A few thoughts on my China travels - 5 years later

When I look back at the words and images that I put together at the age of 24 it feels like a lifetime has passed me by.

At work I recently was signed up to a presentation bootcamp (not of my own doing, might I add) and on our second day we were asked to stand up in front of our group and give a presentation on anything of our choosing.

I thought long and hard about what I was going to speak about and was almost about to give a speech on animal testing but decided it might be too much of a heavy subject. Instead, I decided I would talk about one of my passions: hiking.

I stood at the front of the room nervously, trying to remember everything I had learned about presenting prior to this moment and I started to talk about how my love for hiking began.

It all started with China. Well actually it all started with me wanting more from life.

I wanted a challenge. I wanted to get fit.

My 29 year old self laughs at how gruelling I thought 10km a day could be but then I remember that those 10km were not on a steady terrain but often on ground that was in a state of disrepair. I remember the laughs and bonds that I shared with my team over the course of that five days and how hard these amazing people worked for the causes that they were raising money for. I remember how tough the steps were and the feeling that they were never going to end. I remember being forever thankful for my trekking poles that took my weight and gave me support when I needed it. I remember the smog and the overcrowded train stations and the people who were spitting out their lungs on the carpet of the train...and anywhere else that they could. I remember being in awe of seeing the Terracotta Army in Xi'an and I still can't fathom what I saw but I have the photos to prove that it wasn't just a dream. I remember the Panda Research Centre in Chengdu and wondering if these beautiful animals would ever be able to be released and protected in the wild.

I remember coming back home and having a hard time finding the words to describe what an amazing adventure I'd had because you just had to be there to understand. There's also that feeling that people may not find your trip interesting so you just round it off by telling them that it was 'awesome'.

Life takes over and the memories start to fade but you never forget how something made you feel.

I hope to carry that feeling for years to come.

China Archives - A Brief Exploration: Part VII

A brief exploration

20.10.11

Today we had the opportunity to do a little site seeing around the main attractions in Beijing.

We went to see the Temple of Heaven which is a beautiful and enormous complex of religious buildings which are definitely worth going to see. There is so much going on such as large groups ballroom dancing; people playing some form of badminton where they kick a colourful feathery shuttlecock to each other; Tai Chi, groups of locals playing cards and dominoes as well as other games I didn’t recognise.

A visit to Beijing wouldn’t be complete without visiting Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (possibly my favourite area). Tiananmen Square was immense and crowded and not without its quirks; one of which was a Chinese mother holding her child over a bin to do her business (better than the floor though right?). My expression when I turned around to see that was probably priceless and no, on this occasion I did not take a picture.

I wish I would have had a few days to go exploring alone to see the ‘real’ China too though rather than being in the shadow of thousands of tourists. We did however have the opportunity to visit the Silk Market alone. Flagging down our own taxi was quite interesting! The traffic as you can probably imagine is absolutely manic here and you could easily get run down without anybody  noticing it happened. It was such a buzz though.

Our next challenge was navigating the enormous train station to take a sleeper train to Xi’an. The station was crowded with thousands of passengers making their way to various destinations. A lot of people were dragging big bags of heavy crops. 

As we walked briskly to our carriage I looked up to the sky and noticed how heavily polluted this city was. The sky was pink and smoggy, I can understand why people cover their noses and mouths.

The cabin rooms were extremely snug and consisted of two bunk beds on either side plus a small table by the window. I think I only stayed awake for a few hours in total as I wasn’t feeling too well – the whole journey was twelve hours long (8pm-8am) so having the opportunity to stretch out and have a nap was very welcome. 

I remember waking up in the middle of the night desperately needing the loo but because the train had stopped for a break I couldn’t go. The toilets don’t operate whilst the train is not in motion so that was a long hour to wait! It was interesting to see the habits of the Chinese – such as spitting on the ground (yes even on the carpets of the train, lovely). 

First impressions of Xi’an? Loved it! All the buildings had arched roof edges and the city had a nice feeling about it. After breakfast in a fancy hotel, we went to see the Terracotta Army. It was unbelievable! I’ve seen them on TV but nothing prepares you for the scale of the area in real life. In the first pit there were approximately 6000-8000 warriors as well as horses which were rebuilt. There were still a lot of terracotta bodies which were broken and could still be seen lying around half unearthed in the pit. It’s just mind-blowing to imagine how long it took to make each statue and all with unique faces!

After having some lunch we went to visit a mosque and a traditional market place. It was brilliant! I could have spent hours going around every market stall each selling their own original goods and interesting foods. 

