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English Version 9
6.50 a.m.
Have to make a quick visit to the toilet this morning. The most
questionable I’ve eaten is breakfast yesterday. Of which I eat the last
yesterday evening. Stupid to go around with fried things all day.
I’m sitting realizing how the stomach is? OK I think. Eat some of my
“lembas-bread” ( some of you might know Lord of the Rings?) They
resemble flakes of lasagne only thinner and smaller. Lots of them.
Crunchy. And sweet. Made of corn flour. I bought half a kilo in Beijing
and they’ve survived until now.
Drink a little boiled water. Better buy some tea leaves. I’m almost out
of food. Have to be on my way early today, but I wait a little, just now
there’s a toilet nearby.
01.00 p.m.
I quickly arrive at a crossing and it’s only 40 km to Hunyuan and not 60
as I had feared. I pass a shop. They speak some dialect here. Don’t
understand when I ask for tea. I try green tea? I give up and get my
water and some yellow, caky things which are wrapped in plastic. They
turn out to taste a little like a Danish kind of pastry. Just after
there’s a traffic jam. There’s a narrow part in the town and there it’s
all blocked up in a inextricable knot. Even I have to wait a bit before
I slip through. From the opposite direction the queue is several
kilometres. I guess a man with the help from a helicopter could solve it
in half an hour. Now it’s gonna take all morning. I’m climbing. Deep
rain ravines to both sides. At one spot the road will soon be collapsing.
Yesterday I saw an entire mountainside covered with dotted lines. To
both sides actually. It was concrete blocks. Their purpose is to prevent
that the earth is washed away. That’s the biggest problem here: land-and
mudslides. That’s why holes in the ground are dug everywhere. Often
10-15 workers are digging at the same time. Each digging a hole of half
a meter. It’s poplar there planting. Sometimes also pines are seen. I
pass a grey village with a few red roofs. One day it might have
disappeared in mud?
They’re ploughing with oxes here. And oxes carry carts. I see a single
tractor on the road.
Have to cross some kind of pass. A climb gets the chain down to the
smallest blade. The road in front is disappearing in mist. I manage to
keep it on the middle blade. A slow cadence. It’s no good for the knees,
but I don’t get so sweaty as when I pedal like crazy. Look at the
altimeter: 1530 m. It’s no wonder it’s climbing. I hope to be up when
I’m half the way, ca. 20 km? Unfortunately I pass the 20 km without any
changes. 1605 m. I happen to cast a glance at the opposite mountain
side. Oh no. There’s a horse high up, but what’s more, something that’s
obviously support for a road. That’s where I have to go. 1660 m. Two
abandoned houses is it there? 1725 m, no unfortunately not. Here’s only
brown earth and roaring trucks. And then – without warning – I’m up.
1760 m after 22.39 km. NOW I’m going down. It’s cold, but the road is
suddenly nice, sometimes you’re lucky.
I ask for the monastery several times so I don’t pass it. Maybe I have
to turn left to get there?
Then there’s suddenly a scenic spot to the right. Some pictures make me
doubt where I am. It resembles the picture I’ve seen of Xuan Kong Si. I
ask, but it’s not. Mt. Hangshan it says, which is a holy mountain, which
I believed was far away and therefore had skipped from the plan.
A quick decision. I havn’t been reading about Hangshan, so I don’t know
exactly, what I’m in for. This is just the road going up there. There’s
an entrance fee. It should be 5 km to go, and then I’m on my way. It’s a
hard climb from the beginning, so I almost regret the decision, but the
road is perfect, I’m alone and don’t have to hurry.
At last after 5 km I’m in 1640 m and the mountain should be 2012 m. Go
around a hillock and understand: This is the parking lot and there’s a
cable car from here. Or you choose to walk. Another quick decision,
which isn’t difficult. The cable car. My legs are finished for today. At
the entrance is a sign: “Cherish every tree and every blade of grass”,
I’ll remember that.
Sitting in a cable car, it moves quietly forward. When I float cross a
dizzy abyss it’s like all gets even more quiet. Am I already in the
power of the gods? I’m writing hectically not to look down, I often
don’t feel too good in places like this. Then comes the steep part. Does
it last 10 min? A quarter of an hour? It’s as if time stands still here
in the middle of everywhere. Have to pay again to get into the temple
area. Tourism has arrived in China. It’s out of the season, so there
aren’t that many people, but obviously most Chinese. They too have to
pay. There are two paths to take. I choose Temple of Gods. When I reach
it, there are nobody. A big bird like a magpie I don’t know is grousing
when I’m to take a picture of the god, an angry looking wooden figure
dressed in red robes. It’s so quiet. No wind at all. The gods are
holding their breath today. The view disappears in the mist, a totally
flat plateau can just be distinguished far down.
