崂山

So today was the long awaited trip to 崂山, Laoshan, Mount Lao. Got a lovely lie-in for an extra half an hour and then skidaddled over to meet the coach that was taking "B 班" "B class" to Laoshan. Kash had said he was coming but predictably when Becka rang, he was still in bed :P Well he missed out!

We set off. Becka fidgeted the whole way as her chair wouldn't stay upright- she always seems to get a broken chair... Qingdao is covered in statues of massive red characters all declaring "文明赢得尊重""Civilisation wins respect". China is on a drive to become better-mannered and thus have become great fans of this concept of 文明. They have it everywhere. Not sure it's working... They also have the concept of 公安, Public Security...

We drove to a different entrance than the one we had tried to go to before so we drove inland. There was a moment, that I received with mixed feelings, when the driver had to brake suddenly to avoid hitting a car in front. I had thought he'd crashed but we were ok. I wished the bus had seatbelts. While we were waiting at the lights, a bus with schoolchildren pulled alongside and we had a one of those "Across the Language Barrier" moments when they all waved at us and we waved back. The Korean lads made faces against the glass to amuse the kids. Heart-warming moment.

Passed a skyscraper-in-progress that had 爱丁堡 in huge letters on the side. This means Edinburgh. The walls around the site had a huge recurring picture of a mounted soldier from the Household Cavalry stuck on. This confused me...

We also passed what looked like a garden centre. Odd, as most Chinese don't have a garden. There were huge statues of Romanesque cavalrymen-I want one! We also drove by 海大 (Haida-shorthand for my University)'s laoshan campus. It was huge!

As we carried on into the countryside modern buildings gave way to rows and rows of little red-tiled brick houses. They are arranged around tiny courtyards with tiny alleys separating them. I'm sure they are not desirable to live in but my British fondness for all things quaint adored them. Interestingly, a lot of them had solar panels on the roofs. The Chinese government is surprisingly green you know. We also passed Qingdao International Horticultural Extension- which looked like a collection of stubby conifers... Nearby was a school and we could see all the kids doing their morning exercise, 锻炼, in the playground in lovely conforming unison.

As we travelled further into the hills we could make out terraces on the sides. I wasn't sure what was being grown on them as they looked the same as the scrub either sides. The farmhouses were tiny. I now want a tiny rundown house with some land and scrawny chickens...

The final part was through a village (which may or not have been called Yellow Cow Village) which was all dilapidated and full of debris and I loved it. Then up a hill, which produced an interesting moment where our driver, who may or may not ever have driven a coach before, kept stalling driving up the hill causing us to roll back alarmingly. Then, just past the Sanatorium, we arrived.

Laoshan must be one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The Yosemite National Park was impressive, the Highlands of Scotland had a brooding beauty, but this Chinese mountain is probably the prettiest. The route we chose took us up along the banks of a river. The water was crystal clear, so clear you could see the fish darting around near the bottom of the pools that had collected along the river's course. The water level was quite low as there hasn't been much rain lately so great boulders, white with dryness, lay carelessly scattered around the riverbed. Either side the mountain reared up high, cloaked in conifers and small trees. Autumn is just beginning here so red and yellow were scattered amongst the green. Pillars of creamy rock pointed up at the blue sky through the forest.

Laoshan is quite spiritual for the Chinese and many of the great boulders had Chinese characters carved or painted on. I wasn't sure what they meant as many were in the Running Script, which is a stylised type of handwriting that was not meant to be read. At least by inexperienced laowai. One Big Daddy of a rock had dragons carved on it around a text. Up behind it was a pavillion that gave a great view down the valley. Becka and I had osmosed into a group with 2 Germans and 2 Koreans so we had lots of group photos. The Eastern tradition is to to make a V sign with both hands and smile cheesily- I stuck to a Reserved British smile.

A track led up off the main path and though we didn't follow it, I saw an iron lamppost at the top which reminded me of Narnia. We also passed a tiny vegetable patch nestled amongst some rocks. If a vegetable patch can be cute, this definitely was.

As we climbed we passed several small cafes serving tea. There is a local type grown here. I bought a tin for my Dad's birthday- if I can get it to him back in the UK. I thought it was a lovely place to run a cafe. At one was a Chinese film crew. I watched the presenter try some Laoshan tea and go mmm delicious! We also had to walk across large bridges which were constructed with planks attached to ropes so it wobbled alarmingly-especially when the Korean lads jumped up and down. All part of the fun. We encountered a phalanx of people walking down all dressed in pink, followed by some in red, then some in green and so on covering the whole rainbow. Weren't sure who they were- they were a mix of Chinese and laowai.

The path ended in a waterfall cascading down from a cleft high in the mountain and ending in a deep pool. I wonder what secret little spring the river starts from, known only to the magpies I guess. There was a cafe carved from the stone to one side of the quiet pool and a pavillion opposite on an outcrop. More pictures with V signs. There was a policeman wandering around to make sure we didn't jump in the water. Mountain pools are strange place to find the Law but there you go.

Then we turned back a bit and followed a fork which eventually lead to the peak of the mountain. I got there first as the others are weaklings, :P, and golly it was steep climbing! Still I made it, puffing and red-faced, to find a pavillion on the summit as well as a small cafe (when I say cafe in China I mean some small tables with a tarpaulin) as well as a policeman mooching around. Lol, or not. The view was spectacular. You could see the autumnal forest falling away from the rocky peaks all around. Nearby was a huge pillar of rock around which two magpies were showing off their acrobatic flying skills, twisting and tumbling in the air.

I sat in the pavillion, all warm in the sun, waiting for the others. I ate my sandwich which was part egg mayonaise part Nasty. Once again a perfectly nice food ruined by the Chinese... The nearby specimens of the breed were enjoying themselves admiring the view. They like climbing mountains here. They also kept hollering to slower family members further down which ruined the peaceful atmosphere a little but hey.

Eventually the others arrived and after they had eaten their food we set off down a different route. This took us through a smaller valley which was more densely forested. We passed a small temple. The most spectacular bit was when we came to a huge, black pool floating on the side of the mountain. There was a wooden bridge over it that one side was bordered by the dark, silent water and on the other a huge drop. The water level was so low that the waterfall that should have been there was really a trickle. You could see the rockface that would normally be obscured by water and the gouges made by the erosion were evident. Strange to think that water can do such things to rock! The little trickle looked so innocent by comparison. The bridge turned into a wooden walkway clinging onto a cliff. There was a fantastic view down the valley of the river, with its silent pools floating on different levels, and the beautiful painted foliage either side.

We hurried the last way as we hadn't much time before we were supposed to be meeting to go home. Back through the hamlet that feeds the hotels and restaurants, and where they were happily digging up the entire road, to the meeting point.

To cut a long story short we waited an hour on the coach (in the "Car Pack") for some ditzy Russians. Grrr.

On the way pack we passed a Guard Dog School, complete with a poster of German Shepherds attacking humans in various ways as well as one embarrassed looking Rottweiler. Our driver showed off his Skillz by letting the coach freewheel down the hill and nearly hitting a rock outcrop.

English of the Day: "No Striding!""Danger- Rock the Bridge!" I'm afraid we did Stride but we did at least obey the one ordering us to rock the bridge...

Did I mention that 崂山 is stunning?