Excursion to Unexpected Paradise

Hidden Bridge in the Jungle

  This week found us in the normal routine of school and adventure on the weekend.  We initially thought we were going to just hang out, but it turned out that the girls didn't have to tutor on Saturday. So on a whim we decided to go explore a place nearby that we have been wanting to go see.  It turned out to be a special place that we will remember for a long time.  So, sit back and get ready for another O adventure.
 

No I am not advertising.

  Oh wait, before I get to that.  I have a request for prayers and good thoughts.  Cecelia thought that I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag yet, but I want to be prepared going into the important meeting I have on June the 4th.  On June the 4th, I have a meeting at the Consulate Genera'ls office with four Chinese book publishers.  Apparently my little golf book has gotten them excited and they are interested in buying the rights to my book.  If you are not aware, I wrote a small golf book called "Pocket Guide to Perfect Golf Practice".  I self published it on the internet and it has some limited success.  I think I have almost made my initial investment money back.  Anyway, I had a friend translate it into Chinese and the publishers are excited about it.  I am not sure where it will go from the meetings on June 4th, but it can't hurt to be praying for a good outcome.  Let's just say, I would be happy with some up front money and $2 royalty fee per book.  Considering that the golfers in China make up roughly 3% of the 1.8 billion people in the country and that doesn't include the rest of the Southeast Asia market.  I would also be ecstatic if we could capture just 1% of that market.  You can do the math to figure out how great that would be.
  Anyway, onto this week's story.

SCHOOL:  Nothing really to report here except getting a nice picture of the foreign staff.  I have included the picture.  They are really a great bunch of people.

ADVENTURES:  Claire started the adventurous weekend off with a bang on Friday.  A friend of ours that works for Midea invited me and a couple of friends to come and cook in their showroom kitchen.  Midea was doing a special promotion this weekend to show off some of their appliances.  The promotion was designed to have a few foreign people cook western food and then some Chinese people were cooking Chinese food and then they would share.
  I wasn't able to attend so I asked a couple of my foreign friends to go in my place.  The participants that ended up going were my friend that teaches English and Claire.  The other foreign friends either got sick or had to take care of visa paperwork.  So, the two of them left Friday afternoon and ended up at the showroom kitchen.  Claire and my friend ended up cooking pizza and pasta.  They ended up being the hit of the party.  Claire said that it was fun, because she felt like she was on one of those cooking shows that she has seen on TV.  People were cooking and the video cameras and cameras were rolling the entire time.  Who knows, we might see the two of them on the local news show as celebrity chefs.
  The next morning we all slept in.  The girls were scheduled to tutor our friends Cody and Thomas at 9am, but when I checked my phone I had a text saying that the boys couldn't make it because of baseball.  So, we had a leisurely breakfast and I threw out the idea of going to Xiqiao Mountain for the rest of the day.  The girls weren't really up for it, but being the good parents we are, we overruled them and made them go.  They were soon to be pleasantly surprised.
 

Don't Ask, because I don't know.

I made a quick phone call and arranged for a driver to take us to the mountain.  We weren't really sure how we were going to get back, but I had a vague idea about a bus and the metro so we were good to go.  Our driver picked us up and we took the 45 minute car ride to the base of the mountain.  When he dropped us off, we really didn't have a clue about how to tackle our quest.  All of the local maps were written in Chinese and we are not quite at the point of being able to read.  Wait, let me rephrase that; we are still just working on the speaking part, so as far as reading goes, it ain't happening.  Anyway, we deciphered enough to go up this one road to the first entrance.  When we arrived, we were informed that we needed to pay a fee.  Unfortunately we didn't have enough money at the time and Taylor really had to go to the bathroom.  In the end, not having enough money and taking Taylor to find relief ended up being the best.  After the restroom break, we found this local driver that had a really nice van.  At this point already in the day, we were looking for shade or AC.  This van driver had AC and he was a very exuberant fellow.  He spoke so fast that I could only understand about one word in ten, and Taylor, who has the best ear and understands the most could only get maybe two words.  Despite the language barrier we managed to communicate that we needed to get money and food.  Initially we were only going to hire him to take us to town, but he made a great sales pitch and offered to take us to McDonald's to get lunch.  This guy was so excited to be our guide for the day, the we had to get photos with him and his van.  He even took pictures of us eating McDonald's in the back of his van.
  After the quick ride into town for the money and food, our driver then proceeded to take us to the first of our many surprise hikes.  We initially thought that he was just going to drive us and we were going to site see from the comfort of the air conditioned van.  Thankfully despite the heat, he guided us to our first trail head.  He then gave me a map and showed me where we were.  He then communicated, albeit through polite hand gestures, pantomime and some Chinese that we did understand that he was dropping us off and we were to meet him at the end of the trail where he was going to drive the van.