In the temple complex (they’re scattered all over the mountainside) I
look into one. A man has bought some long incense sticks, which he tries
to lit over a big candle. The temple guards are guiding him. First he
has to bow with the sticks in front of him three times. Then they’re put
into some sand. Next he has to kneel on the couch in front with the face
against the earth. Is it what’s called kowtow for the ancestors?
I’m offered the same, but refuse. I havn’t done penance by walking up
the mountain path, just been taking the cable car, but I’ve been cycling
up to the parking lot. That has to be enough. While this takes place
Chinese music sounds all the way down from the parking lot. Is the
moaning sound an erhu? Or is that Japanese? It’s a string instrument
anyway. Then horns and voices strike up. It underlines where I am. If
not it could have been any tourist attraction anywhere.
A strike on a gong finishes the scene with the young man. And I walk on
just when one of the guards mobile phone breaks the silence. Welcome to
the present.
I move cross the abyss once more. Only paid 1 RMB for insurance (RMB
means peoples money), so what will you get for me?
It’s a pity that the view disappears in the mist.
 |
 |
| Going up the mountain | Temple on top |
Then it’s about lunch. I look for something eatable in a booth and am
at once shanghaied by a man, who thinks I should eat over there. Yes,
why not. There are already Chinese around two round tables, 5-6 around
each. I look if some of their food looks delicious. It doesn’t. Two hens
heads are staring at me from both tables, it’s apparently a popular dish,
I’ve already tried. As a sudden impulse I drag out one of the
phrasebooks and like a miracle I find the name of a dish: Gong Bao Ji
Ding. And I recognize the description. Chicken cut in small pieces with
peanuts and chilli, from Sichuan. It’s the best I’ve got until now. It
was in Shidu. They have it, shall I live from that forever?
It’s a cold trip down the mountain. I have almost decided it’s too late
to visit the monastery also, and before I notice it IS too late. A
tunnel comes up and shows to be longer than before and it turns so the
light from the other end is not to be seen. Even I have my sparkling
magnet lights I can’t see by them, and to go in a long dark tunnel is
NOT funny. I have tried. Luckily there is half a meters footpath, which
I use. The trucks are coming roaring in a low gear behind me and others
are coming roaring up in front of me. It’s a violent experience. I stand
on one pedal, but only move, when cars light up the footpath. Most of
the 3-wheelers go through without light. Maybe it doesn’t work. In the
end the footpath is broken, but there only lasts 50 m and I roll gently
out.
In this way I arrive at Hunyuan, which is a big city as expected. Want
to find a lüguan and try to find my way to the monastery when I continue
towards Ying Xian, where China’s oldest wooden pagoda is to be found.
I find a cop and makes him write down the name of the lüguan. I go up
the street looking for the characters. I’m addressed by a Chinese who
speaks a little English. Where do I come from aso. Suddenly he says: Are
you gay? No I’m not. You know gay? Yes, I know what it means.
Until now no homosexual has ever molested me, so I don’t try to scare
him off – not yet. In the mean time we’ve reached the hotel, which looks
big and expensive. I say, I think it looks expensive. Yes, it’s probably
130 RMB, but there’s one down the street for 20 RMB. Between these two
alternatives and what they will mean, I decide to find out what the
first one actually costs. And from now on I could easily have managed by
my own. But he accompanies me, and it’s nice to have a translator nearby.
The cheapest is 108 RMB, almost like yesterday – and it’s almost Danish
standard. A small table and two chairs, desk aso. All in mahogany I
think. I take it. Then he just wants to help me with my bags and all
effort to wave him away is useless. Well, he hasn’t bothered me until
now. But in the end he has to borrow my pencil and writes, maybe to be
sure I understand – his pronaunciation isn’t too good – and he writes a
moving story that he’s not a bad guy aso. It all ends with: I just want
to see your cocks, and here’s my limit crossed and he’s out of the room
in less than five seconds. He knocks on the door several times and pulls
then handle, but I’ve locked it. Well, well, there are fags in China too,
and it maybe isn’t easy for them, but it’s not my problem.
Now I’ve written a lot and are going to find a “wang ba”.
06.45 p.m.
Have found out the name of the internet café and know about where it is.
Far down the street after the traffic light and to the right. Bought
some things for the next days. I felt like a Danish negro in China. I
attract as much attention as a negro did in Copenhagen, when I was a
child. But it goes no longer than scattered hello’s. I come across a
lighter. For when I’m to cook by myself. I have some matches in a photo
container but they can soon be finished. When I wan to know what the
button – which I think is for adjusting the flame – is for, he shows me
that a naked lady appears on the wall, when you press it. I’ll have to
have such one. But the model isn’t my type, but there are more to choose
between. I giggle inside when I pass on. China is full of surprises.
Once more I have to exclaim: “What a day!”. Thank you for that.