hiking – Page 2 – HurricaneMaine

Pittsburgh

(This post was to have been published a month ago, but multiple flight cancellations postponed that with no idea when my actual flight to China will actually be.)

It is good to actually see sky with only a few tall buildings around as Pittsburgh is a much smaller city than Guangzhou. I had envisioned that I would go to the theater, watch a movie with family, go to dinners but the COVID reality made me think twice. I am being overly cautious as the numbers of cases are much larger than this time in 2020. Even though the new omicron variant is milder, the predominant variant Delta is the concern. And most importantly, being exposed means that the antibodies would prevent me from going back to China. Sometimes it is just better to spend time with one another.

It was nice to take it easy and just hang out with family. I spent weekends with Ryan. It was refreshing to run around the riverfront. These pictures are from Herr’s island. The cute squirrel moved closer as I stood taking pictures of both him and the cardinal.

Ryan is a great cook. The breakfast scramble was delicious.

He makes great food no matter the ingredients.

I spent some time shopping. It is difficult to find my size shoe in China so finding running shoes and a good everyday shoe is a must. Also on my list are more running clothes and other pieces I find to take back. Lastly, I needed to get shelf stable food to take into quarantine. Packets of tuna fish, nuts, and oatmeal. Oh, and coffee.

We also walked, looked at possible other apartments for Ryan, and traveled together to Worthington to spend new years with my brother and sister-in-law, Ken and Sunni. I prepared to be ready to leave on January 21.

After learning that I needed to go to LA 7 days before flying to China for tests and health monitoring, I went to Pittsburgh a day earlier to spend more time with Ryan. First on the list was to make sure I had everything set for LA and then too repack for Wisconsin and to go back to GZ as I threw everything together at the last minute. The next morning I made sure I had the items for Wisconsin and reorganized the bags for Guangzhou. After coming back from WI, I prepared to leave for LA the next day….. Or so I thought….

The next day I found out that my flight is cancelled as well as the replacement flight and the next flight is now March 7th. Because of the Olympics in Beijing, almost all flights from the US were cancelled. It is nice to be with family but difficult to move around from place to place and live out of a suitcase. I made plans to split more time with family, start preparing online lessons, and run/hike to stay busy.

I took a long walk along trails by the river to meet Ryan when he was finished with work. It was a cold day but a really nice walk around the city.

Point state park is located where the rivers converge in Pittsburgh: the Allegheny, Monongahela, and the Ohio river.

I love the facade of this old building and hope they keep it’s look and character.

I have been in this restaurant many years ago.

More pictures from a run after much snow and very freezing temperatures.

I also walked to the Strip to buy Asian products to make dinner.

On weekends we went hiking….

And this was the first day of Chinese new year….

Who knows how long I may still be here….

Drifting and the Nangang Yao Village

Busy Saturday. I delivered meals for the homeless and then ran 10k back to my apartment before leaving on a weekend trip within the province near Qingyuan.

We arrived at the site for Drifting. It flows on an underground river through 5 mountains and villages. The caves are impressive and it was a lot of fun. I tried to take some videos with my go pro.

We then headed to an ancient village. Yao Minority is one of the oldest ethnic groups in China dating back 1000 years in the Song Dynasty. It is the best preserved ancient village in China. The village is built in the mountains and many steps go up and down and around.

The village is so peaceful and remote.

They are rebuilding many homes that have burned or fallen to ruin. The government has helped them preserve their way of life and to attract visitors by updating rooms for people to stay.

Water runs through the village from the mountains.

Villagers still live in small dwellings that hold just a bed.

A village official near the temple.

Temple.

Sticky rice wine is the local alcohol drink. It was pretty tasty.

Watching dinner being cooked was amazing. High heat cooking over a wok was quick and the smoky flavor and smells was wonderful.

Sunrise.

Breakfast.

Homemade tofu and soy milk with a hand turned mill and a large vat to squeeze the milk out.

Morning walk after breakfast.

Yao king house which is the high ranking officials home.

We then headed to Jinzi Mountain.

The peak is 1417 meters above sea level, Jinzi Mountain is the 8th highest peak in the province and had a set of stairs that have an 80 degree incline. It is relatively remote and having less tourists made it a great time hiking.

We saw this beauty near the ladder stairs.

At the top is this Buddha. Legend has that gold and silver were hidden here by the Empress dowager and saying the right phrase opens it. One person left oreos in his left hand as a tithe.

The beginning of the love ladders. It was a pretty steep climb.

