福建土楼

On my last day staying in this historical "living village" my curiosity over came me and as I looked up at these rocks in the hillsides.  So i spent the better part of the morning climbing around until I found one that I could get close enough to see what they were.  As my feet carried me closer their came a point at which they stopped on their own accord. It was at the same moment that I realized it was not just rock but someones final resting place.  I felt like an intruder and wanted to retreat without further disturbing the people whom I was staying with.

Random dried fruit picture.  I loved the fruit before they dried it, but once they let it sit outside in the sun and sprinkled salt on it I found them revolting.

a break between trains

Here is a snap shot of my sanity between the day long train rides, when ever I would have a few hour layover I would run out of the train station back pack and all down the streets of what ever city or town I was in, to release the tension of sitting still for 12 hours longer than the human body was ever meant to.

黄山

This was truly one of my favorite days spent in China.  I spent the entire 12 hours of the day climbing up the many stairs which outline the Mountain's frame. watching crowds of Chinese people walk in the other directions down the Mt. past me.  They would all smile at me or state and some would ask me "累不累?" ("are you tiered?").  At first I was telling the truth when I responded with "不累" (not tiered), by the afternoon the 30lb pack on my back and the 6 hours of hiking up the Mt. had turned my internal answer into hell yes, but I kept responding with 不累.  By the time the sun started setting I finally gave in and began telling people the truth "很累" (really tiered).  However, take a look at these pictures, it was worth it, every moment of it.  The sky around me was unbelievable, I felt like I was in a different world, filled with excitement at the newness of my environment. 

I felt like I was in the heavens...not away form them but part of them for once in my life

If you look closely at the fence you will see many locks

The locks are put their by lovers who make the journey up the Mt. together.  They place them on the chain with everyone else's as a symbol of their hope for everlasting love.

Also check out those stairs...they came up to my knee and over the edge was a 2000ft drop straight down.  I have never felt an adrenalin rush like that before.

By dusk I finally set up my tent on a platform in between two Mountains in hopes that no one would see me and inform me that I was not aloud to spend the night there, and in fact I would have to stay at one of the very expensive hotels on a near by Mt.  What I did not account for was how exceedingly cold it would be between the two mountains...so I pilled on everything fabric that I owned, towels  shirts, socks, and yes underwear ...not that this helped me sleep, because it was far too cold for that, but it helped me not freeze up their on the Mt.  As morning broke restless hours later I rose to the most powerful sunrise of my life...considering I no longer had any food to speak of and the night before my diner had been a few dried apricots and a peace of tofu...I was surprisingly content and happy.