  We began the hike and came very quickly to a very interesting rock formation called The Nine Dragons Cavern.  It is a cave with a bunch of holes worn into the side of it.  We climbed up to the mouth of the first and had another family picture taken.
  Following the The Nine Dragons Cavern experience we began, what we discovered to be one of the best hidden experiences in China.  The reason I say this, is because when you look for things about Xiqiao mountain the first thing that comes up is information about the giant Kwan Yin statue situated at the top of the mountain.  Our initial quest to the mountain was just to go to the Kwan Yin.  We wanted to compare this statue to the one in Hong Kong.  But, the mountain is so much more than just going to the temple and the statue.  It is a dormant volcano, with an amazing jungle and quarry encompassed in the folds of the earth.
  Anyway, we continued down the trail that took us on an Indiana Jones type of adventure through rock outcroppings, over streams and under the jungle canopy, all the while being tantalized by a myriad of types of butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colors.  The butterflies were so prolific that we thought we were in a butterfly sanctuary like the one we experienced in Thailand.  The difference here was that there were so many different kinds that it was hard to keep track.  With the green jungle as the backdrop and the plethora of colors from the butterflies, we felt like we were walking through a rainbow.

I swear, in real life their was a misty fog coming out!!!

As well as experiencing the jungle and butterflies, we kept feeling a refreshing breeze and change in the temperature as we walked.  We were soon to find out why.  A number of large openings were in the face of the cliffs and a cool breeze was blowing through them.  There was even one that was a hole with Chinese writing on the outside that you could walk into.  The girls were scared at first because the air was so cool inside the entrance that it was literally creating a foggy mist that covered the entrance when it came in contact with the hot humid air on the outside. They happily followed as Cecelia led the way into the gaping maw of the dragon's mouth. It was really cool, figuratively and literally.  After entering and checking out the cave, we went back  outside and almost turned around to hang out inside some more because the humidity and heat hit us like a wave.
  We then ventured a little farther and found the most amazing cavern and rock quarry that I have ever seen.  The entrance to the cavern was so huge that the Chinese have built a wading pool in it.  Also, there are remnants of what used to be a swimming pool, literally carved out of the rock.  A little further inside the quarry there are boats, with guides that can be rented to float the waters of the quarry and cavern.  It was a very surreal feeling.  At one point I looked at our guide standing in the back of our boat, and I must have had a moment of heat hallucination because I swear he was wearing one of those black cowels where you can't see the guy's face and he was pointing at things with a skeletal finger.  I wondered if we had accidentally venture onto the river Styx.  I was broken from my revelry when Claire splashed me in the back with the cold water from the cavern.  The water was very cold and amazingly clear.  We guessed you could see some of the bottom rock formations at about 20 to 30 feet down.  After our short tour, we finished our hike on the first trail and met our intrepid guide, exactly where he said he would be.  With a loud "Hallo!!" and a wave of his hand we were escorted to the sanctuary of the air conditioned van.

This was really cool!!

