It was a 45 minute ride out to the country. When we arrived we got snacks, drinks, and then met up with another CITA teacher. We got to see her school. It was probably the largest school I have ever seen with such nice facilities. I think the running track was a full kilometer around.
About a quarter mile down the road were the trails. I was honestly not knowing what to expect (which makes for the best adventures right?). After the Chinese amusement park I expected the hiking to be flat, serene, and not too strenuous. Wrong perception. It was indeed serene and beautiful, but I climbed more stairs than ever in my life. I am going to have legs of steel if this becomes a regular activity.
This is the entrance to the trails. It was a really beautiful park with lanterns everywhere.
Then began the stairs. Oh the fucking stairs. This trail was winding so just when you thought you had made it to the top, you hadn't. You would see another monstrous set of stairs to scale.
My legs were trembling from overexertion, but I pushed ahead. Because there was a temple at the top.
The temple was just the beginning. After the temple there were more stairs, you guessed it. We kept climbing and taking intermittent water breaks. I will say I have never sweat so much in my life. It was worse than a hot yoga class. I was drenched to where I was worried about dehydrating. When we finally reached the top of the trees the view was incredible.
I think what I experienced on that mountain was a full body detox. I certainly sweated out all the beer I drank the night before, and probably every toxin in my body. But as this was all happening there was always something interesting to see, or climb on. There were great conversations and it was a wonderful day with my new friends. I left the mountain feeling so refreshed. I had experienced something not touristy and off the beaten path. Something that the locals will know about , but us not.
what a cool experience.
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