Well eventually I hit the road!
The front door of the hotel was locked so I went looking for a back door... Long story short, I ended up in the pig sty!
After returning from the sty I climbed out the kitchen window and got on my way!
My 6 hour hike up the steep steps of the mountain was far from un-eventful! Although it was incredibly hard work!
After getting out the hotel I walked for a little while with some of the vendors on their way to there stalls up the mountain.
As I was in the middle of walking up an exceptionally long staircase I saw it. I'm not ashamed to say I screamed like a girl... I nearly fell down backwards, there was a huge snake two steps in front of me. I completely lost my head, well, until I realised it was actually just a stick!
It then started pissing it down! So I continued with my bamboo hiking pole in one hand and a brolly in the other!
I at least cheered up some of the Chinese tourists who started arriving after about 8:30 as they were in waterproof shoe covers, ankle warmers, long coats, hats and brollys. I was in shorts and t-shirt. At points they actually stopped and pointed killing themselves laughing.
I also had to dodge some more monkeys on my ascent.
But after 6 long hours of continuous hiking up steep stairs I reached the golden summit. Of course I reached it the only way I know how... With a final Rocky Balboa style sprint and fist pump!
This is where things got interesting.
At the top it was very cold, the stiff breeze on my soaking clothes really took the wind out of my sails. I stopped in at first aid for a foil blanket. The best they had was an overpriced cold and flu allergy... I gave that a miss!
I then decided to head down to the bottom to meet the others as fast as I could. It was so cold though.
My guide had told me the bus down only cost ¥20 I had ¥30 so to avoid hypothermia I wanted to buy a poncho. As my guide has been wrong quite a lot on this trip I decided to stop in at a hotel just to check the cost of the bus before I bought the waterproof. After a bit of pictunary they told me the cost of the bus... ¥50...
It felt like a bucket of water was dropped on me. I lost all my energy and it took all my strength not to pass out. Gripping my hair I dropped to a knee. After 8 hours of intense hiking up a mountain, 3099 meters altitude I was at a loss.
I have not felt that kind of despair and lack of control since my back was bad. I physically couldn't get down the mountain on my own.
While I got the hotel to phone my guide the cold set in, first I lost the fine control in my hands, I couldn't write, I couldn't open my bag or water. Then the shivering started, light at first but it soon became uncontrollable. Soon my speech was slurring. The hotel were grate, after about half hour of explanation my symptoms became too much I wasn't making any sense, they gave me some hot water, a couple of cakes and a electric heater and I slowly got my shit together.
An American guest called Christina Girard, who was to be staying at the temple at the foot of the mountain the following night kindly leant me ¥100 to get down and I would leave her money with the monks at the temple for her to collect the next day. She also kindly gave me a pre cooked meal and a cake bar which I ate gratefully.
I got down just after 14:30, a quick cold shower and into the bus to the airport.
A day of highs and lows!
No comments:
Post a Comment