The Firewater had taken it's toll on Harry - although to give him his due, he was down on time and ready to trek. Surprisingly though, he missed the breakfast, which was stone cold runny fried eggs that weren't cooked on top, cold 'bacon' and luke warm sweet toast. Yum!
It was a chilly morning, and Martin's full Berghaus hat and body suit was called into action.
Although the Lodge was a bit lacking (we found out that anybody's key would open anyone else's door, and they charged us two or three times for the same drinks), the staff were friendly enough, and there were a few plastic artefacts to brighten the place up.
So on to today's trek - along the valley of the Black Dragon Pools in Heilongtan. The ice in the river below gave a clue of what today would bring.
We set out along well-maintained paths along the cliffs of the valley, and as yesterday, we quickly split into two groups (much to the displeasure of Phil, our tour leader). Some wanted to be alone / race / push themselves while the others wanted to take in all of the magnificent sights / take lots of photos / enjoy the experience (and nurse Harry's hangover!).
The group up front were quickly named the 'Power Rangers' - they were to spend much of the week hanging around for the slower group to catch up. However, they were the fastest ever group to complete the challenge under Phil's watch.
The group at the back named themselves the 'Fun Bus'. The picture below is just one of many occasions where our ever-patient guide Jason was charged with taking the same photo using 9 different cameras / phones. Ron even gave Jason his security code for his iphone to 'save time' (which it didn't)!
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| The frozen waterfall |
The ice on the river became thicker as we climbed.....
... until we were walking on the river itself for a good kilometer or so. The Fun Bus enjoyed this bit and took lots more photos!!!
... while the Power Rangers patiently awaited our arrival.
Then it was onwards and upwards through the thorny brush - 'wear long sleeves' advised Phil, but most of us risked the scratches because it was too warm!
The steep descent demanded more teamwork to avoid any injuries, and gave us all the opportunity to really get to know one other - especially our 'strengths, weaknesses ... and other dark secrets'.
The winding path took us to the valley floor, looking up to the 'Heavenly Gateway'. This had once been Beijing's most famous waterfall, but was now dry due to climate change (probably caused by Beijing's smog!)
The rock formations looked like faces keeping their watchful eyes over the valley below - we thought the one on the left of the picture was a great likeness for Wayne Rooney, shouting at the ref!
After trekking through the peasant farmland in the foothills, we were greeted by a zillion Chinese lanterns adorning this small 'holiday village', and the unmistakable sound of karaoke .... at 4 o'clock on a Thursday afternoon??? Another surreal moment.
Lorraine wanted a go at the karaoke, so after some pathetic attempts at sign language with the locals, we were led down a narrow passage to another area (a bit scary, if you ask me!). Here, the doors opened to an underground bowling alley .... and a set of doors marked 'Adults Only'! Jane & Krishnan were the first to venture in...
They had only gone and set up our very own karaoke room, and even found some crackly old Abba songs to sing along to! How very, very odd! Lorraine and Jay blasted out a bit of 'Voulez Vous' to rapturous applause!
As we waited for the bus in the afternoon sun, we sat on the balcony of the local hostelry, where the local kids just stared and pointed at us. We were the first Westerners they had ever seen in the flesh. Apparently, they call us 'Big Noses'.
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