Hiking Mt. Lishan 

Yesterday was beautiful so two friends and I caught the bus to Mr. Lishan for a day of hiking and somewhat by accident, horseback riding.  The mountains were green with dense vegetation and little flower gardens spread out along the paths.  The climb to the top was a bit exhausting and the ride down on a horse a bit harrowing ... we followed a very narrow path / gully that was very uneven and steep but fortunately the horses knew the route and we arrived safely at the bottom.  I was a little stiff today but  it was well worth it to have had the beautiful views cutting through the thick woods.  We ended up on the horses when one of our group decided to just have her picture taken so I decided to also get on a horse for a photo op ... then all of a sudden we were heading out and down a trail.  The 3rd person in our group then realized that we were going down the mountain so she also hopped on a horse and followed us down.  We had a great laugh and walked a little bow legged as we started up another trail.

We hiked to the top of this peek

My horse "jingled" all the way down the mountain

Mt. Lishan is about 45 minutes from Xi'an with the Huaging Hot Springs at the foot of the mountain and close to the Terracotta Warriors.  Its history goes back to the 11th century BC and many imperial villas are found in this area because it was a vacation destination for  the emperors.  Also many legends about the emperors take place in this area.  More modern history includes the capture of Chiang Kai-shek by the Republic of China generals who then forced him to fight against the Japanese during the Anti-Japanese War of 1937-1945.

climbing up the crevice between the rocks was no easy task but a good hiding place  

A Mt. Lishan Sunset is one of the eight scenic sights in Guanzhong and the Sunset Pavilion was built so people could appreciate the beautiful sunsets. From the pavilion you have a great view of the Huaqing Hot Spring, the East Garden and the Wei River. Or as you can see from this picture, the smog over Xi'an.  (today however X'an had clear blue skies and you could see the mountains off in the distance ... beautiful but rare)

brown middle layer is smog over Xi'an

The view from on top of the mountain really was spectacular

pomegranate buds / flowers

jade pool

beautiful hillside gardens

Hiking in China always involves stairs ... no matter how remote the hike, stairs have been carved or created.

I think we were being told to not climb over the fence :-)

Her mom wanted a picture and she was so cute

Check out the criteria from the speech contest last night!

Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Wuzhen on the Yangtze River Delta

May Day is one of 7 national holidays in China.  The University had April 29-30 and May 1 off but we had to make up the classes on Saturday and Sunday for April 29-30 but the classes on May 1 were cancelled since that was the official holiday.  Kind of crazy but I took advantage of the days off and traveled with friends to the east of China.  Hangzhou is the southern terminus of the "Grand Canal" and is referred to as "Heaven on Earth."  It was a beautiful city and we enjoyed taking a boat cruise on West Lake and walking through many beautiful parks.

part of the most famous restaurant in Hangzhou 

Suzhou is often called the "Venice of the East" and it was fun taking a couple of cruises on the canals. We also visited the ancient village of Wuzhen for a canal ride and walked the 1,000 year old streets.  However because of the holiday, the crowds were incredible. The group I was with were all part of the BYU China program and this was probably the last trip we will have together.  It was fun talking about all our different experiences and all that we have learned.  Even though most of us only see each other during holiday trips, we have become close friends and I will miss seeing them.  People in the group are from all over the US ... north, east, south, and west.

Side street canal 

Lots of cool bridges ... going under one bridge we can to duck

wringing our his mop in the canal 

 crowded market streets

very narrow side streets in Wuzhen

I hope these plants don't end up in the canal

trash collector

I enjoyed the names of the gardens and the people as much as the gardens ... Lingering Garden, Humble Administrator’s Garden, and Tiger Hill were my favorites. 

leaning pagoda on Tiger Hill built in the 900s

Bus driver taking a nap in the cargo department ... at least it was shade

pruning one of the many bonsai

No park is complete without some fun signs: