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Published: January 16th 2017
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As I stepped out for my lunch and self planning session for where I should be visiting next, I received a text from my deaf guide to meet her at the metro station by my hotel. When I asked her why, she simply said that she was taking me to one of the many places I had on my list. I took a deep breath since it had been nearly a week ago she had last contacted me. This was after 3 failed places to visit including the rainy day in one of the many large parks here in Guangzhou and two closed exhibits. I decided to forgo having a sit-down lunch and grabbed my food to go and headed to meet her. It was a simple ride this time without even needing to change lines and it wasn’t that far (time wise) to reach. She took me to the Baiyun Scenic Resort which turned out being more of a large mountain top park than an actual resort as defined by western thinking.
The trip up was sprinkled with rain but being in a gondola riding up the mountain side made it easier to snap a few pictures
prior to reaching the “base camp”. The ride takes you up in a colorful enclosed basket to the first actual areas of this park zone. From there, it is still a bit of a walk to reach the top most peak set at 1900 km above sea-level. You can, if you wish it, climb the entire path up to this point or drive up in a vehicle but the gondola ride was more pleasant and relaxing than any walk. And the view from this sky born carriage was incredible as you could see many of the structures that are half hidden on the mountainside including a large school yard. Even out here nearly at the top of the mountain, you can still find civilization and a bit of the western influence on China in the form of a McDonald’s.
Included with this level where conveniences can be found, you have a butterfly exhibit, a bird sanctuary where you can visit the different birds not only in large birdcages but also walk in the park next to them. I warn you to not carry food like crackers or rice crisps with you since these birds will know and
follow you around the aery just for a chance to get a free snack. This would be when you reach the gateway to the mountain top park after a few stairs. As you follow the winding trails, you will catch glimpses of the city and the rest of this mountain you are standing on. You still have some climbing to reach the summit and top most observation deck. We continued climbing and reached the next plateau but still far from reaching the top.
More statues and exhilarating views await you as the next level is attained. As a center piece you discover “The Tie Between Two Rivers” which is a 15 tons stone dated as being 800 million years old. It is the symbol of unity and friendship between the people that live beside the Yangtze and Zhujiang Rivers which is the also the Three Gorges area where the stone was found. You can find many name stones and plackets informing you about the mountains history and myths. And the climb continued as we slowly made our way to the top. Many small platforms marked with standing name stones, statues, and even a restaurant rest-stop area midway
to the summit. As we reach the next full platform under the summit, we discovered a Wishing Tree, a Wishing Bell, and a golden colored Buddhist statue. This was the last leg of our the journey upwards as we moved along even as I admired the wonderful vantage point it gave me to see the city of Guangzhou from.
We finally reached the top to look down at the city and pathway we had covered to reach this zenith point. It was the best moment for me as I stood and looked around at everything I wanted to explore. As we stood looking around being happy for having reached this place, I noticed that the sun was starting to set in the sky leaving wondrous flame colors on the clouds. This is the moment I realized what had gone wrong with this small trip. We had taken most of the day to reach the summit and now had to walk down as night fell on the mountain. It was a bit faster a trip down than climbing this mountain path but more dangerous as I needed to walk a little slower to avoid tripping or walking off
the sporadically dim lit pathway down from the “base camp” level we had reached by gondola. Once back to the street it was a rush to make the last metro to return to my hotel that night. As harsh as the trip down was, I still see this as a good adventure for me and enjoyed it deeply.
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