A Trip up Siming Mountain! (Part 1)

Sally, Dave, Elizabeth and I,along with our two TAs Lena and Mimi, boarded a bus with a load of other people heading south towards Simming Mountain. I have been admiring these peaks since we arrived, and I looked forward to actually getting a closer look.

It was a regular city bus, and it was packed. I was lucky to grab a seat next to Mimi fairly near the front. (At least I thought I was lucky... more on that later...) To my left was a couple who looked to be in their forties holding a little sleeping girl. I told Mimi to tell them she was beautiful, and the woman gave me a beautiful smile.


Across the aisle was a Mom holding a little baby boy. He was wearing the traditional pajama that opens at the bottom and his privates were in full view. (Sorry no photo available!) I have seen other babies with similar outfits and really wonder how it all works. I would think the mothers would frequently have pee all over their arms, or they are as well-trained as their babies! He started to cry and she immediately offered her breast. Now, I was really waiting to see what happened. Her arm stayed dry as a bone!

When the little girl woke up, the mother gave her some water out of some sort of sippy cup. Then the Dad pulled out a water bottle, and took a swig. Green slimy looking leaves floated in his water. At first I wondered if he was really drinking dirty water but figured out those were loose tea leaves. I was happy to have my bottle of clear drinking water... I need to start drinking more water as I'm sweating so much and rarely need to pee which could be considered a good thing depending on where you are!

Back to the bus... we gradually travelled higher and higher. The road got narrower and the turns sharper... before every turn, the driver would seriously honk the horn... at one point we were stopped as a huge cement truck needed to get by.. at this point, Mimi, who had been quiet for awhile, decided to puke into a plastic bag!! She was very neat about it. I knew she hadn't been feeling well as she kept putting her finger to her nose! The last few hairpins did her in. I did have a fleeting thought that this could be my last ride, but quickly squelched that thought, took another swig of water and patted Mimi on the back.

By now the beautiful little girl finished eating a banana. Her mother then took out a small bag of what looked to be KFC star shaped fried potatoes. I was struck by the fact that here I was in rural China, on the side of a mountain where no one speaks English and everyone looked at me as a curiosity, and a little Chinese girl is eating Kentucky Fried potatoes!



The scenery is spectacular! Soft rolling green mountains that slope to valleys below. And then the bus stopped!

We were in the town of Simming Mountain. Lena telephoned someone and a few minutes later, a small van appeared. The seats were still covered in clear plastic. Lena negotiated a price, and we hopped in. About 15 minutes later, we entered a National Forest and then a small village. Family homes have been renovated into rooming houses, and we are staying on the second floor of one of them.



My window is open wide. A group of Chinese businessmen sound like they are enjoying a dinner together outside. I believe they ordered the snake. It feels good to stretch out on a bamboo mat. Stay tuned for Part 2 of A Trip to Simming Mountain. I will tell you about our dinner options!

Zai Xian!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:God Only Knows