15th September
Flower park in Lushan mountain
The cute cottages that are a signature here in Lushan
Lushan
Mountain is renown it’s many numerous villas. The villas here are quite a sight
to behold, with its elegant western architecture and the use of big blocks of
stone and bricks. The town pretty much looks like a child's dream of a fairyland
where you have flower lamps and streets paved in stone.
At Mount Lushan national park we hiked up the mountain towards the famous good fortune stone. It is said that one touch means to have a good career, a second touch means wealth and a third means love. It was a saturday and I had to jostle with other tourists as we hiked up the mountains. The crowd was so thick that frequently I was separated from my friends. All around you people head towards the cliffs to take a quick shot as they stand at the edge of the safety line. I confess I do not have the courage to take that death-defying shot, perhaps next time. The hike was pleasant as we joked and some sang little songs. Since the hike was rather long we took the time to get to know about each others background and hobbies.
The visit to the temple where Jin wei and I range the bell was quite and eventful one. I knew little about buddhism and Jin Wei explained the various duties of the various gods that brought, health, wealth, good fortune and a good marriage.
The trip to the waterfall took me a good 40 min and a further hour just to take the many flights of stairs to retrieve the famed "lushan water" in my empty water bottle. when my feet touched the last step, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment . Adrenaline kicked in after and I ran around like a 5 year old, teasing and playing with the rest. Suzanne and I were quite tempted to try the tiny floatable raft that bore the face of Donal duck. On a second thought, it looked old and rusty and I am not a strong swimmer so...pass. Our curiosity of what lay further ahead in the river lead us to move further downstream to have a look. However, we did notice how fast the water was flowing and decided not to risk it and climbed to higher grounds to have a peak instead.
The climb back up was a dreadful experience. I puffed and wheezed all the way, stopping at every flight of stairs to take a break. However it was truly as sight to see men carrying bamboo chairs on their shoulder as they call out their services. That was to carry people who were tried of climbing , back to the entrance. The steps are so narrow and 2 men lifiting the chair on their shoulders as a person sat on the chair. Quite a royal treatment however I didnt ask how much the fee was. Suzanne encouraged me as we make our way back to the entrance where we stop by to have some refreshing watermelons. There we waited from the rest of the OIP members before a few others and I took the tram back to the entrance as it appeared that we would be late as the bus was arriving soon to fetch us. What happened later was a simple but satisfying dinner and a trip to buy some tea cookies recommended by Mr Tan. I do hope that I will be able to bring some cookies ( not crushed or broken ones) back to my family so they can have the cookie for breakfast with tea or coffee.
The trip to the waterfall took me a good 40 min and a further hour just to take the many flights of stairs to retrieve the famed "lushan water" in my empty water bottle. when my feet touched the last step, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment . Adrenaline kicked in after and I ran around like a 5 year old, teasing and playing with the rest. Suzanne and I were quite tempted to try the tiny floatable raft that bore the face of Donal duck. On a second thought, it looked old and rusty and I am not a strong swimmer so...pass. Our curiosity of what lay further ahead in the river lead us to move further downstream to have a look. However, we did notice how fast the water was flowing and decided not to risk it and climbed to higher grounds to have a peak instead.
The climb back up was a dreadful experience. I puffed and wheezed all the way, stopping at every flight of stairs to take a break. However it was truly as sight to see men carrying bamboo chairs on their shoulder as they call out their services. That was to carry people who were tried of climbing , back to the entrance. The steps are so narrow and 2 men lifiting the chair on their shoulders as a person sat on the chair. Quite a royal treatment however I didnt ask how much the fee was. Suzanne encouraged me as we make our way back to the entrance where we stop by to have some refreshing watermelons. There we waited from the rest of the OIP members before a few others and I took the tram back to the entrance as it appeared that we would be late as the bus was arriving soon to fetch us. What happened later was a simple but satisfying dinner and a trip to buy some tea cookies recommended by Mr Tan. I do hope that I will be able to bring some cookies ( not crushed or broken ones) back to my family so they can have the cookie for breakfast with tea or coffee.
No comments:
Post a Comment