We were fortunate to have an extended 5-day holiday this week and we took advantage by getting out of this city.  We took a bus to Deqing county and then a taxi to a small village outside of Moganshan.  We stayed at the Bamboo View Guesthouse in the middle of nowhere in between Mt. Mogan and Mt. Tianmu. 

This place is known for its freshness, bamboo greenery, coolness and seclusion.    The bamboo is the live force in these mountains.  We saw it logged, sat on, dried, eaten, basically used in every facet of their lives. Our guesthouse and 2 hostels in the village were filled with like-minded people who crave the outdoors and physical activity.   To say it was refreshing is an understatement.  

A kind family that cooks the best traditional Chinese food owns the guesthouse.   We just had to tell ‘Mama” when we wanted to eat and 30 minutes later we had an array of vegetables, rice, meat and egg in front of us.  We never knew what they were cooking but it never failed to satisfy.   I will leave the details of the meals to Zane in his next food post.  The sound of the flowing creek and the atmosphere of chickens, dogs and ducks roaming the village was so enjoyable.  An added surprise was a wedding taking place on the first night celebrated by a killer fireworks display.

We did a hike called ‘The Cake Walk” which took about 3.5 hours through the bamboo forest and tea plantations.  Our map was handwritten with questionable directions and distances so we did get lost once and almost turned back.   But alas we found the second pagoda and our way into the town of Moganshan.  It was so peaceful with amazing views.   We ended at ‘The Lodge” which is a well-known venue in town for burgers and beers.

The next day we rented mountain bikes with an adventurous, inspiring man named Christian from France.   We spent about 5 hours biking up and down Tianmu Mountain and then to the most blissful reservoir.  Most of the ride was on roads and paths except for the one overgrown single track, which was of course the wrong way. Swimming in the clean, clear and deep turquoise water of the reservoir was pure bliss that we didn’t expect to experience in China.   We ended with celebratory beers along with cuts, bruises and sunburns, which were all worth it.   Christian, next time we will be cheers with you in France!  

Our final day included a trail run through the bamboo and reading books in the sun.  Perfection.   We have so many cool pics from the trip for you to check out.   Back to reality for a little while for us as we plan our next Chinese adventure.

https://picasaweb.google.com/105315223482012434599/MoGanshan