Getting High is Easier than I Thought
Trip Start
Jul 11, 2004
1
13
19
Trip End
Oct 10, 2004
Emei Shan,
China
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
For the born traveller, travelling is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its victim's time, money, energy and the sacrifice of comfort
- Aldous Huxley, Along the Road
Next?
Thankfully my next stop, Emei Shan (Emei mountain), was only a short 1-hour minibus ride west from Leshan. This would be the furthest west I would be going, on this trip at least. So what of Emei Shan? Well it's a holy mountain, one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. It's also the tallest of the four, its Golden Summit topping out at 3077m (10,000ft), and if you were to assume, because of its holy mountain statues, that it's a place of pilgrimage, then you'd be right on the money. It is and has been for over 1800 years. No doubt back then there were a greater percentage of genuine pilgrims on the mountain, but today tourists far outnumber pilgrims and, amongst all the holy holy symbolism, the mountain is a bit of a tourist draw, especially when you consider there is a road and cable car available to take you right to the top in air conditioned comfort. So much for the pilgrimage. If you do decide, like me, to hoof it up the mountain the hard way then you'll be subjecting yourself to two long, hard days of uphill climbing, most of it on a seemingly never ending series of stone stairways that someone has been good enough to lay for you (and you think the climb is hard?... spare a though for them guys). But fear not, to help on route there are plenty of rest stops, nice scenery and, of course, Buddhist monasteries and temples which, apart from housing Monks, offer accommodation for weary trekkers. To hinder your progress there are the aforementioned stairways (!), greedy ass-hole monkeys and the likelihood of cramp, fatigue and dehydration. But I won't say any more about them (except for a picture of the bastard monkeys.. see attached).
Don't believe all you read
For my clim.... sorry, assault on the peak I based myself at base camp, otherwise known as Emei Town, a touristy, one street town at the foot of the mountain, although still a 30 minute drive from the summit (windy roads folks). It was built for no other reason than to accommodate tourists and all roads to the top of the mountain go through the town. I spent the night before and after the climb acclimatising (!) in the Teddy Bear Guesthouse (I think that's what it was called), the closest Emei Town has to a hostel. I was amused reading the numerous travellers notes on the guesthouse walls warning how "difficult" the climb is, how "you might not finish" and how if you struggle "you can always get the porters to carry you some of the way". What? Porters? Might not finish? wtf! What is this, Everest?
My Progress
Reading the guesthouse notes were especially hilarious having come down from the peak because by then I knew exactly how manageable the climb was. Don't get me wrong, it is a 2 day climb (or at least it should be... whoa tiger), at times the steps never seem to end and in places it is..... I'll use the word 'strenuous', but if you have even a moderate level of fitness then it's not going to be a problem to you, whatever route you choose (there are a few choices). You'll enjoy it and your highlight will most likely be your stay in one of the monasteries on route. Just remember, don't haggle too much with the monastery staff over the bed rate. They are holy folk after all and if you piss them off you might be all out of options and 2-3 hours walk from the next nearest monastery. Eventually you'll make it to the top, the Golden Summit, where the views amongst the temples are worth the effort to get there, however you managed it. But it's gotta feel more special having actually gotten there under your our steam, right? Yeah, that's what I kept telling myself as I watched the people getting off the cable car, some of them even wiping their brows. What? Too hot up here for ya, fatso?
Mini Change of Plans
I spent enough time at the summit to appreciate the views, take pictures and curse all I saw getting off the cable car. Before I got there I had actually planned on overnighting in or around the summit, a plan that changed once I saw the circus scene of cable car pilgrims in their high-heals and black polished shoes. Plus it was too early in the day to hang around and there were few accommodation options that I could see (my guidebook said there were tons of options... there aren't). So I headed back down the mountain, which only took a few hours, and spent another night in the Teddy Bear guesthouse recove..... emm, acclimatising. The following morning I was up and out early enough and I caught the bus to my next stop Chengdu, still in Sichuan province, a bus for which conveniently departed from the Emei Town bus station. On the bus to Chengdu I recalled the "you can always get the porters to carry you some of the way" note on the wall of The Teddy Bear Guesthouse.... ha. Some people.
