Divine Tai Shan
We awoke at 6am as the train pulled into the Tai’an train station. Possibly because of the fog there were no mountains in sight. Somewhat worried that we were going to end up in the middle of nowhere, we alighted the train with all of our bags. Still wet behind the ears, I can only imagine how strange we must have looked to the locals - a bit like an alien landing.
The first order of business was to buy tickets to Beijing the following day from the train ticketing counter. After fighting for position among the throng of locals (queuing is nonexistent) I was able to buy our tickets. The tickets were for standing room only, but I was still pumped up on adrenaline from traveling and wasn't bothered by such a prospect.
We hopped in a taxi and told the driver we were going to Tai Shan mountain. Relieved there actually was a mountain(!), we weren't out of the woods just yet. The driver dropped us off near a group of buses, and pointed to one that we hoped would take us to the hotel we booked for the night (supposedly near the summit).
The bus driver must have thought himself quite the dare-devil because he whipped us around the tight curves with a perilous drop to our left.
The bus ended its run roughly half way up the mountain at a small village. We could tell that we still had a way to go (the summit disappeared into the clouds), and the locals directed us to a gondola that would carry us farther. I have never ridden on a gondola before, which was fortunate because this was the perfect way to begin. It was a 20 minute rise over mountainous peaks and disappearing into wispy clouds.
Upon reaching the summit all of us were amazed at the secluded beauty of the mountain. The surrounding landscape was tucked behind layers of clouds, but the greenery and far-off feel were better than anything I had expected.
Making our way from the gondola station we passed through a Confucian temple that set the mood with thick incense and worshipping Chinese. Passing through the smoke, we came upon a quaint town that survives purely on tourist dollars. We were too tired to look at the knick-knacks for sale, and so we continued climbing in search of our hotel.
Eventually we found hotel ShenQi at the very peak of the mountain. It reminded me of Mount Olympus because of its imposing position. After settling into our room, which was more than acceptable considering the hardships of the location, we headed back to explore the town.
We replenished our bodies at a small restaurant and were served some of the best food yet (eggplant, Sichuan chicken, beef noodles, and vegetables drenched in oil). After packing our stomachs for the coming day, we began working our way down the mountain.
As I have mentioned, Tai Shan is probably the most famous of China’s 5 divine mountains. Confucius climbed here for the rewarding views and sense of calm, although I don't imagine he had the benefit of a bus or a gondola to help him along the way.
Mao Zedong delivered much of his propaganda from the peaks declaring, "To die for the people is weightier than Mount Tai, but to work for the fascists and die for the exploiters and oppressors is lighter than a feather." Oddly enough, I can remember the lyrics to a song by Rage Against the Machine where they sang, "So I'm going out heavier sorta like Mount Tai."
The steps down the side of the mountain are exactly how one would imagine steps down the side of a mountain look like – treacherous, at best. It took close to four hours to descend and then ascend the stone steps, but Alison and I eventually completed the climb. Our calves were throbbing, we were covered head to toe in sweat, and our body was screaming to lie down, but the important thing was we made it.
We must have climbed over 10,000 steps in each direction, but this is nothing compared to what we saw the Chinese doing.
Firstly, there were a group of men carrying a storage container using bamboo poles for support. Presumably, that is how the entire town was built since there are no roads. Additionally, I saw an elderly man being carried by two younger men (presumably, his sons or even his grandchildren). It is regarded as good fortune for a Chinese person to ascend this mountain some time in their life, and many Chinese come in their dying years.
After a three hour nap we decided to savor the evening by exploring the rest of the summit. Unfortunately, everything was engulfed in a heavy fog, which made it impossible to see 15 feet in any direction. However, the fog did add to the mystical experience because the day-trippers had all cleared out, and I could hear the soft drumming of a Buddhist gong in the distance.
After winding our way up and down steps, we came across a building that could have been straight out of the movie Star Wars. It was inhabited by a group of Japanese meteorologists who were doing research on weather patterns and global warming. They offered to show us around their facilities, which we gladly accepted. Their English was not the greatest, but before continuing on I shared a few laughs over the upcoming World Cup match between Argentina and Germany.
Eventually we found a rocky peninsula that featured shear drops for comfort. My hair was wet from the thick fog and the howling wind made me feel lost in another world. I laid down on the edge of one of the rocks to look over the side, and it was the closest I have ever come to looking into an abyss. There was a constant upward rush of clouds as they climbed the rock face and brushed past my face.
You can see video, but open it in a new window as it may take several minutes to download.
That night we ate dinner with the Japanese meteorologists at our hotel. The food was awful, but the meteorologists were good entertainment. They were exactly how I would imagine Japanese scientists would be if they lived in solitude measuring weather patterns at the summit of a desolate mountain. While this is not exactly a great compliment, it was true nonetheless.
I woke up at 3am to watch the Germany-Argentina World Cup game, and saw Germany pull out an amazing win. Klose tied the game with a smashing header in the 80th minute, and Germany went on to win 4-3 in penalty kicks, which puts them in the quarterfinals.
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