Days 23 & 24: (by Chris)

Today we set off up the holy mountain Mt Emishan. Starting at 700m and climbing to 3070m over two days. The lower slopes were shrouded in mist and sub-tropical forest with the occasional monkey jumping out and attacking you and your biscuit-filled rucksack. No monkey gets between me and my lunch and his onslaught was short lived.

We stayed in a Buddhist monastery dormitory for the night and woke to a glorious golden sunrise well above the clouds. We stood in the crisp morning air captivated by the glorious scenery, until a Chinese man loudly snorted up a huge lump of green phlegm and spat it onto the floor with a wet splat. This the more usual morning experience for us; most Chinese do this without the slightest hint of embarrassment wherever they might be. We climbed hundreds more steps, Amy found an earth worm 16inches long and we passed lots of snack bars. These were wooden shacks where someone is selling refreshments that they have hauled up the mountain on their backs. A lot of vendors were selling bottled water and if nothing else I admired the challenge they'd set themselves on a mountain riddled with fresh-water springs. At the summit we found a wide stone staircase below a huge golden statue of a golden multi-headed person sat on lots of elephants. The view was spectacular and we saw gargantuan snow covered mountains in the distance where we are heading next. The leg burning climbs of the Himalayas Beckon, much to Amy's displeasure.