  A short drive later, our guide pulled us over and sent us on another trail.  This one was shorter, but definitely had its own unique qualities.  There were many writings inscribed on the cliff faces and there was a bit of a harrowing trek through the crevice of a couple of rock caverns.  The streams and waterfalls were definitely a treat.  The water was cool and clear.  We didn't drink it, but we saw many Chinese people having, what looked like a very refreshing taste.  The water alone, helped to do away with another stereotype that we have had about China.  Not all of the water is polluted and unappealing.  Now granted, I didn't do a water test on it, but I would venture to guess that the filtration system through all of the limestone and volcanic rock does a pretty good job filtering it.  I would even go so far as saying it is better than the radon and iron filled water that we get from Hillview at home.
  Once again our fearless leader was waiting for us at the bottom.  He then escorted us a few meters down the road and dropped us off.  This next trek was to be the toughest of all.  We were finally at the bottom of the hill that led to the Buddhist Temple and the giant Kwan Yin.
  At this point I should tell you what the weather report was for the day.  It was 93 degrees with 99% humidity.  I had never heard of 99% humidity.  Even when visiting my brother in Atlanta or Virginia during the summer, I never experience 99% humidity.  When it reaches 100% does that mean we start drowning, because we are not breathing in air at that point, but water?
  Anyway, we began our way up to the top of the mountain.  Along the way, there are rest stops with different chapels and different Buddhas housed inside.  It is a very peaceful and tranquil place and many people go there to worship and pray.
  About a fourth of the way up, the monks have their residence and there is a little shop that sells incense, tea and ice cream.  Taylor and Claire had to grab some on the way up.  We figured that it couldn't hurt, since with the temperature and farther to climb, they would burn it off.
  At this point we had yet to see the Kwan Yin, which is amazing, since it is the second largest in China.  The one in Hong Kong is third and there is one on an island in China that is the largest.  The one on the island is so large, that is why it has its own island.
  After arriving at a large flat area, we rounded the corner and got our first glimpse of the Kwan Yin.  At this point, the girls started counting.  After 278 stairs, they arrived at the Kwan Yin.  To put it simply, it is massive.  I thought the one in Hong Kong was big, but this one was noticeably larger.  It is 61.9 meters tall and stands on the pinnacle of the mountain.  As big and as awe inspiring as it is, I didn't feel as much peace at this one as I did the one in Hong Kong.  After thinking about it, I think the reason is that the one in Hong Kong is more remote.  It is also tucked in sort of a canyon, where this one is out in the open and can be seen from the city miles below.

Those two little blue ants, are Claire and Taylor.

  Now don't get me wrong, this is definitely a sight to see.  Just being near it and taking in the massive structure that it is, can be difficult to comprehend.  The other unique quality to this Kwan Yin compared to the other, is that the copper is brighter and it has some very interesting striations in the metal.  Cecelia thought that the colors made it look like it had war paint on the face.
  On the inside of the statue you can go up stair cases much like you can in the Statue of Liberty, but on each floor their are rows and rows of miniature Kwan Yin statues with candles burning in front of them.  People can pay a small fee and place a prayer candle in front, much like you can do at many denominations of churches.
  Thankfully after exploring around the Kwan Yin and the surrounding area, our guide had driven up the hill and met us at a midway point, so that we didn't have to walk all the way back down.
  At this point we were all getting a little tired and were ready to call it a day.  Our guide had one more surprise up his sleeve.  He drove us a little way down the hill and dropped us off at a small lake.  He then instructed us to take a leisurely stroll around the lake and meet him on the other side.  It was a very pleasant walk and we had an opportunity to see the Loch Ness Dragon and sample some Dragon Saliva.  We didn't actually drink the Dragon Saliva, but the girls had a nice cooling fight with the water.  Nothing better than getting Dragon drool thrown on you to make you really appreciate how hot it really is outside.  At the end of our stroll we discovered that the lake was actually a reservoir that formed in the mouth of the extinct volcano.  I am also not kidding about the Loch Ness Monster, we did see it and I have definitive photos of it.
  After our little stroll around the lake, we met our guide and he took us to one last trail.  The last trail was beautiful.  It was a park with ponds, waterfalls and brilliant flowers planted everywhere.  It was finished off with a short hike through a bamboo forest, and to our amazement we finished across the street from the very first trail we started on that led us to the Nine Dragons Cavern.

Ok, so it might not be Nessy, and I know we are China but I told you we saw something.

  The best thing about the entire day was all of the little surprises.  From the Gaudi like bridge that went across the little hidden pond full of lilies to our joyful little tour guide.  It was amazing and blissfully intoxicating to the senses.  This is the kind of place that if we lived here longer, would be at the top of our list to explore more.  I had visions of riding my mountain bike here as well.  Cecelia thought it would be nice as well, except for the uphill climb to the beginning of the first trail.  Oh well, not everything is perfect to some people.
  Sunday was a nice end.  We went out to Junon Golf with Mr. Qiu and his family.  They have hired me to be the coach for their daughter.  The payment is a membership for me and my family with all expenses taken care of at the club.  We practiced in the morning, had a great lunch, took a nap and then played golf.  After golf we headed back home.  We arrived at home to a rousing thunder storm and rain shower.
  All and all, it was a nice way to start the week.
  I have put together a little slide show to add to the story for this week.  Enjoy, and don't forget to pray for June 4th. Here is the link for the video.  A Paradise in China