Early this morning, everyplace I tried to find a cache at, was closed. By the time I walked all the way from the hostel I stayed at, over 2.5 miles away, the weather had warmed up and the park was open.
I paid two Yuan to enter and was greeted by a couple of old Chinese men drawing calligraphy on the stone courtyard, with long paintbrushes, dipped in water. Seeing me, one of the men grabbed my attention, then he spelled out the word “Happy” in English and said “Happy New year” then next to that, he painted the image of a rat. The water darkened the stone and I understood that it would fade away as soon as the water dried. It reminded me of the work Tibetan monks do with sand mandala’s. They painstakingly draw out intricate designs only when finished to let the wind blow them away or to be washed away by water.
Figure 4: 写书法的大爷
I walked around the park taking in the festive hanging lanterns. Everyone seemed excited to celebrate the coming new year. Snow laid on the ground in small piles or in patches where the trees blocked the sun on the north side of the man made mountain, stubbornly refusing to yield to the warmer temperatures.
I searched for a few traditional caches in the park, but was either unsure of the coordinates or not comfortable with leaving the path to search further. I thought about the “Wesley Crusher” scenario and thought better of breaking unknown foreign laws or customs and racked up the dnfs.
Finally, I turned my attention to the mountain at the center of the park. Many paths meandered up the steep rock covered slope. I was in awe of the massive feat it must have taken to literally “Move a Mountain” and pushed hard, climbing to the top, my lungs burning with the cool morning air. I made it to the top where people posed for pictures and stood surveying the scene in all directions. I was amazed when I looked out to the view of the south. The forbidden city laid out in such clear perspective. I had planned on visiting it today, but after seeing so many buildings and the scale of it, thirty minutes or a few hours just wouldn’t have served it justice and took a few extra moments enjoying it from this vantage point before looking for the requirements of the virtual cache.
The best part of Geocaching is the locations that it takes you to. This was an awesome spot, and I’m so glad that I got the chance to experience it.