This is the love ladder section showing how steep the climb actually is.

It was a great and tiring weekend. I am always excited about spending time in a village and being in nature and less crowded places!

Nanjing

Nanjing is one of China’s most important cities, and is known as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (the other three being Beijing, Xi’an and Luoyang) . Because of its location on the Yangtze River, Nanjing served as the capital of 10 Chinese dynasties and regimes totalling 1,800 years, including the Ming dynasty and the Republic of China.

It was politically and economically prominent in dynasties prior but between the 6th and 15th centuries, it served as the capital of the Southern Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. During the Ming dynasty, Nanjing became the capital of the entire empire of China.

After, the capital was moved to Beijing. By the way, Bei means north and Nan means south. So Beijing is north capitol and Nanjing means south capitol.

The 20th century was a tumultuous time for Nanjing. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, known as the Father of Modern China, established the national seat of government in Nanjing, and China enjoyed wealth and cultural advancement. That was the end of the Qing Dynasty. Actually Sun Yat-sen led the nationalist party to over throw the other warlords in China to establish the new government. When Sun Yat-sen dies, Chiang Kai Shek took over the party.

Confucius temple and street food

After flight delays it was late when we arrived. We headed to the Confucius temple where there was street food. Some times it is the best way to see what local people eat.

Crab soup pocket. . First you suck the soup pot of the pocket then you eat the dough and crab.

Glutinous Rice with slightly sweet black rice filling inside. Sweet here is not actually sweet as we know it in the US.

Glutinous Rice with mango. It is like a sticky thick jelly ball that is actually sweet.

Lots of people. Not my favorite place to go but it was nice to try food and people watch.

Museum of the Chinese imperial examinations. This gave nobility to wise people by merit instead of by birth but were very difficult exams. .

The next morning we went to the city wall of Nanjing. It is the largest city wall in China and the world. Some sections are no longer intact and many gates had to be altered for modern roadways.

It is different than the Xian city wall we visited last summer. That wall is all intact and smoother on the top which showed for bicycle riding around the entire perimeter.

Xuanwu gate of the inner city wall. Inside this city wall would also be a wall to protect those in power. There is also an outer city wall.

This park and lake is outside the city wall where we are. There is so another city wall beyond.

Jiefang gate. Many gates had ramps for horses and moving supplies.

These bricks came from surrounding provinces around Nanjing as supplies for building were not local there. Names of donators are carved on them. Each resident was asked to donate for protection of the city.

From there we took the metro to the Nanjing Massacre museum.

Kubuqi Desert

We drove from the grassland in inner Mongolia to the desert. It was the longest drive and at this point we are getting pretty tired of being on the road but everything is so far away.

Container rooms and yurt from drone photo.

Drone image of me on a 2 km run through desert.

This area is part of the greening of China initiative. See the paragraph at the end of this post.

We stayed in a container room. It was not our best accommodation but it was nice to walk right out on to the desert when I wanted without driving there. In the early morning I went out to get a sunrise shot but many clouds were in the horizon.

We set out to walk around when it was so quite warm.

Sunset pictures were taken from a viewing platform a half hour drive away and overlooking a very expensive 5 star accommodation.

There is a large solar panel farm on the desert. They are also greening the desert areas that have been overgrazed for centuries. From Time article:

Kubuqi, for one, boasts China’s largest single-stage solar farm, boasting 650,000 fixed and sun-tracking panels, which together channel 1,000 megawatts of electricity into the national grid — about half the power-generating capacity of the Hoover Dam. A team of 47 households are employed to maintain the panels. “Everyday each household can clean more than 3,000 panels using high pressure water jets,” says chief engineer Tian Junting. “And the run-off water feeds the crops that grow underneath.”

On our morning walk we saw a set up fur a desert themed wedding.

The Great Wall, Mutianyu

I had a big breakfast and grabbed a pretzel, hard boiled egg, apple, and pack of nuts for snacks /lunch before heading out to the great wall. Jack had booked the tickets for me and the hotel arranged a driver who would drive me there (1.5 hours one way), stay until I was done, and drive me back. The price was 850 rmb which is $131.85. Not bad for service for 8 hours.

I booked the cable car at Mutianyu as I wanted to get to the top without crowds. So we left early. The cable car puts you in the middle of the section of the wall that is open. I walked to the one side first.

At the end of the section of Wall it is blocked off. From here the wall has been poorly maintained. Local village women bring fans, water, and beer for thirsty walkers. The price is steeper than a store but then they carried it here. I was thirsty and already had water so a beer was in order. They speak a little English and I practiced a little Chinese.

