Hua Shan and Xi'an

Finally, I got out of Beijing to do some hiking. I met an awesome girl at Ultimate who was looking to hike Hua Shan (Mount Hua) as well. Hua Shan is one of five sacred Taoist mountains in China. Before leaving Canada, I had it in my mind that I would do a lot of hiking. Regrettably, that hasn't been the case, but I can't complain because I've been on some serious adventures since I've been here.

We left Beijing Tuesday evening on the overnight train and arrived in Xi'an at around 830am on Wednesday. From Xi'an, we hopped on a bus to take us to Hua Shan, which is a two hour commute. We began our ascent for the North peak at around noon and made it there in just under three hours. This was much faster than we had anticipated. There is a section of the trail called Golden Lock Pass. It is a literal name, as the path is surrounded by iron chains that are covered in golden locks and red ribbons. You can get your name, and anyone else's name, engraved on the lock and then attach it to the chains. Once it is locked, it allows for family and friends to pray for your health and safety. 

Inner Mongolia (你妈妈爸爸忙马?)

Question: Was 42 hours on a train, to and from Inner Mongolia, worth my time? 

Answer: Without a doubt! 

Last week, eight of us packed out bags and set out for a desert adventure in Inner Mongolia. We opted out of seeing the grasslands and hopped on a 21 hour train to Western Inner Mongolia. Flying would have been ideal but not easy on the wallet. 

This was my first overnight train ride experience in China, and I survived, with few scars. Sleeping accommodations were fine. Like everywhere in China, there were a lot of people in a small space. There were six beds in one sleeper. We were all assigned to the top bed in different sleepers, which meant we didn't have a space where we could all fit. Thankfully, some very nice Chinese teachers allowed us to share their bottom bunk. They were playing card games the entire ride, and when the invitation to play with them was extended, I joined. If you're wondering what I learned, here it is: my Chinese is terrible; my Chinglish is also terrible; always have a fluent bilingual friend to explain card rules; I can now play euchre.