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Published: September 10th 2005
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Mid-Gate to Heaven
You can see the Mid-Gate to Heaven between the two peaks at the very top. Stories to tell, stories to tell.
I've been spending the last week with Danny and Molly, two Chinese friends who both used to be students at Omar.
Tuesday night I went out with Danny, Molly and Sophia to Danny's favourite hot pot in Jinan. This was a GOOD hot pot! So spicy, and we just had the regular spicy.. not "very spicy" or "super spicy", mostly because Molly is "afraid of the spicies"! Secretly, I don't think I could have handled more than regular spicy! Danny and I were sweating as it was! Oh that was a fun night, we made tons of jokes and laughed so hard I started to cry. Peanut sauce jokes! Sausage lips? After the hot pot, we decided to check out this "gay" bar near Quen Cheng Square. We tried to buy Danny this stretchy pink shirt from a street vendour, but it wouldn't fit. We got to the bar but there was NO ONE there... could have been because it was only 8:30. Apparently, it becomes gay after 11. We took a cab to Pyramid for some drinks and we all went home around 10:30.
Wednesday afternoon I sat in UBC with
Sunrise
Sunrise on Tai Shan. Danny and Molly, and helped Alva practice for her IELTS test. We had coffees and toast, and played poker and Bullshit. Molly left to go swimming, I think I might go another time with her. Around 6:30, I waited for the K55 or 70 bus to take me to Carrefour... waited for half an hour before deciding to walk. Did my shopping, which is always a huge excursion in China.. didn't get home until around 9. Danny and Molly came over and Danny managed to fix my stove.. which was a miracle because the whole knob was melted and the thing wouldn't even start!
Thursday morning I actually had a great class at the SAC (Shandong Agriculture College). We talked about hopes and dreams, and it was fascinating to hear what hopes these kids have for themselves.. how they are so similar and so completely different than my own.
To read a bit about Tai Shan mountain, go here:
Tai Mountain On Thursday afternoon, I caught a cab with Danny and Molly to the Jinan bus station where we were greeted by hoards of beggars right outside of the taxi door. We met Molly's Mom and jumped on
The Three Conquerers
Late night "from-arms-distance" shot. the bus to Tai An. The bus ride was about an hour or so and not too bad. The first thing I saw when we got into Tai An was a completely naked homeless man wandering the middle of the street. We met up with Molly's uncle and went for lunch, then he gave us a ride up to the entrance of Tai Shan mountain. Tai Shan is the most famed of the 5 famous, holy mountains in China and symbolizes the Chinese Spirit. Because of Guanxi (you rub my back, I'll rub yours - the way things get done in China!) we got in without having to pay the 100 RMB entrance fee. Yey Guanxi! We started off on a wrong foot, walked for about 15 minutes to find out we were definately going the wrong way, then wandered back and began the real climb. We came across a snail that scared Molly so much she said, "Oh my God!" and these two Chinese business guys behind us just laughed and mimicked her. So "Oh my God!" became this huge joke, which ended up being even funnier because I "Oh my God"ed a chicken and Danny "Oh my God"ed
Greatest Mountain
Danny, Molly and I at the very top of Tai Shan! a frog. After climbing for 45 minutes or so, we reached the "Climbing Begins Here" sign and all just laughed because we were already sweaty and tired. Just past the sign we came across a little garden, where there was a chain link fence packed FULL of locks.. Danny explained to me that the locks were all for lovers or friends. So we bought a lock and had our names engraved on it, then locked it on the chain along with about 10,000 others. Then we climbed. And climbed. And climbed. For about 3 or 4 more hours. We survived the "18 bends" and reached the mid-Heaven gate. The journey becomes timeless after you reach about the 2000th step. We amused ourselves on the way up with Danny's singing, just talking, and Molly's random 'bug shrieks". It was pretty dark by the time we arrived at the top, Danny and I both had our flashlights out. At hotel at the top, Danny bargained us a hotel room with three single beds and HOT WATER! We all had showers then sat on one bed, played poker and Old Maid, and ate banana chips and "cappucino cakes" until I fell asleep around
10, while they stayed up until about midnight. 4:30 AM was the wake up call... up and dressed and out the door so we wouldn't miss the sunrise. Which was absolutely incredible. Sitting, wrapped in thick green coats, watching our white breath in the cold morning air... and through the clouds and the mist rises the magnificant red sun... and you don't want to breathe in fear of ruining such serenity. I have never seen anything like a Chinese sunrise. We went down for a traditional Chinese breakfast around 10 and had some things that I'm pretty sure don't even have English names.. but one of the things I tried were "oil sticks". Basically, just deep fried pastry and very oily. After a good breakfast, we went exploring on the top of the mountain... visited the biggest temple on the mountain and climbed to the very TOP (1,545 meters), the Jade Emperor Summit, where we had another lock engraved and locked it to the fence. Try to imagine the smell of burning incense, offerings to Buddah, and the haunting sound of a gong ringing faintly in the mountain side somewhere around you. The air is clean and your nose is cold but you are warm from the inside, out. You really lose all sense of time and the rest of the world when you are in a place that magnificant. Around 10, we decided to brave it and climb down. Another 6600 steps and trust me when your legs are as short as mine, you hit every single step. We ran into the "Oh my God!" guys again, and I got a hug from a random Chinese guy in a long black coat. When we finally reached the bottom, I bought a map (TOURIST!) and we caught a bus to the very bottom of the mountain where we met Danny's friend for lunch. It was a pain to get out of Tai An and back to Jinan but we finally did and got home around 4:30.
Long day of teaching today, and being sore doesn't help much. It's worse going down stairs than up. And at the JAC, there are a LOT of stairs. Went to the Pyramid with Danny tonight for a drink, and listened to the band for a while, now I am home and using every last ounce of energy in me to finish this update.
Energy's out.
Goodnight Jinan.
Love Laura.
PS. (edit) Too many pictures, I'll post more later.
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Matticus
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I had my first floor party last night... al...kee...hol...