梅里雪山 Mei Li Xue Shan

梅里雪山 Mei Li Xue Shan, originally uploaded by Jerry Tok.

The follow event took place on 19 Jan. Yah, I took me 1 month to record the events in writings. This trekking trip felt like an expedition...

As soon as I heard from Cheng Xian that the Koreans are going to Mei Li Xue Shan, my eyes brightened up. Yes, I want to go trekking.

19 Jan- When I get back from Lijiang (after Tiger Leaping Gorge), all I wanted is to get back to Cafe Lin asap. I want to hear about the trekking itinerary. At the same time, I have a slight problem here. Should I go trekking with Kevin (and 2 of his friends) or with the Koreans? Initiately, I thought we can all go together. Later, I realise that the Koreans wanted to travel by their own. To cut the story short, Kevin eventually call me to tell me to go with the Koreans. He and his friends have other plans.

Everyone was present. I soon learn that there'll be 5 of us-Chief, his good friend You, Intae, hansoo and I. Intae was the translator. I felt a little tension going on here, it was as though everyone's eyes are on me. I found out from Intae at a later time that everyone was worried about me. I think they are not use to my trademark dark eye ring. They thought I was not feeling well or exhausted from my Tiger Leaping Gorge trek. They were even concerned if I could get up tomorrow morning to catch the first bus to De Qin at 0930hrs.

Since we setting off from Cafe Lin, I think it's wise to stay at Cafe Lin. Intae help me carry my bag to the room. It has 2 double decker beds. Hansoo handed me the toilet key which puzzles me. Then I realise that Cafe Lin (the hostel) have this practice to lock the toilet door, for some reason I still don't know. Intae suggest I take a shower before the other guest comes back. So after I settle in my room. I got my shower gears ready. Too bad, someone got in earlier that I. It's 15mins past 2300hrs. I dropped the idea to shower. Instead, I turned into bed after brushing my teeth.

0700hrs. Rise and shine. Yes, I'm going to trek today. For me, it's been ages since travel with a all men team. In the past, whenever I organise any trips, there's always more woman participant than man. I recall the last time I went on a all men trip was in 2003 ( I think) with Raymond, Jt and Jonathon. Though we got 'lost', I still remembers it as one of the most memorable trekking trips in Malaysia.

Secret Wallet
We caught a cab to XinKeZan. The rest of the guys bought their tickets already. I have to get mine on the spot. I did something stupid on the cab. Realising my wallet had less than 100 yuan, I try to dig a few hundred dollar notes from my hidden wallet. You see, I have 2 wallets with me. As the saying goes, never put all the eggs in 1 basket. I separate my cash and cards into 2. The secret wallet is kept in a..er herm...discreetly strategic position. Accessing it before the counter is strictly no-no. So I resort to do it in the cab. Using my hands to feel, I reach for the notes. I try pulling it out slowly. Indeed, I manage to carry out this acrobatic act and reach my note, only to find that it was torn into 2. sigh...

Anyway, we arrived at XinKeZan. No more acrobatic moves. At worse I'll borrow from the guys, though not a good idea too because we only get to know each other yesterday. Luckily I still have just enough money to pay for my bus ticket.

Our destination is Zhong Dian (Shangrila). From there, we need to catch another bus to De Qin. As we were unsure of the bus schedule at Zhong Dian, it means that we might have to wait for an indefinite time to catch the next bus.

1145hrs, arrives at Zhong Dian, guess what? The next available bus is 1200hrs. We are so lucky. however, it also means that we can't have a proper sit down lunch. Instead, we bought snacks and mineral water to munch on our bus ride. I think it's due to our hunger, the snacks we bought tasted especially nice. Chief cracked a joke. What do you call a man who is hungry? Answer-Hungarian. I add on to his jokes-What do you call a man who had his fill? Answer. Bulgarian (Bul sounds like full in mandarin.)

On the bus we 2 girls discussing and exchanging info on Mei Li Xue Shan. We got company. Our New friends are Wen Min from Shenzhen and Qiufong from Guangxi. First thing when we arrive at De Qin is to find transport to Fei Lai Si. The 7 of us squeeze into a van that's good for 5 pax.

Men and women
Let me branch off abit. The difference between man and woman. There are a few components of travelling that all travellers faces.
1)accommodation
2) food
3)Transportation.

Men,
We are concerned about the price but it is certainly not a priority. Our top priority is to get the job done, especially so for accommodation. We don;t need top end. Hot showers and attached toilet are a bonus. I am speaking myself and the Korean men.

Women.
They love shopping. Typically, they want to look at all the options before making a decision. For instance, at Fei Lai Si, they went around looking for a value-for-money place. While the guys are happy with the 2nd hostel. The women apply the same approach in finding transportation to Xi Dang as well as accommodation at Shang Yu Beng.

The trek to Bing Hu
The hostel boss suggest we hire a guide to bring us to Bing Hu. However, we decided that we want to figure out the way by ourselves. (men don't like to ask for direction, especially in the presence of women). Breakfast was rice and soup. Wen Min also brought out some preserved vegetables.

Just like what you anticipated, we lost our way. Well, let me rephrased. We didn't lost our way, we figure out new ways. Trace abit to our ancestors, men primarily hunt. 1 of men's greatest skill is getting home at the end of the day with their hunt. By right, men should be very good with directions.

On the trail, there was not even a single soul in sight. We tried all sorts of methods to find the way-from following footprints of man and animals to following animal dungs. Due to this random method of walking and finding the way, there were many occasion that we have to bash thru the woods.

A quick check with my watch, I realise it's 1230hrs, we've walked for 4 hours and we are not even sure of our progress. how long more to Bing Hu? Are we even half way there?

梅里雪山 Mei Li Xue Shan, originally uploaded by Jerry Tok.

We decided to stop for lunch. Chief did something unexpected. he tries to set up a fire. Notice I use the word 'tries', haha, we're not good at that. Do I know how to set up fire? Technically- Yes. Practically-Yet to find out. I learn how to set up fire in an outdoor adventure camp. So technically I know how to set p fire. In practical, the last time I set a fire was 11 years ago. I actually love fire very much but in most national park, fire is prohibited. As a true blue law-abiding Singaporean, off course I obey the authority lah. That's why 11 years also never set fire before.

So back to Mei Li. Ye, we did set up a fire after trial and error. Fire makes people happy, it gives one a sense of achievement. We almost for forget that we're 'lost'. Remember Chuck (played by Tom Hanks) in the movie Cast Away? He was rejoicing and doing the fire dance the first time he successfully set up a fire. We were rejoicing at our fire, minus the fire dance.

After lunch, I thought it's time to pack up and go back to ShangYuBeng. Chief decided to press on. At that point of time, I'm not sure if that was smart move. My concern is getting back t o ShangYuBeng before the sun sets at 6pm. Anyway, we proceed on. The trail gets thicker and thicker, At the deepest, the snow reaches above the knee level. Times like this, you wish you'd a gaiter with you. Snow starts to get into your shoes wetting your socks as a result.

Eventually, we gave up the idea of getting to Big Hu. So we poise for a picture, claiming our trek to Bing Hu. Going down was easy. Somehow, the trail looks well marked out unlike our way up. We got back to ShangYuBeng before sunset.

梅里雪山 Mei Li Xue Shan, originally uploaded by Jerry Tok.