中国97 - shortest ferry ride yet! (Xingping to Yangshuo)

中国96 - scrambling, bush whacking, an adventure (Xingping)

中国95 spelunking side quest

中国95 - steep climbs, citrus, and karsts (Caoping to Xingping)

中国93,94 - reunited with my bike (Guilin to Caopingxing)

It snowed about 3 inches overnight, resulting in chaos on the roads, but silence along the path. I had to employ the 4 layer sock technique (plastic bag, sock, sock plastic bag) to keep my feet warm. It worked great! 

The completely changed the landscape. It  weighed down the bamboo, reminding me of stalks of wheat, and created an interesting contrast between the bold oranges and reds of the temples and the white of the snow. 

As I climbed I helped shovel the stairsteps. If someone was shoveling, I would take the shovel from them, shovel about 20 steps, and hand it to the man behind me. On the way down the places that hadnt been shoved were treacherous. 

The path to Mt Tantai went nearly straight up the mountain. It was built into, onto, and through many temples. Where the path went through a temple built into a cave I met the family who asked to take a photo with me the day before. They were ecstatic and I was subsequently adopted.

They took care of me, almost too much care. "You ears look cold! Let me put on your hood for you!", "You are out of tea, let me ask a monk to refill your bottle!"

I even got a picture with a monk, which I guess is not something they usually do. Luckily Sonny spoke some English so she was able to explain a lot to me. We stopped and prayed at most of the temples, with Wiu, my new little brother, showing me what to do. That actually worked great, because he just had an idea of it, and I know nothing. We went into every nook and cranny of the temples.

At the top of the mountain it was freezing, windy, and very busy. I was amazed at how unprepared people were! But it seemed everyone was having a great time despite their freezing fingers.

I wanted to hike more, but when Wiu's mom asked if I wanted to have dinner at the temple, I couldn't say no. So we slowly made our way back down the stairs. I think they would have taken the Gondola if I wasn't there. I donated my hand warmers and gloves, and we all made it down with only a few slips. Along the way Wiu's mom bought us snacks like roasted sweet potatoes and milk tea. 

Our temple meal was a simple affair, but it was just what I needed. Rice and vegetables. It was served promptly at 4:30. On our way out, the monks were in evening prayer. Their chants did not penetrate far into the thick fog, lending the whole area a mystical air. 

What an incredible start to the new year. People in China are very, very kind :) 

Top Sports

Ian Caragol

中国91 - i've been adopted (Jiuhua)

14 Photos

7 Comments

Sign up to view more activities from Ian Caragol

中国97 - shortest ferry ride yet! (Xingping to Yangshuo)

中国96 - scrambling, bush whacking, an adventure (Xingping)

中国95 spelunking side quest

中国95 - steep climbs, citrus, and karsts (Caoping to Xingping)

中国93,94 - reunited with my bike (Guilin to Caopingxing)

Want to see more?

The #1 app for runners and cyclists

Sign Up for Free. Track your progress and reach goals. Join 100 million active people on Strava.

See More from Ian