Endless stairs and angry monkeys

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After many hours of drinking and sleeping to get myself sorted out after my horrible train ride I decided it was time to walk up Emei. It was raining but climbing Emei was big on my to do list.

I waited for a break in the rain, left my belongings at the hostel, packed one change of clothes and some bare necessities and headed out. It was around one o'clock in the afternoon, so I was only able to hike about five hours before the sun began to set. Getting a bit lost in the beginning didn't help. Emei Shan is truly marvelous. The mountain has a subtropical climate and is lush with vegetation. A handful a major streams run down the mountain, at some points they form spectacular rapids and roaring waterfalls. For each stream there are countless little tributaries that flow into it. I asked a local on the mountain why none of them ever carried any water. It turns out that the locals drink from these tributaries. They know where the water is the clean and drinkable from experience. Although I didn't take my chances and stuck to bottled water, I observed countless places where the water came out of rocks where the water seemed crystal clear, filtered through the many layers of rock and sediment of the mountain.

I took the longest route possible up Emei Shan, which in retrospect may not have been the brightest thing to do, especially in the rain. Starting from Baguo village I went up a bit in elevation and then back down to Qingying Pavilion where I spent the night. Qingying Pavilion is a must see if you've never seen Emei Shan. It is the point where 2 rivers merge and form some of the most spectacular scenery of the entire mountain. It i s also a major tourist spot too. Many Chinese tour groups go there via the Waxiangang bus station that is a short hike away. So be prepared to share the scenery with camera happy tourists posing in front of the spot where you wanted to take a photo. After a good night's rest, I set out the next day to see how far I can go. The first stop was playfully named: "Joking Monkey Zone".

I learned a very important lesson here - Don’t piss off the monkeys. After walking past several monkeys with caution, I decided that the monkeys were not aggressive. While walking across a bridge, a tiny baby monkey perched on the railing. With the intent on shooing the monkey away, I grabbed my walking stick and slapped it repeatedly against the railing. That had scared the baby, so much so that it let out a high pitched wail. The mother monkey, who was some distance away, responded immediately. The guy I was hiking with had some run in with monkeys before and he bolted before I knew what was happening. By the time the mother was several meters away, I had started running as well. I ran right back up the way I came and past a big group of Chinese tourist. The monkey did not followed since it feared such a large group of people. To avoid running into the same angry monkey, the locals told me that I should take a shortcut around the Joking Monkey Zone. I was told that a lady who later wandered past the monkey I had agitated got bitten twice, once on the leg and once on the shoulder. I can’t help but feel a little responsible.

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Photos

Baguo Temple
There were many many temples on the mountain

Qingying Pavilion
Lake near the base of Emei Shan. This place is absolutely beautiful.

Waterfall
Emei is almost subtropical. There are countless waterfalls and streams throughout the mountain.

Monkeys
Do not piss of the monkeys. They can be pretty vicious.

Stair
Think of Emei as on big collection of stairs that go on into the abyss

Qingying Pavilion
The point where two rivers converge.

Temple in the mist
After hiking for hours, I came upon a temple in the mist. It was like something out of the movies.

Temple
A quiet temple cover in the mist. The rain has scared away all the other tourists.

Basketball court at the monastary
I wish I could have seen the monks play ball

Plastic bags to keep sneakers dry
They keep water out, but I ripped them off so as not to attract the monkeys who might think that there is food in the bags.

Rain is just water
Who's afraid of a little rain?

Comments

[Ming]

nice pictures! how did u manage to keep ur camera dry in such misty weather? and that fucking monkey looks vicious!