3 Day Simingshan Tour

                               
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Heading Off To Si Ming Shan (visible in the distance)

Si Ming Shan was quite a range. It took over five hours to climb it, mostly in lower gears or walking, over a distance of about 30 km’s. It was only 700 to 800 metres (2,200 to 2,500 feet) high above the surrounding plains, but the climb was unrelenting and therefore slow going. Besides, this was a holiday, so we took it easy, took lots of photographs, and stopped to drink iced tea. Once at the top, we then rode along the top of the range. This was another 30 km’s of climbing (Grunt!) and descending (Weeeee!) as we passed numerous peaks. At around 8:45 in the evening we came upon the town of Si Ming Shan (same name as the range), a smallish ‘hamlet’ of merely many thousands of souls. In China, a big city is over ten million, a large city over four million, a city one million, and anything smaller doesn’t really get a mention.

                               
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Climbing a Hill

                               
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Hills Get Steeper The Faster You Peddle

                               
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The Road Winds its Way Up The Hill

                               
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Not All Roads Are Good

This was Chinese May Day Holiday, so all the good hotels were full (or over-full knowing the Chinese). We were unable to find a room with standard amenities. We had to settle for a room without heated shower. This was not to Aaron’s liking, so he was all for continuing our ride onto the next town, which he insisted was only another hour away and might have hot showers. I was a tad tired (“a tad tired” sounds so much more respectable than “exhausted”, which was much closer to the truth), and, I wasn’t so sure that “an hour away” was really going to be just that, because on more than one occasion I’ve been told we have only a few minutes more, only to find myself still huffing and puffing an hour or three later. (Chinese are often reluctant to be the bearer of bad tidings, and will occasionally say almost anything to stop the person listening from becoming upset.) So I put it to others in the party that we’d best stop at a known cold shower rather than a potential hot shower. Fortunately for me they agreed, and, more fortunately, Aaron did not appear upset at my manoeuvres. Aaron is one of the most level-headed people I’ve ever been fortunate enough to meet. I learnt later that Aaron truly believed the town was only an hour away.

                               
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These are Kilometres, but feel like miles at the end of a day

We checked into the ‘hotel’, which consisted of a series of rooms above a shop that functioned as a foyer/lobby, with a kitchen, toilet, and bathroom out the back. Our room had four single beds in a row, making it appear more like a school dormitory than a plush hotel room (which it wasn’t). Nonetheless, it was spotlessly clean, with fresh linen (I checked this!) and ceiling fans. It was ideal, except for the fact we had five people and only four beds. Having one of our party sleep in a separate bedroom with the owner’s son solved the problem. I am not able to imagine such an arrangement in Australia.

The owner was aware that we didn’t want cold showers, so she heated vast amounts of boiling water over her wood-fired stove. This wood-fired was the reason for the kitchen being out the back and detached from the main building: in the event that the building caught fire it would not take the rest of the hotel up in flames. We each took our turn to cart our basin and insulated bottles of boiling water into the washroom to wash. By mixing the boiling water (It really was boiling hot!) with cold water we were able to create an immense amount of warm water. It was luxurious to be able to take our turn at pouring water over ourselves, lathering our bodies, scrubbing, and then rinsing it all off with an abundance of water. We all took too long because those waiting their turn always commented on the excessive time taken by the person who preceded them.

The Chinese can be quite informal at times: one of the guys casually walked around the kitchen in nothing but his underpants. There weren’t any women around, so I doubt he was advertising for some action. No one commented.

                               
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The Township of Shi Ming Shan – The hotel is just visible on the right

                               
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We Begin Day Two

                               
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Climbing Out of Si Ming Shan

                               
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