Last Friday was hot, very hot….the mercury on the phone told me it was 36c but as we all know in the real world that if you actually go out into the sunshine then it will be a tad warmer and it was. On a Friday if I have nothing to do I really need to get away from the chaos of the city, the Spitters, the Belchers, the Farters….yes the Farters, the people that talk too loud and everybody else that gets on me tits and I really don’t have enough patience to list everybody. But anyway my escape route goes like this. After lunch in my favourite ethnic (Muslim) restaurant I get the number 4 bus to Tianpingshan and get off at the terminus. I took two bottles of water with me and some small snacks but I had been fuelled by my ethnic friends and so I felt I had enough fuel for the journey. The bus journey takes an hour and sometimes it can be ok but not today, all the people I was trying to escape from came along for the ride.
It was hot as I got off the bus, it was 12.20pm and so it was really a stupid time of the day to go oot but I’m thinking that it will be quiet…………….no other stupid bugger will be out here, but I was wrong. I tried a new path that I had found a few weeks ago and followed it to see where it would go. I had an idea that it was going to take me to the top but I did not realise just how steep the climb was, it was great. The path started on an easy gradient and then I was soon climbing over rocks and the terrain was becoming more challenging which was great. One section had a rope dangling down over the very steep rock face and so I climbed up there with ease. In the beginning I’m in shade and I could lose the hat but as I climbed more and more I had no choice but to put it on and the sweat was beginning to pour off me. I stopped to wipe me broo and caught the sweat just before it rolled into my eyes and then fended off the mosquitoes. One good thing about the sunshine is that the mosquitoes are smarter than me and don’t go out in it. I soon reached the top and I felt pretty pleased with myself. I had a quick look around and then began my descent to the bottom again, which you have to do to continue the walk. I took my time and wandered off other paths along the way to see if they had potential before doubling back to get back on track.
A few weeks before I had stopped at the small makeshift restaurant for spicy noodles and the old lady told me to have a rest because it was so hot, but I thanked here and carried on. The next part is really quite steep and underfoot is very slippy due to the small gravel that is everywhere. I got about half way up this totally exposed part of the hill and had to take a seat beneath the only tree. I sat there feeling absolutely shagged out. I took my hat off and drank water. I was beginning to overheat just like my old car does when I take it up Cunninghams Gap. The temperature rises quite high, but as soon as I reach the top she can breathe again and catch her breath and get the wind in her grills and she is fine. So this is me, same as the old Ford, temperature rising and not a breathe of wind anywhere.
Time to go and I hear some voices and I see a family inching their way down the path with their son, so I wait till they reach me before continuing up…………………..it’s what you do, give way to others. Mind you I expect a nod of the head, maybe a xie xie (thank you) but no nothing…Fuck all………..they just stare and say foreigner and carry on. Now they are not the only people to do this. They all seem to be smart enough to notice that I am indeed a foreigner in their land; however they seem to have no fuckin courtesy, or have any idea why the crazy old foreigner is waiting for them to descend to safer ground. This concept of giving way to others is just not understood here and they also oblivious to potential dangers for both them and others whilst hiking. But this is the normal behaviour of the Chinese, just keep on pushing on and only think of number one, no one else matters………….I’m all right Jack.
I got to the top of that hill and had to pull over once more to a layby and rest, only about 5 mins had passed I think but the temperature had risen once more. I sat in a rest area under a shade cloth, on a piece of wood and as I sat there drinking my water I looked around at the rubbish that has been abandoned here. You name it, it’s here. In fact all along the path today there has been empty water bottles and tissues, it’s fucking terrible. I know I go on about this but I hate it.
One more hill to climb after this small descent and then I’m at the top of Lingyenshan and near to the temple and its all downhill from here. But this bit can also be difficult if your legs are weary, because there are hundreds of steps to go down.
The bus ride home is fine, although I feel that I’m sitting in a puddle of sweat. Everything is wet and I’m sure there must have been a bit of a tangy smell by this stage. But I got back home and in one piece although feeling absolutely knackered.
Next morning when I woke up I felt that I had been hit by a bus; I was as flat as my phone that I forgot to put on charge. After breakfast it was back to bed for a siesta till lunch. After lunch I had coffee with a friend and then home for an early night.
Sunday I felt a bit better but the rain was on and it was pissing down and so it is the perfect excuse for not doing anything and so that is exactly what I did.
So today is Monday and I’m feeling nearly recharged. After breakfast I went to the park to do some exercise, something that I just could not do the last two days. It began to rain but only a light shower. The rain is supposed to clear today and then fine for the rest of the week and so I decide to go for another walk at Tianpingshan because I have a busy week and I’m not sure when I’ll get back out there again. Roadworks on the way make the journey a bit longer than usual and the driver was getting frustrated, but we get there eventually. Today is a lot cooler because it’s overcast and the rain is still hanging around, it’s a lot more pleasant than Friday and a lot better for walking. I took a different path this time which began to climb quickly and as I walked along the path I can see the mini gouges, ruts and valleys traced along the forest trail where the night before it would have resembled a river. This path is not bad and does not seem to be well used like the others I been on before. Again I come across large rocks and some of them have ropes set up and so I can pull myself up. My shoes slip on the rocks, but they are very sure on the trail. The path follows one of the ridges I have seen from my previous walks and is quite good. I can see the other path but there is no one on it. The path leads me to cliff edges and narrow paths and we still see to be climbing. All of a sudden I turn a corner and I can hear voices and then the next thing I know I’m at one of the mini shops that has been set up here on the hill and so I am in familiar territory. When I got to this point the other day I certainly didn’t feel as good.
And so I join the normal trail over the mountain and one thing that is apparent is that the track is a lot cleaner, not so much rubbish and I think this is due to the rain that we had. The rain was torrential and so it will have washed the debris into the bushes and further down the hill out of sight, but there was still enough hanging around to annoy me. The trail was washed out in places and the ruts had grown into canyons.
I reached the bottom of the last hill which leads up to the temple but instead of going there I fling a left and head down to another trail and back to Tianpingshan, it’s quieter there and I think this small walk that I have done is enough…………..I don’t want to overdo it again. I don’t have to wait long for the bus and I sit up at the back and then begin to freeze because the air-conditioning is too cold. Luckily I have me jacket and I can sit back, tune into radio 4 via the bus WiFi and listen to the Brexit troubles or to the bumbling of Trump as we make our way back to civilisation.