I had already promised one woman at the bottom of the steepest stretch I would be back to buy beer so after spending time at the top I headed back the way I came to buy another beer and talk with her.

On the way back there were more and more people but not like it is in the busiest tourist season.

I walked all the way to the other end of the section that was open. At both ends it is pretty steep and you climb steps with hands and feet. At that end I met a friendly young Chinese woman and we conversed through translation apps. We took pictures for each other too.

A met a couple of furry friends too. Here is one of them and they loved all the attention.

I made my way back to the cable car to do some shopping and leave with the driver. A great day on the wall back and forth and could not ask for better weather.

Qiyun Shan, Anhui Province

Qiyun Shan means ‘mountain as high as the clouds’. The red sandstone rock was favored by the Taoists and is a mountain home to temples. Many are built into the mountain and the sandstone rock leaves the landscape to unique shapes

A view from the cable car. This is the shape of a gourd

There were many young people dressed in traditional dress for photographic display and answer questions.

Shou rock was created with a smooth character (meaning LONGEVITY) with the correct dimensions for yin and yang. It is said that if you walk around the mountain it will give you longevity of 99 years and touching the rock will give you a total of 100. Of course I touched the rock. I only had to jump a little…

These tablets line the Yintian gate. They have been left behind by sages that made pilgrimages to the mountain. This is a sacred and quiet place for reflection and reverence.

Cave of 8 immortals. In the center are the gods fur Heaven, Earth, and Humankind with the 8 immortals along the sides.

Zhenxian cave

Yujun cave is to offer sacrifice to the dragon king.

We walked through the little village neae the peak of the mountain. I am a lover of street food and found these glutinous rice cakes with filling. One is a sweet red bean mixture that is delicious and the other has bamboo, tofu, and pickled greens inside. They were both good but I loved the bamboo one the best.

Photos are not allowed at the Taisu temple but I did take a picture of the element I was born under. The Chinese characters in the 1964 is fire. That means I am a fire dragon!

We continued back to the top of the mountain and then siren to the other side. Along the way are 13 pavilions. It is said that climbing the mountain through the 13 pavilions and going to the temple is an sxt and test of faith.

13 pavilions

Hongcun old village, Anhui Province

Established in 1131 in the Ming and Song dynasties, the village is charming and well preserved. What makes Hongcun Village so unique is that the village was designed by a Feng Shui master to resemble a cow. The two old trees at the entrance to the village represent the horns, the four stone bridges the legs, the ponds the stomach, etc. This is the entrance we took to the village and the two trees are on each side of the photograph.

After checking into this cute hotel, I went off to find a place to run. I went along the river to head up out of the town. I passed through a couple of farming villages.

The countryside during the run was beautiful and uneventful except for a couple of dogs. The villagers admonished them when they wouldn’t leave me run through.

This house looks like it could be from the US. Not what I expected to find in the rural area.

After the run I went out exploring with a few of the others on the tour. We found the two trees that made the horns of the cow (ox). One of the trees was used when there was a marriage. The bride is carried around the base of the tree.

The other tree, a very large gingko, is used similarly but when someone passes away.

While walking we noticed this post office sells drinks and cocktails. We went in for a look. They sold some unique stamps and novelties as well as drawings from the many students who come here to practice drawing the village and the mountains.

While we were there a couple chose a post card and sat down to compose it before mailing.

This is one of the bridges that is the legs of the cow and the lake that is central to the village.

Hongcun is unique among all Chinese villages for its very sophisticated water system. Its two large ponds are connected to a series of flowing streams which pass by every house, providing water for washing, cooking, and bathing.

Sights from around the village.

Hongcun at night was beautiful.

There was a charming old gentleman selling small goods. He was in any area not many people were at. I bought a bowl and cup made from bamboo.

I woke up early to get in another run and view more areas while there were less people.

I bought a fried dough with a sesame seed filling inside. It was quite tasty.

Outside the village I ran in a different direction than the day before.

This road is a heritage road between multiple UNESCO heritage sites.

This village is isted as a World Heritage Site.

Additional images of food (snack) making.

Huangshan on a sunny day

We were optimistic that the servings day would be better weather and it was! The temperature started out at the high point of the day before and it was sunny. It started out cold at 10 C but did get to 18 C by mid day. We took the cable car up and hiked around the top going in a different direction than the day before.

