... 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!
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...
No comments:
Post a Comment