The Mount Moliugong (清远阳山莫六公山)

      It's been a struggle since I came back from Dali to Guangzhou. I hopelessly find myself like a fish out of water. Though Guangzhou is my hometown, It is still tough for me to re-adjust myself to the empty busy city life. I yearn for the nature back in Yunnan, the vast dark sky, the moon and the stars, the mountains, the fungi, the fields, the rivers and the lakes, all of which bestow me a strong sense of vitality, allowing me to live a tangible life, to feel that I am part of the nature, part of the universe. 

      After ansxiously sitting at home a few days making my life look productive, I decided that I needed a hike. I have always wanted to visit Mount Moliugong in Yangshan, Qingyuan (莫六公, 阳山, 清远). Think now it's time.

      Unfortunately there aren't many transport options for Mount Moliugong,  Precisely, no any public transports. One can only get there either drive, go via a shared car or with a group of tourists. No luck in getting a shared car in such a short time, I opted for the solution that I like the least.

      Early up on Sunday morning, I took the bus then metro to the meeting point. One thing that I don't like in group travelling is that it takes forever to wait for others. It is a real torture especially during a hike when you and other group members don't share the same level of physical strengths. Anyways, finally everyone's on the bus. After about 3.5 hours' drive, we arrived to the destination. This is such a remote village where you almost never see any vehicles. I wonder how the locals get out of this place. Or perhaps, they never will.

      A lot more silly group routines needed to be done before we finally set foot in the mountains. The hills were actually not that steep at the start, yet one needed to be careful because the trekking path was pretty sandy. We could already see numerious hill slopes in distance while standing at the foot of the mountains. Rising to higher altitude, one can enjoy an all-encompassing spectacular view of the region.

       After about 30 mins, we reached the first replenishment point where people can buy water, snacks, fruit, and other local food. Several groups were having a rest there. Some laughed out loud while eating their waterelons. Being not willing to join the crowd, I climbed up onto a nearby hilltop, sat down, ate some snacks and enjoyed the beautiful landscapes.

      Obviously, I shouldn't be so anti-social in group activity. So I sat until they started the second half of the journey. Other groups went up along the mountain ridges in the beginning but our guide decided to take another path. My decision was not to follow our guide. Waited until other group members were half way on the ridges, I packed and set out to the ridges. 

     The trekking paths seem easy and straight forward in distance. However, when I climbed up to the hills, it was actually not as easy as I thought, especially with such a crowd walking along those narrow mountain roads. Without trekking poles, I used a tree branch to help balance my body weight. Going up was not a problem but going down was, since I have an injured knee. 

 

 

 

      The last bit of the hiking paths before the second supply point was narrower and steeper. There was no fences along the way and thus one had to be extra cautious in order not to fall. Passing the rest point, I supposed we could get down on the other side of the hills. Unfortunately, we had to get back to Guangzhou on the same day, so I followed their way, walking down from the route which leads to a caping site. The road for going downhill was mostly stone stairs. It was not difficult but I would not recommend if it is on a rainy day. There was another shop right next to the camp site. We went to toilets and then continued our way back. The way to the parking lot was a lot longer than I expected. Guess we spent at least 30 mins walking through fields and farms.

 

 

 

      The lady who sold pork, dried sweet potatoes, and other local stuff under the tree, was waiting for the tired tourists to come, little by little, she almost cleared her stocks! What a good business she had! I sat outside the tourist center, charging my phone, waiting for the rest of our group members to come.     

      Looking at the lady's son scaring their house dog who we would normally call "xiaohuang" (Little Yellow) in the old days, situating myself in an 80s-like remote village, this very moment reminded me of my childhood. Everything back then was so simply and joyous. We did not have much but we were happy.

 

 

      Time has passed, life has changed. There is no way I can turn the clock backward. Only half day of escape, the bus was going to give me a time travel, from 1980s to 2020s.