The views were breathtaking. The Huangshan pine has a distinctive shape and it and the landscape has brought artists here for centuries. This is the birthplace of tourism in China.

We actually entered the park on the other side the day before and had reached that peak.

So many an artist sketching the mountain.

Under one of the Stone steps were wildflowers.

This next formation is called golden brush with a flower on top. It was covered in clouds yesterday.

Usually I can’t see the reason why certain formations are given their name but I could see this one : monkey Gazing over a sea of clouds.

Views on the way back down the mountain.

The original cable car we used to ascend.

The only way to bring material up and down is through workers carrying loads. Each man was carrying a minimum of 50 kg on their back. Each little store that sold food and drink would have supplies arrive that way. We saw vegetables, drinks in bottles, 25 kg bags of rice…. They even bring up building materials like trusses and bags of cement. And yes, there are people to carry you up or down stairs going around the ridges.

Near the bottom we went diem a small slope to the little river and ate our lunch there.

At the bottom where the alpine forest is now bamboo and deciduous forest.

Now to head to Hongcun old town village.

Huangshan, Anhui Province

Fantastical mountainscapes and well preserved villages make Anhui the perfect contrast to China’s larger cities. The main attraction in Anhui is the Huangshan (Yellow) Mountains. The mountains are immense granite cliffs with fast-traveling clouds formed from the water vapor coming from the leaves of the forest trees. This mountain was the inspiration of an entire school of ink painting during the 17th and 18th centuries.

This is an image taken on the mountain of a pine tree against the fog. Most likely you have seen the same type of Chinese artwork.

The Yellow Mountains are not called this because the mountains are yellow, but because the area was renamed after the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) in 747 AD. After that Huangshan saw many Buddhist temples built there and recentl, it has become a major tourist attraction and UNESCO site.

The day started out colder than it was to be and lots of low clouds which made visibility much less. We took a scenic ride up the Yuping Cable Car then took a path away from the crowds heading towards the West Sea Grand Canyon area. It is a mountain so many stairs up and down.

We brought our own meals in self heating containers. I hated all the plastic to throw away but so many crowds makes it difficult to get food.

Julie had an actual hot pot self heating meal.

I did finally spot some cool birds and managed to snap a couple pictures.

At a coffee shop at the top of one of the parks they had cute little desserts.

This is what we should have seen today :

Hopefully tomorrow is better weather. 25% of the time it is perfect weather. The rest of the time it is not!

Nansha

After a three hour school meeting on Saturday morning (it was a great meeting), I took a long walk around the favourview neighborhood while Jack made plans for sightseeing further south. The plan was to meet my friend Morgana for trivia that night at a restaurant/bar called the GOAT in Panyu. I had been promising her for some time. Since it is an hour away we needed other things to do.

Jack suggested Nansha which is a place I have wanted to go for some time. We headed to the gardens. Walking into the garden is a canal flanked by restaurants. We stopped for a late lunch. Women and children were dressing in traditional costumes for their photos to be taken.

We ate stinky tofu (it has a fermented smell but the taste is no different). We also had sour noodles.

These lovely women were kind to let me have their picture taken with them.

Down by the shore there is a beach but only to play in the sand. There is no swimming.

Near the beach I saw a robot in a vending machine for ice cream and a few simple drinks. Of course we needed to order ice cream just to see how it works.

We walked along to Nanling tower. I am always amazed how the tree roots grow here.

The statue of the goddess is to protect the harbor and the fishermen.

The two temples can be seen and you get there after ascending a fair amount of stairs. The Pagoda is further up to the right.

Outside the entry gate house are two lions standing at the ready. Inside are two gods that can hear and see 1000 km and are protectors from enemies.

They were setting off firecrackers from donations of others to the temple.

We climbed the first set of stairs to the first temple.

We climbed more stairs to the second temple. There we saw statues of great generals who battled at sea.

At the top of the next set of stairs was the pagoda and an arsenal that protected the port.

Entrance to the artillery bunker and cannon.

The big gun. We walked one other trail that led to another bunker and very large cannon.

We should know that a path that is quickly being grown over is not being used. The path was blocked at the bottom and we had to scale down a steep embankment. It was a better alternative to climbing all the steps again.

At the bottom there was a pond with not only fish but turtles. They are a delicacy here in this part of the world but think they are safe here.

A snack of Buffalo milk yogurt with ginger. Also red bean warm dessert.

At the GOAT, we were in first place after the first round on 80’s trivia but skipped after the others especially Pixar movies. A good weekend!