into my backpack.

Accompanied by the tune of Chairman Mao’s favorite song – “The East Is Red”, the captain announced, “Next station, Jing Gang Mountain.” Suddenly, my heart gave a leap. I was existed because I would be putting my first step on the land that was considered the candle of the People’s Republic of China.

Five minutes later, the train pulled into the station and gently stopped by a platform. I watched outside through the window. Outside was dark and I could not see anything. Following the team members, I stepped down from the train. Standing on the platform, I saw the station building which was very small and apparently closed. The only light that I could see was from the headlights of the bus that was waiting for us by the station. I caught up to the team and boarded the bus.

I was the last one who got on the bus. Not long after I found a seat at the back and sat down, the bus started off. No light was turned on in the bus and no light could be seen through the windows. I could not even see my fingers when I put my hand in front of my eyes. The bus soon began bumping and shaking after it left the station and ran onto the gravel roads. Worse than that, the bus was climbing uphill and kept making turns once for a while. With the endless darkness and the sickness, I started an excruciating ride that was leading me into the heart of Jing Gang Mountain.