Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

General => General Chat => Topic started by: Matthew on July 01, 2012

Title: Hello from China
Post by: Matthew on July 01, 2012

Just a heads up to say we all arrived safe and well. 24 hours of travel has me broke. Currently staying at the traffic inn hostel in Cheng du for two nights then off to the project phase of the expedition.

Matthew

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Rusty Madra on July 01, 2012

Best of luck  :)

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Pudd on July 02, 2012

Seen you in Cotswolds the other day when I was buying my harness.  Seen you looking over thinking 'I know him from somewhere'.  Best of luck though!  Plenty of pictures though please. 

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: whoRya on July 02, 2012

Enjoy the trip, you need to with that sort of travel times!

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Matthew on July 02, 2012

Quote from: Pudd on July 02, 2012

Seen you in Cotswolds the other day when I was buying my harness.  Seen you looking over thinking 'I know him from somewhere'.  Best of luck though!  Plenty of pictures though please. 

That's exactly it chum, was not sure where I knew you from. Now I know.

Quote from: whoRya on July 02, 2012

Enjoy the trip, you need to with that sort of travel times!

We left Belfast at 130 and arrived here at close to 200 uk time.
Flight to heathrow, left heathrow at 930 ish arrived Abu Dhabi 6 odd hours. 7 hours to china with a 50 min window to clear security etc in Abu Dhabi was no fun.

Quote from: Rusty Madra on July 01, 2012

Best of luck  :)

Thanks a million.

I'll try and send wee updates when I can. Well off to breakfast here. Admin day comming up. Need to get 10,000 us dollars changed for group money and sort out tomorrow's transport to our project. Dinner tonight is hot pot, random cuts of meat which you cook in a pot of hot spicy liquid. The menu includes duck tongue, pig intestine, pork balls as in balls balls, pork brain and thankfully American style beef.

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: LennyJ1 on July 02, 2012

Have a good time Matt, take care.

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Wolf_Larson on July 02, 2012

Safe trip and have fun.

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Matthew on July 02, 2012

Cheers guys. Another day over and everything sorted, kit washed and everything charged or charging.

It's the project tomorrow for six days so I'll get back on when I get Internet access again. All kit working perfectly, power monkey never fails to impress and the waterproofs are being well tested. Well done to rab's repair facility. Mountain hard wear bag Woking a treat too.

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: RedLeader on July 02, 2012

When I Google Cheng Du I get a Chinese takeaway in Leicestershire, did you definitely get on the right plane :P

Keep us posted if you can and have a great time!

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: whoRya on July 03, 2012

Hey Matt I bumped into your mum, she says you left these behind.

(http://www.alpkit.com/shop/images/pi_16303.jpeg)

From here (http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16303&category_id=283)

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: RedLeader on July 03, 2012

Ultralight conductors batons. I suppose you never know when you might be called upon to lead an orchestra on a mountain  ::)

Quote from: whoRya on July 03, 2012

Hey Matt I bumped into your mum, she says you left these behind.

(http://www.alpkit.com/shop/images/pi_16303.jpeg)

From here (http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16303&category_id=283)

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Lisa on July 03, 2012

So jealous!

I also seen you in Cotswold with Pudd :)

Have an awesome time!

Lisa

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Matthew on July 08, 2012

Thanks guys.

Jonno I saw those chopsticks and got them for a birthday present for the other teacher I'm away with. I'm positively native with them
Now lol.

Just back from our project phase and well tired. We were there to make a hut for a family but the local village mayor shut us down. We ended up teaching and farming with allot of hanging around.

Accommodation was far from ideal very very basic an the toilets were dry compost type affairs. Not great. I opted for the tend a comfy alternative.

Food was ok lots an lots of spicy vegetables pigs ear and tail was the only meat we had.

Spent the day looking in computer hyper markets and milling round the city looking at fake north face kit  and Rab perte yes perte not pertex kit lol.

Dinner consisted of pigs feet and chickens feet in spicy sauce, I'm not joking here. Very very tasty. The boys went elsewhere an played meal bingo, ending up with rats head, eyes and the delicacy rats tongue. Not messing photos to prove it!

Tomorrow is more shopping then food shopping for the acclimatisation trek. 3500mts straight up, fun times. That should take three - four days.

Matthew. 

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Kayakgirl on July 08, 2012

Pork balls?? Bet you that's not the first time
You've had balls in your mouth lol

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Matthew on July 09, 2012

Ha ha very good. I can confirm, however, no balls haver ever passed my mouth lol.

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: LandyLiam on July 09, 2012

sounds like they cook every park of the pig except the squeak, i'd avoid the pork sausage  ;)  have a great trip  :)

Title: Re: Hello from China
Post by: Matthew on July 09, 2012

Mate, don't worry they sell that too.


Off to bed here, we are off on the four day trek to emei Shan it's 4 hrs by bus from here and 3099 mts high. We gain 1000 mts in a day. The entire thing is done by a series of 3000 steps aparently. We are staying at a
Monastry.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emei_Shan

On the scary side I managed to pack food and kit into my 35 l mountain hardwear bag. Hope I have enough.

Matthew

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emei_Shan