30-06-2013 Train journey has started!

My trip to destination has started! I'm now on three days train ride to Kashgar. If any of three train connections are not delayed, I should be there on Tuesday noon! Changing trains with 3 backpacks, 1 big suitcase and 1 travelling bag on wheels will be my first challenge! Will keep you posted!

Story 06: Training weekend IV

It's raining and raining...

... all weekend and I am more and more in depress because my ascend should start in exactly one month time and I sit at home instead of going training out even if it is raining (what will I do then, up there in -45°C when a snowstorm is ripping off my tent into half?). And therefore I am making a desperate decision to go hiking onto very close mountain range where I had been before. Therefore I know, that I would not have to wade through high and wet grass and slipping down on red-mud slopes, but walking on a small dirt road leading all the way up to the mountain top.

I want to compensate my late start with hiking until pitch dark despite my strong night blindness (I calm myself with a thought that I cannot go wrong way on a such wide road). My luck is probably having a beer somewhere else because after half an hour I got another puncture on my motorbike ('another' one because this was the third in the last 2 months). And therefore I have to push my motorbike to the nearest service (fortunately, there are plenty of them anywhere in China) and my late start is postponed by another one hour. Finally, I got to the beginning of the dirt road and in no time I am slogging up to the mountains.

Still better than trhough high and wet grass...

It' s still quite wet, but my luck had finished its beer and so the rain has stopped. However, my late start makes me walking so furiously fast that I have happily forgotten about my 'stone tradition'. After a short break I am trying to keep the same tempo while loaded with small, but believe me, heavy stones. After 5 minutes, the road starts with a steep slope and I am completely wet even when it is not raining...

Even the road is a bit muddy and my bag push my back closer to the road, that's all not enough to stop me get all the way to the top of this mountain ridge. From here I can already enjoy the views over the city and surrounding mountains. Completely wet and still catching my breath, I am thinking how beautiful this trip would be if there is my two-wheels-friend IV under me (number IV refers to how many bicycles have been stolen from me in 1.5 year history...)

 

Following my nose I came to a road fork where I decided to take the left one leading up to an opposite mountain top. I was lead in this deeply sunk road between interesting stone formations and dotted around by more and more graves. Thankfully to Chinese burial traditions I am moving between graves even faster straight to the top of the mountain. The road doesn't finish here on the top but it copies a terrain of the mountain slope and cut into its side, it continues into far foggy distance. While walking I started to think  that this road must definitely lead  somewhere, and with bit of luck it could be some interesting spot and not just industrial state area sitting under the hills in the distance. 

And indeed, after not very enjoyable walk on the wet and half-muddy road I am starting to descent into woods and in short time I spotted an interesting looking roof sticking out of the forest - I bumped into abandoned Buddhist temple. A huge, main gate was conscientiously locked so my curiosity ordered me to climb a bit high mud and rock fence surrounding the temple. The temple itself was made from the same material and still in quite good condition, but as soon as I had tried to climb on it, it crumbled under my feet and hands.

Local graves in the mountains

Those of you, who have climbed in heavy and robust hiking shoes know, that it is like washing dishes in an ice hockey gloves! I felt clumsy enough so I put my stone pendant off my shoulders and left it under the fence.  When I finally climbed on the top I saw that the worse trouble expect me on the other side of nearly 3.5m high wall from which I have to either jump or fly off it. I still don't know until now how I did managed to climb down this fence in my boots, but I think it was definitely not very technical climbing style...

The temple had rewarded my effort with nice views on three terraced courtyards sitting between beautiful temples full of colourful Buddhas. Some of them were looking at me so unfriendly that I started to feel guilty and pretending self-confidence I quickly took some photos and moved to another courtyard (the heavy grey clouds and absolute silence only enhanced my gloomy feeling). As I still had my luck with me, I found a back-site gate widely opened on the other side of the courtyard...

Abandoned temple with strangely looking Buddhas and deeply hidden in the forest was definitely highlight of my trip, but soon I had to start thinking about my journey back (it was already getting dark ...). My destiny was not to be happy over the nice temple for too long time, and I had to test my trekking ability straight on the terrain. While climbing up the steep slope I started slipping down on a muddy surface. Firstly very slowly, but even with help of my hands I was unable to stop going down faster and faster until my 'stone hearted' friends in my rucksack (with the exactly same weight like the last week - 32kg!) uncompromisingly drug me straight into a cold but soft mud. On top of it, one of the water bottle in my rucksack broke and water covered all my bottom so with brown looking mud and wet trousers I looked like a three year old child just waking up in the morning after a nice dream... 

I don't really care about the latest fashion in the mountains so I took this part as a 'taught training' and pretending that I don't care being wet, I was quickly walking back down to the valley. After sunset the forest sunk into pitch dark so with my night-blindness ability I was trying to find not too muddy bits on the still wet looking road. Even I managed not to slip again and came back to motorbike without any injury, my hips couldn't say the same. Too tight hip belt from rucksack and too heavy load, made my hip bones sore even with the slight touch so the bouncing heavy rucksack made my journey back nearly an agony. The next week training will be with a pillow around my waist! 

My China remark IV:

You have to have a good source of tolerance and patience to drive in China.
The Chinese drivers drives very slowly and very carefully and it has its reason - you never know what other drivers will do. Cars cross the crossings on red lights, they do U-turn anywhere - even on expressways, turn without turning signals, they use horn on any possible occasion (this is even recommended in the traffic rules), they drive and park on pavements, drive in the wrong directions on one-way-roads, they use mobile or smoke while driving and the right of way have a bigger or more expensive car... Even if you have a big imagination you would probably not imagine what they can drive on motorbikes - huge sofas, wardrobes, any building materials, cattle or all five (my counting record)  family members at the same time...