Vacation: Wednesday

After heading to bed fairly tired last night, we decided seeing the sunrise for a second time wasn't worth the early wake up. We arose around 7:00, packed our bags and tent, grabbed some apples and water from a vendor, and hit the trail. We had decided on a fairly arduous trail for the descent. We also planned to walk all the way to the bottom and skip the bus.

The trail choice was clearly the best one. We witnessed spectacular view after another as the path wound its way down the side of ridges and over the top of some peaks. Some of the best views came as we walked above a huge canyon. After about two hours of hiking along the route, we noticed a large sign in front of a pivotal turn in our route. Some helpful English speaking Chinese told us it was "closed" and "entry forbidden." I guess this is one of those 'curves' which life throws us. So we went up to rest and met a very congenial group who confirmed that the route was closed for construction. They were also heading down, and offered to show us an alternative route. We joined them and it was a great decision. They were awesome, enjoyed singing or humming on the trails, (we all joined together for the Backstreet Boys classic "I Want it That Way"). One of them, Ricky, spoke great English. This was due to his job in export sales for a machinery company. He has made a few trips to the Middle East and Africa-needless to say much more traveling than the average Chinese.
Move to 12:00, we hit an impassable line of people; the only way down this side of the mountain (due to the aforementioned closure). As we enter the line, Ricky jokes "You want to know where 1.3 billion people are...? Here." Move on to 14:00, I think sardines in a can might have more wiggle room than me as I continue in line around a mountain ridge. So this is what a tourist destination looks like on one of the two biggest holidays in China. As we break free from the inch by inch line at 16:00 (yes four hours), I begin to think Ricky was right. But, almost everyone in the line was good spirited and didn't push too much, so I really respect the way the Chinese deal with absolute craziness.

We make it to the bottom and take the bus back to Tangkou (the base town) with the group of five. The four hour line made the full descent impossible by sundown. So we go with three from the group; which was really two groups. Ricky and his cousin were there alone, but met and got along well with a group of three from Shanghai. Ricky and his cousin will drive back to Hangzhou, although Ricky is unsure whether he has enough energy to push the gas pedal (the line really took a toll on all of us). David and I get into a taxi with Constantine (an electrical engineer, as well as the owner of a sweet English name), Serena (a high school chemistry teacher) and their friend who speaks no English and slept most of the taxi ride (preventing much conversation). The ride goes well until we hit a line of cars. (Lines are common in a country still working to get its infrastructure to match its population.) We find out there was an accident and the road is under repair. Initially our driver thinks it will be a short wait. He later says he doesn't know how long. I checked it out. The repair crew included a dump truck with asphalt, a work crew with rubber boots, and a road paver. My estimate is that it might be awhile. So we turn around and take a new route. We arrive at the train station, successfully read the schedule and Dave successfully gets tickets to our next stop early the next morning. We see plenty of people sleeping in the waiting room, decide its the most efficient/economical/still available lodging facility, grab dinner, and come back for bed. I am writing this in the lit part of the waiting room of the lounge and will soon join David (already asleep) in the dark corner.