We're Back (at Hwanan)!

So we've returned from our three-day stay at Wuyi Mountain! The seven-ish hour train ride there was a pain in the behind (seriously). But playing cards does pass the time...especially slapjack. Playing slapjack really wakes you up when you've been sitting for hours and hours. Also, the snacks we got from the university's store helped tide us over. They were super delicious!

When we arrived over at the other train station, our tour guide met us there and took us to our hotel. She was so friendly! After some initial confusion about the power in our room, we settled down for the night.

The next morning, we all ate some rice porridge and assorted breads and vegetables. Then we went to Wuyi Mountain. It was really cold in the morning, and I don't usually get cold. Anyway, the temperature wouldn't really matter after we started going up the stairs. If I thought Diamond Head was a tough hike, then I was seriously misguided. Haha, just kidding. At first, the 848 steps up the mountain seemed daunting because the stairs were so steep. After a while, though, we forged onwards and admired the view that allowed us to see more and more as we went higher. The final view at the summit was amazing! The mountains there are so much different from the ones at home. They're bigger and wider, and the vegetation is different. Bamboo rafts looked like cars on the river road. At one point, a butterfly landed on the back of my jacket. Apparently, it was pretty; I wouldn't know since my head can't do a 360.

After our hike, we ate lunch at a nearby restaurant. There, we had a variety of awesome-tasting food, including rabbit. Sorry, Yarne, but you taste good. The rabbit meat was super tender and savory, plus there was very little fat on it.

The next activity was bamboo river rafting! We took a long, relaxing ride on a raft made of (guess what) bamboo. There were a couple of itty-bitty rapids that were like mini slides. I did get splashed a little, but the water was cool and refreshing.

Our tour guide offered us to sample some tea her family sells - we were able to try some authentic tea from Fujian province! Did you know that tea is one of the best exports from Fujian province? I didn't until two days ago. I generally don't drink tea, but everything we tried was really good!

Broadway is dazzling and entertaining in its own right - there's no doubt about it. But the show we saw about tea (it was mostly about tea) was spectacular! The stage rotated to follow the actors' movements, and the backgrounds were so realistic. The lights played on them so nicely and helped set the mood for the play. Even though the entire performance was entirely in Chinese and I could only understand fragments of it and that I was freezing in the cold mountain air, I loved it.

That night after the show, we went exploring! Okay, not REALLY - just to the supermarket next to the hotel. There, we found even MORE delicious snack foods. Mmm, jelly. Although, we did see some preserved snakes that had been preserved in some sort of brine/alcohol. I think snakes are kind of cute when they're alive and behind some sort of protective barrier, but I was interested to see them up close (though they were sort of (actually) dead).

On day two, we did another hike at Tiger's Roar (is that right?). That trip was much easier, but with the one hardship of this one cave that was so narrow, we had to be like crabs and walk sideways. Also, it was really dark. Nevertheless, it was fun!

The train ride back to Hwanan was just as long and just as sore. But, again, playing card games makes time fly. I enjoyed our stay at Wuyi Mountain and everything we did there. I can't wait for tomorrow and whatever comes with it!