Happy little Daoist priest and his new western friend.We have been told that we need to walk to the end of our road, where we can take one of the 3 wheeled motor bikes to the entrance at the bottom of the mountain. So the two of us set off, full of enthusiasm enjoying the sound of fire crackers as we go. We find ourselves a yellow 3 wheeled car which only just manages to struggle up the hill. Ten minutes later we climb out of the cab pay the man 4rmb and are glad to breathe fresh air again after suffocating in the exhaust fumes. The entrance is much like any large Chinese tourist destination; there is a large gate backed-up onto an array of modern built yet traditional style buildings and there is a vast bus park, all of which is surrounded by the obligatory construction. The only other people here seem to be workers.
Lao Zi rides his water buffalo.
Ming Dynasty temples. 
Nanyan Temple, an architectural wonder. 
The Golden HallWe go through the newly constructed buildings most of which will be shops that as yet remain empty. There is no waiting to get our tickets, the staff outnumber the tourists 10 – 1 and are very helpful. Tickets in hand we go off and sit in one of the new buses that have been provided. It seems like they make us wait forever before we embark on the rollercoaster drive up the mountain. The drive certainly is a feast for our eyes, not to mention a test of our nerves. The road winds through stunning peaks that rise bewilderingly before our eyes. The driver knows the road like the back of his hand, and won't slow down our 54 seat bus unless absolutely necessary. No wonder there's a sick bucket. Forest covers the majority of land here, but you can still see homes, traditional terraced farming and occasional temples. On the drive up the bus stops at sites of interest to pick-up and drop-off tourists. It's at one of these stops that we meet Michel and his friends who are getting on the bus to go to the top. Michel is an English teacher from this area; he is here with a friend and his sister who used to be a tour guide here. Lucky for us their English is very good and they persuade us not to start a 3 hour walk to the mountain summit so late in the day. We decide to accompany our new friends to go and check out the Nanyan Temple. The natural scenery of Wudang Mountain is magnificent and its home to some fascinating traditional architecture. Nanyan Temple is a prime example of both. Perching on the South Cliff, Nanyan Temple is known as the place where Emperor Zhen Wu founded Daoism and ascended to heaven. The whole structure sits precariously, carved out of the cliff face hundreds of meters high. Walking around this almost empty mountain side, breathing in the cool fresh air, while taking in some of the most astounding scenery I have ever seen, fills me with a sense of contentment – I was finally here. There are a good number of temples and shrines in this small area, so despite some of them being closed for refurbishment our spirit is not dampened. One of the temples includes a wall painting of Laozi on his water buffalo - some would credit him as the founder of Daoist philosophy. For me this painting begins to arouse thoughts of the Daoist philosophy I had begun to take an interest in back in Scotland, it was a poignant, thoughtful moment.
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