Some of the people in our group have been on a quest since we got to Beibei to find cheap DVDs (or just good quality DVDs- depending on the person). We were able to find 5 kuai (about 80 cent) DVDs in Beijing, so we have pretty high expectations. So on Saturday, Kia and I (and yes, I do spend time with other people, but a lot of my best stories happen when I'm with Kia) met up with a Chinese guy she knows to go to a DVD store. Ryan, our guide, brought us to downtown Beibei where we did find a DVD shop...unfortunately, they were 20-30 kuai (aka yuan). However, the day was not a waste. We got to learn new things and visit some new places, such as an ancient poet's house. The house is still intact right in the middle of the downtown area. It was closed, but I plan to explore it sometime in the future. It was also cool to meet Ryan because it turns out that he is not only a good guide, but very helpful in general and very, very nice. At some point, Kia and I mentioned how we wanted to climb one of the nearby mountains that has a Daoist temple at the top. So Ryan offered to take us up the mountain on Sunday (the next day).
In the afternoon, I babysat Harriet & Jesse (Sam & Annie's kids). We played with playdoh, played around randomly (to get rid of some energy), then we settled in to watch Loony Tunes until Sam & Annie came back. I hadn't watched Loony Toons in a very long time, but they were just as good as I rememebered. I also realized that Loony Toons are actually a very American thing, so watching those episodes definitely reminded me of home.
The evening turned out to be just as exciting as the rest of day... I ate dinner with Chris & Kia, and on our way home, we saw a snake on some of the outdoor stairs that we had to walk up. Now, let me note one very important thing: none of us like snakes, but Kia is absolutely TERRIFIED of them! The funny thing, though, is that she never even saw the snake. Chris and I saw it, Chris started yelling, both of us started running (although I ran up and he ran down), so Kia ran and screamed too. Then I had to go back down the staircase to check if the snake was still there before Chris would come up. When we got to the top, Kia asked us what had happened. We told her what we saw and she screamed even more. For me, it was one of those experiences that was just hilarious after it had actually happened. I'm not so sure if they would agree with me though...
Sunday
Kia, Chris, Axel and I (our group grew a little bit from the previous day...) met Ryan go to the mountain at 9 am. We took the city bus to get to the base of the mountain, which was an interesting experience in itself because the bus was sooo crowded. Once we got off, we headed towards the mountain and started climbing. It was absolutely gorgeous the whole way up...although I'll admit I was a little distracted by how tired and thirsty I was! It was also cool because for the first part, I don't know if we were truly on a trail because the grass was so tall and we were weaving through the trees. We just followed Ryan, hoping that he would get us to the right spot- which he did. It took us about two and a half hours (I think) to get to the top. At the top, it was really busy because the cheaters (people who took the lift up the mountain) were up there too. At the peak, we ate the lunch that Kia and I packed and enjoyed the view. Then we went to the Daoist Temple, which I believe was on a neighboring peak (although we only had to go down a little ways before we could go over and up). We weren't allowed to climb the Temple or go inside because there was construction, but there were some amazing views from that area.
Everything was going well until Ryan asked where his binoculars were. He had given them to me to use and I had set them down after I was done, expecting someone else to pick them up after me. Except that no one did. Kia went with me to check the spot where I had set them down on the other peak, but they weren't there. I felt so horrible. I made Kia call Ryan to tell him because I couldn't do it. When we all met up again, Ryan could tell I felt really bad and he just kept telling me that we're friends, so it was ok. However, I am still determined to make it up to him somehow... so hopefully, I will figure out how to do that sometime soon...
The way down the mountain was just as beautiful as the way up. For me, it may have actually been more beautiful just because I was able to appreciate it more. The way down the mountain also felt like it went so much faster. Unfortunately, my bad luck with the binoculars wasn't our only bad luck. Chris, who had recently sprained his ankle, tripped on a step on the way down and reinjured his ankle. Obviously, there wasn't very much we could do about it at the time, so we just told him to rest a little and then take it slow. That evening, Ryan was nice enough to bring some medicine for Chris.
All-in-all, it was a day I really enjoyed...minus the binoculars, the ankle re-injuring, and sore calves...
 |
| Ryan, me, Chris, Axel, Kia |
 |
| Bamboo Trees [taken by Kia] |
 |
| All of our hands (+ some random person) holding the pole on the bus [taken by Kia] |
 |
| The Temple |
