As was our previous experience in Chinese travelling, getting there would be our first hurdle, but this time we had a major advantage. Leila, one of the coordinators with Pacican (whom we are dutifully employed), has parents who live about an hour away from the mountain and would be joining us on our trip as a guide and putting us up for the night as our wonderful hostess. Having someone who can speak Chinese was a big step-up for our planning efforts, and its safe to say we wouldn’t have made it all the way there without her help and know-how. It also helps that she is fantastic company.
The first weekend of May is Labor Day (“International Workers Day” aka May Day), and so we were given Thursday, Friday and Saturday off teaching. Many Chinese holidays come with a make-up day, so to speak, so while we had a short week last week, this week requires us to work 6 days in a row from Sunday through Friday. There is no Sabbath to observe on account of the country’s official stance on religion (“atheism rules, religion drools!”).
Beth, Stacy, Tyler, James and I met Leila on Wednesday evening to catch the train to Hangzhou but of course, we hit a snag. We were late. And missed our trains. A train station during a Chinese holiday is a madhouse, with many people rushing out of the city so tickets can be hard to come by. No matter, we were able to refund our tickets and purchase standing room tickets for the following morning.
My knee was (and is!) feeling much better by this point but to be safe I grabbed a bamboo walking stick at the base for 1rmb. The first part of the trail was alongside a rocky stream, so instead of taking the stairs I opted for the long way over the rocks to test out my knee and be as close to actual nature as I could. It was a ton of fun. As we climbed higher and higher the crowds did not dwindle but did provide an endless amount of breathtaking vistas. Chinese mountains do not disappoint, with the only downside being the decreased visibility after a couple peaks due to pollution.
At one point on the walkway we hit a dead-end with a fence, but Beth and I hopped over before anyone could tell us not to. “The path is broken!” yelled the man who can only described as “security man” (if he was a guard, he was really bad). Maybe he was just a garbage man. I don’t know. We risked it anyway and proceeded with caution, while the others were going to meet us through the caverns around the other side. I lead the way in case the whole thing crumbled under our feet and I could die a hero while telling her to stay back, but it was all for naught. It wasn’t until we could see the others on the other side that we understood why we could go no further. It really was broken.
We took the bus back to the city and Leila’s parents were kind enough to treat us at a traditional Chinese restaurant to yet another delicious meal. Her parents, who were entertaining guests in another room, made frequent visits to make sure we were enjoying ourselves, to introduce some of their party guests and have frequent gunbei’s with us laowei (drinkin’ with the foreigners).
Overall, a fantastic, fantastic weekend.