Hey Hey and a Big G´Day toya,
 
Today being our second day at Wuyi Shan we rose early and I decided to take Amigo on my favourite walking adventure in Wuyi Shan.
 
You begin the journey at a small stone bridge and you are then taken along side a small stream known as `Zhangtang Brooklet´ that runs beneath huge cliff faces on both sides. The vegetation is so lush and green and the water is crystal clear. Easily the cleanest water I have seen in China. Our first stop was the Huiyuan Temple. This temple was first built during the Song Dynasty and then rebuilt in the late Ming, early Qing Dynasty´s.
 
It was here that Luo Wei began talking to some of the Monks who live at the Temple.
 
She told them that she was from Kaifeng and they were so happy to show her a book they had about a temple there (in Kaifeng). In fact the temple is one of China´s most famous temples. Just up from where I was staying in Kaifeng is the Da Xianggua Si (or the Grand Buddha Temple).
 
Like I said, this temple is one of China´s most famous and the Monk proudly showed Luo Wei a book written by a female Monk who is was very high in this temple and also in China.
 
When the Monk opened the book to show Luo Wei a picture of the author, she (Luo Wei) gave a squeal of delight and excitedly told the Monk that this (Lady) Monk began in a small poor Village Temple in Kaifeng and it was she (the books author and now famous Lady Monk) who was the Monk who raised her (Luo Wei) in the small poor Village Temple where she (Luo Wei) grew up.
 
My Gawd!
Bloody Hell that was really hard to write!
Did everyone understand what I just wrote?
Who was who and all that?
Hope so because I´m not going to go through it again.
Hahahahaha!
 
The Monk happily gave Luo Wei the book for her to happily cheerish.
 
Anyhow, from the temple we continued through the valley following what is known as the `Huiyuan Temple Fragrance Brooklet´. We were soon also passing beneath the majestic Eagles Beak Peak. As Eagles Beak Peak was lost to our past the huge Jade Pillar Peak stood before us.
 
Here the brooklet changes its name and is simply called `Fragrance Floating Stream´.
 
We continued on towards what is known as `Big Red Robe´ or `Dahongpao (da = big, hong = red and pao = I have no freaking idea, I guess robe). What it actually is is a beautiful Tea House. But to get there we had a HUGE climb that took us up the side of a mountain and then back down the other side. Once we found the tea house we sat for some Green Tea Eggs and a cool cup of two Yuan green tea.   The tea house is set beneath huge cliffs and amongst a small tiered tea plantation.
 
We were soon walking the `Culture Tourist Route of Wuyi Tea´ and there is a reason why so many tourists are brought here, because it is bloody beautiful!
 
For those like us whom wish to continue walking well into the afternoon you will actually need to exit the park through the Dahongpao Tea Trees Ticket Office. For those who hate climbing well over thirty minutes of hill stairs, then you´ll really hate the beginning of this part of your day.
 
BUT...what is found at the top is esily enough to make me climb the same stairs three times over.
Sitting beneath a huge cliff face can be found an old temple.
 
Luo Wei, just like Canadian Rob, who just like Aussie Martin and Georgia before him, let out a simple WOW when she first caught sight of this temple. It really is like that, I covered Luo Wei´s eyes and she simply stood there in silence and then said `OH...WOW´. Everyone has had the same reaction so far. After climbing a huge amount of stairs, sweating and breathing heavy you simply see this sight and you simply forget how tired you are..
 
This time, unlike the last two times we headed across the valley to visit the temple. When we got there Luo Wei and the people who lived there tried their best to communicate. They couldn´t speak Mandarin and she couldn´t understand their local dialect.
 
HHHHHhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm!
 
Since coming here she now has a little bit more of an understanding why I really don´t bother learning much Mandarin. Here they speak completely different than she does (Mandarin that is). Half the time she can´t understand them even though they are both speaking Mandarin. In the north they say Shaowu (as in SHHHHH be quiet). Here they say SSSSSSaowu (as in SSSSSSnake). But most times Luo Wie is as confused as I am walking around my city.
 
She basicly understands nothing anyone says UNLESS she asked them to speak Mandarin and even then sometimes it is hard for her. Kind of like when I used to visit my Scottish Grandparents. We all spoke English but they spoke Scottish English and half the time I had to tilt my head to one side and say....um....ok.
 
Anyhow, after our temple visit we headed across the valley to the little shrine/temple thingy and here we took the track taking us to the left which led us down stairs and into another valley filled with tea trees. Walking in this area really shows you that anywhere in China every little piece of usable space is used.
 
This part of the walk is barely ever walked by anyone other than the happy smiling farmers you walk past whom offer a big smile as they clip and tend to the plantations. It is a lot wilder than both yesterdays and the morning´s walks. Here you are away from the tourist crowds and well kept and signed paths.
 
It is an awesome walk and one that always remindeds me so much of the walks my friends and I used to spend days walking anywhere from the Tweed Coast Area all the way to the Sunshine Coast Area in Queensland Australia.
 
Our afternoons walk was still full of climbs both up and down. The terrain though is a lot different than the mornings walk. In most places, you can see ahead of you for a long distance without having huge cliffs surrounding you. It really is an awesome part of the park that obviously most people never get to see. The walk took us past Horse Head Rock and then down past the Three Nun Rocks and as we rounded the last cliff we were greeted by the view of Wuyi Shan city.
 
We slowly made our way along and down the last leg of our journey that takes you to the park just across the road from the main bridge across the Chongyang River which is actually called the Chongyang Stream.
 
Once we arrived back into the `tourist city´ we had to find the new bus station. We tried to find it in the morning to see what time the last bus was and of course it had been moved. We were told that it was now right next door to the hotel we were staying in.
 
Could it be that easy?
 
Strangely it was that easy and several hours later we were sitting at a huge table with Yan and Crew for her husbands birthday dinner. What an awesome weekend!
 
Beers N Noodles toya......shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was the awesome MC5
The album was `Looking At You´
Mick Evans, you´re a bloody ripper mate!
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