On our final leg of the journey we had the chance to go to Chengdu and visit the Panda breeding Centre. I even had my picture taken with a baby! This was the first time I had ever seen a Panda and I was amazed by how much smaller they were in real life! They’re really amazing to watch and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to see them. I really hope that they plan to eventually find a way to release these amazing creatures back into the wild where they belong.

I definitely plan to cross paths with China again in the future. It was an incredible journey that I will remember for the rest of my life with some of the greatest people I have ever met and I recommend anyone planning a trek to book with CharityChallenge as they were brilliant!

If you have any questions that I haven’t answered in my blog, drop me a message and I'll be happy to fill you in on the details.

Adventures in Malta - Hiking from Mellieha to Mgarr

Over the last couple of years hiking has become a big part of my life.

It all started with an offer from a good friend of mine to join him on a trip he was planning in Morocco. Without a second thought I had said 'YES' and was both joining his training groups and doing my own training to get into some kind of shape to trek up a mountain.

I promise that there will be more on that another time!

For today I wanted to share with you a recent hike in the understated but beautiful countryside of Malta.

My brother and his two gorgeous kids joined me and we had quite a full day. Although it was 20km, it's a relatively easy hike so my nephew and niece had no problem keeping up. They were pretty exhausted by the end of it all though!

Below is a rough outline to our hike. We basically started from the Solana Hotel in Mellieha and ended at the church in Mgarr.

Spotted this little fella! It was so well camouflaged that my brother almost stepped on it.

The beautiful clay hills at Ghajn Tuffieha

This hike took us through the Il Majjistral Nature & History park which in Spring time is already quite dry and arid, but beautiful nonetheless.

It's also quiet which is quite a rarity in Malta.

When people say that Malta is small and dull I think it's because they haven't taken the opportunity to crawl outside of their comfort zone. Malta is certainly small, but there are so many hidden gems that I'm still discovering even after fourteen years.

So what are you waiting for? Get on your booties and start making memories!

Reynisfjara beach

The rugged coastline of Reynisfjara makes you feel like you've stepped into a fantasy novel.

Jagged rocks, rough rolling waves and a grey foreboding skyline is a dramatic as it gets! And then of course there's the black sand...

If you're travelling around the south of Iceland then a stop at this beach is highly recommended! Be careful not to get too close to the sea though as this beach is not for swimming. The sea is rough and has caught people unexpectedly before, the most recent I think was in February this year. I don't think I've ever seen waves as high as they were!

I loved looking at the pyramid like rock formations, it reminded me of The Giants Causeway in Ireland (just from photos as I haven't been there yet).

The surroundings weren't bad either ;) 

Hiking on a Glacier in Iceland

This was one of those moments that should have been on my bucket list but that I never quite thought to put on it. 

We woke up early as we did with every other trip we took to make our way for the pick up to the glacier hike. Sólheimajökull is in the south of Iceland and is connected to the Mýrdalsjökull glacier which lies atop a large volcano called Katla Caldera and may erupt at any time! The icelandic community have been waiting awhile. Hopefully not today, I thought quietly.

Unfortunately due to effects of climate change this glacier has continued to melt so I guess we should feel fortunate that we were able to experience laying a foot on the ice and snow.

We pulled up in the car park and our guides promptly came to greet our group. We were provided with crampons and an ice axe each and were then given a brief introduction to the glacier as well to dos and not to dos. The not to dos were particularly important since one wrong step could have been the difference between life and death. Unfortunately we had some particularly ignorant people in our group who were more interested in taking selfies than paying attention and they were simply lucky that the guides were there to make sure that they didn't end up killing themselves!

This angle makes my head look larger than normal. Ha!

Crampons - on!

As we walked towards the glacier there was no denying just how incredibly fascinating this region was. It was breathtaking (and not just because it was cold). 

Mountains reflected perfectly into lakes of crystal clear water.

I could just imagine the glacier moving beneath our feet; changes in the landscape barely noticeable but ever present. We carried on forward, taking heed of our guides footsteps and were split into two groups for a safer hike. The walk wasn't at all tough so I would say that most people would have no trouble on this trip even without any hiking experience. At the time that we were there I was in training for another event so this was great practice with crampons and an ice axe!

The glacier ice was a piercing blue which we found out was caused by the ice absorbing every colour in the spectrum (except for blue!). I think that's the very short version of the reason ;)

 

I do strongly recommend taking this trip but never go it alone on a glacier! There are hidden sinkholes in places you wouldn't think twice of stepping onto and you need some expert guidance to keep you safe.

Our trip was booked with Grayline again as we had really enjoyed ourselves on the first Golden Circle trip and this one was no exception. 

A moulin. Scary as! The guide held on to us to take a closer look.

Have you hiked on a glacier before? What sticks in your memory the most?