Happy New Year!!!

My new year was probably just like everyone elses, drank too much, kicked out of club, chased by security, buying more beer at 6.30 in the morning, getting locked out of flat, jumping out of three different decades and jumping into three different new years (bloody time zones) and having a merry time, from what I can remember. Did lose both my scarf and one of my panda hats (sympathy please) along the way. Hope everyone had a good time back home too.

We spent the friday recovering, I eventually got back into my flat at 2.30 in the afternoon, after spending a night on the couch in the boys apartment. We basically did nothing that day, but had high ambitions for the next day. So Saturday we set of in search of a mountain. Not just any mountain, one of the five sacred mountains in China - Hengshan. Armed with our phrase books, guide books and Scott we eventaully made it to the town of Hengshan, which according to our Chinese friends is one hour bus ride away, a grand 2 and half hours later we arrived. Since it was now 12 o'clock we were slightly concerned about how much time we were going to have up there. Even more when we discovered the last bus back to Changsha was at 4. eeeehhhhhh what to do???

My guide book says there are hotels up there, so a hotel it is, we'll find one on the way. We wanted to be at the peak for sunset, so we got a bus half way up, then a cable car to the topish. There was still a heafty walk once of the cable car to get to the peak, and we still had not seen a single hotel. It was now nearly 5 o'clock (massive queue to get onto cable car) and we were fast approaching the peak, and alas a hotel insight, but how much??? I would never have thought it, but haggling for a hotel room paid off. For the five of us, 400yuan for a double room, ensuite, and a twin room. Not complaining since our stay here was unexpected. Agreed Anna and I double, the three boys were gonna share the twin.

We then set back on our way, knowing we were now safe and not staying in the wilderness tonight. The peak was only a further 10 min walk from our hotel and we were there in plenty of time for the sunset. No photo can do it justice. There is temple at the top, but some of the path is blocked off, probably for saftey reasons - but there was a better view there. So over some walls, walking through some old disgarded wood (with rusty nails) we received the most amazing views of the sunset, you could see for miles around, and apart from the drastically dropping temperatures (who'd have known that at nearly 1300 metres up it gets cold) it was perfect.

Our hotel was one of two this far up the mountain, on this peak at least (there may have been hotels on one of the other 70 peaks) and we stopped of at the other hotel for dinner, just to check it out and to have a few beers. Walking back to our hotel - i've never seen so many stars!!! however pitch black trying to walk back, oh well in the safty of our hotel more beers. Anna was feeling ill, and Scott wanted early night cause he wanted to go for a run b4 sunrise (wtf?) so they ended up taking the twin room. Soren, Matt and I (with some stolen duvets from other open hotel rooms) finally settled down for the night with no heating and only the few beers we'd consumed to keep us warm. We all went to bed fully dressed with our own individual blankets wrapped firmly around us, however with the freezing temperatures,and three in one bed led to a terrible night sleep by all.

Sunrise and of to the sunrise set terrace for more spectacular views of the range of mountains and the slowly rising sun, which although we were there at 6.30 didn't really make its full appearance till nearly an hour later. Scott didn't have his run, realising that running down hill in the dark wasn't the wisest of thoughts. only glad he discovered this before hurting himself.

We took a very lazy strole down the mountain after this, losing Scott on the way (typical of him though) and seeing many of the sights along the way. Was gonna be an impossible task to see everything as there is so much up there but we tried our best and with our tired hungry bodies we made it to the bottom and back on a bus to Changsha. It's not like us, but we stopped at MacDonalds at the bus station as we pulled in after one of thee bumpiest rides ever (no chance of sleeping). The oddest thing happened there though, a massive queue however one of the serving people came out and took our order, and even showed us to some seats (actually made a chinese women move for us) and then once ordered brought our stuff to us. Not sure if I should be offended that they thought we were that incapable of placing an order or if we were thought of that highly just cause we were white to be given such special treatment. Anyhoo taxi home - we didn't wanna have to walk up the hill to our flat, however the taxi driver stalled at the bottom of the hill and made us walk, so made no difference.

Lesson plans!!!!! crap, sure i'll think of something for them 2morrow - think i'll just review everything we have done whilst i've been here to help finalise my time coming to an end. Then off to bed for some well deserved sleep.