Mount Emei

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New Chinese Proverb says…”Man who walk up mountain with large back packs very silly when he can walk down mountain in suit and dress shoes…

and so was our experience on Mt Emei as we approached the Qingyin Pavilion. Two Kiwi’s walking up a couple of thousand steps carrying full backpacks for 2 hours and 5,000 Chinese coming downhill, having taken the Cable Car to the top.


We arrived into Emei Shan, more particularly the Teddy Bear Hotel late on 23rd April. The accommodation was amazing for the price and standard (200rmb for a twin room). The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. We had originally planned to only spend 1 night here and then a night on the mountain but due to Brent’s continuing chest infection we decided to spend an additional night calling ahead late on the 24th to book a room. When we arrived back we found ourselves staying in the unopened new wing of the hotel and that Andy had rushed to complete a room for us that day…

That night Rich was in his element with a visit to the local hot springs to find some salvation for the legs. We had a little problem finding anything hot but after an hour of searching a conversation with the attendents in sign language brought us the reward we were looking for...a 44 degree private spa. The hotsprings contained a floating pool. Now we have no idea of the salt content but surfice it to say that you could not sink, you could lie on your back and read a book...so will someone please explain why the Chinese patrons were wearing floaties!

The next day our legs felt very relaxed... after sensation returned to them that is.

Our journey on My Emei began from the Wuxiangang Bus Station, getting there was the usual Chinese bus experience, 50% of the time on the wrong side of the road, lots of horn, late breaking and blind corners...still we have complete admiration for the drivers. We made our way up to the entrance and began our climb to the Niuxin Pavilion. The whole environment is incredibly clean and well maintained. The path is lined with a fence...it took Brent about 2 hours and comments from Rich before he realised it was actually constructed of concrete made to look like timber and not timber!

From Niuxin it was then onto the Joking Monkey area. The monkeys are Tibetan Macaques. The Macaques are very cute but are also being attracted to an area to earn the tourist dollar. Chinese photographers abound here and for a few RMB you can have a monkey climb on you and have your photo taken. Having witnessed the whole thing for nearly an hour and numerous macaques being hit with sticks it was time to move on...actually it was time for something else to move on and Brent had his first Chinese toilet experience. Thankfully the mountain is lined with toilets and stalls.

It was about here that Brent made the comment that the climb had not been too bad and that the stairs had lots of flattish plateaus to break up the journey…next corner…straight up for the next 1.5 hours to Hongchun Ping at 1,120m…Chinese Proverb says 'Wise man keep mouth shut in future…'

The climb to Hongchun Ping was well worth it. It was the most serene Temple we visited on Mt Emei, probably because of the lack of a chair lift to move the masses. Other than the sombre temple the highlight was the outdoor rotary toilets with views over the mountain...completely lacking in privacy but awesome awesome views...although we do confess to modesty and using them backwards.

The journey back to Niumix was harsh on the knees but a lot easier on the lungs than going up. On the way down we were passed by a porter carrying 96 bottles of water and a sack of something on top. From here on no complaints about pack weights were made.

We were supposed to be at the next temple and down off the mountain by 4pm so we could catch a bus to the top but given our tardiness we were almost an hour behind schedule and decided instead to take our time and then spend the night back at Teddy Bear.

The climb to Qingyin Pavilion was hellish...made worse by the 5,000 or so Chinese walking downhill laughing at us loaded up with our backpacks. The climb took us the best part of an hour and we got there to be met by the hordes coming off the cable car. So unlike our serene experience at Hongchun, this time it was an altogether different vibe at the Temple. We followed the masses lead and took the cable car to the bottom…



Next morning we caught the 8am bus to near the top of the mountain then joined the queue for the cable car to the summit. I have to say that my time spent in the queue will be remembered as one of the most entertaining hours I have spent in China. Rich and I became separated due to him buying the tickets and me getting swept up by the crowd. We were probably about 100m apart packed in 10 deep with the masses. I was surrounded by a family (approx 20 members) who had encountered us somewhere else on our trip. Although we had very little language in common we communicated reasonably successfully. They wanted to know my name and after I told them I heard ‘Brent’ being said up and down the line. My backpack was weighed by all members of the family wanting to know how little a kiwi can carry.

The Golden Summit is as stunning for its imagery as it is for the number of tourist you will find there. The views are almost always non existent from the top due to the cloud that surrounds the mountain. We had a ball…Stars for a day! We were photographed by almost everyone on the mountain. We achieved one of our tour objectives by having our photo taken with a tour party. The older women in the party took quite a shine to Rich and we were reunited with the family at the top who insisted on a couple of hundred photos being taken with us...smile lines anyone.

We spent about two hours at the top, an altitude of 3,077 metres. We decided on the stairs down, it took us the best part of an hour and was some of the steepest terrain we covered. From Mt Emei it was back to the Baogau bus station and a 2.5 hour journey back to Chengdu and Sims Cozy Guesthouse.

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Photos

Niuxin Pavilion
An easy climb from Wuxiangang the Niuxin Pavilion is one of the most serene sites on the mountain

Comments

[杨旭梅]

Good luck!