Despite all my big plans to look around in Beijing the morning before we leave to Tai'an I spend the whole morning in bed, sleeping, resting. It's good to catch up with a little bit of sleep after all this running around. The train leaves in the early afternoon and we take the taxi to Beijing South Railway Station. Forty minutes through the city, mostly going at 80km/h, hardly ever stopping and the never-ending stream of offices, hotels, big buildings do not waver once. I think I've said it before but this is a f***ING HUGE city. And modern. I've never seen such a luxurious train terminal before, it easily beats Schiphol. It's not really fair as it's been built only two years ago - for the Beijing 2008 Olympics - but still. The train looks like a smaller, newer cousin of the Japanese Shinkanzen and once inside we speed silently at 204km/h towards Tai'an. Modern luxury.

China however cannot deny its true characters... on the way back, National Day approaching, all of China goes on the move. Visiting family, every form of transportation is filled to the brim. Especially trains. We cannot get seating tickets and are thus issued blank ones. Meaning you'll have to stand. The train is crowded, chaotic and at every stop we hawk upon people disembarking to claim their seats before somebody else does.

The economy is moving relentlessly ahead with an average GDP growth of 9%. And this - as I believed earlier - is probably not just made up by the census bureau. For the most part of the four hour trip we see constant construction. Office block, housing, but mostly infrastructure. New train tracks are built everywhere, most of them elevated. Incredible to see so much work going on at once.

The Chinese can revere anything that's living or dead, and it's no different with this mountain. Of the 'Five Sacred Mountains' in China Mt. Taishan is the most revered. Emperors built palaces at its summit plateau of 1540m and more than 6200 steps lead up there. We will conquer these on foot, while in the old days the emperor just sat on his fat butt and had himself be carried up. What's the fun in that?

The steps lead through numerous temples, shrines and hundreds of obelisks, rocks, inscribed with Chinese wisdoms and religious text. Along the way hawkers are selling all kinds of crappy souvenirs and rush at you the moment you show the slightest interest in their merchandise. Fun, fun, fun. Why would I want cowboy-hats, a crossbow, or wooden swords? Some things remain a mystery forever. Also a mystery, but I've already noticed this at the Great Wall, is the overall fitness of the population. Especially girls. All dressed up in running shoes, jumpers, they have to stop after twenty or so steps, hold onto the handrail, wheeze pant. Out of breath, exhausted they smile at me as I see them there half-dead and the only thing they manage to say is "Soo tired". Really funny to see.

Finally, after about five hours of going up we make it to the top. 1.1km closer to heaven. Or in heaven if it were up to the Chinese. But pissed. Mostly pissed. The evening before during a conversation with a local, we found out the temperature at the top would be about 5-7 degrees. Very cold. So I've carried a sweater in my backpack all the way to the top, but what's even worse; had to rush off in the morning to buy shoes. Cause that is just too cold to go jumping around in sandals. There I am, at the top, the sun is shining and its welcoming warmth is more than enough for sandals, shorts. But noo, I'm wearing a pair of black&white basketball shoes... shoes I would never buy nor wear at home. Never anyone!

The view is a bit misty, but maybe it's better this way. We cannot see the city at the foot of the mountain and only see smaller tops engulfed in clouds. It feels like you are in some other place entirely. Especially when we walk away a bit from the crowds, lean against the pillars of a small pagoda, close eyes and just enjoy the sunshine on your face. I put the sweater to good use and put it on, as just sitting down is a bit cold. After resting out sufficiently - I am mainly waiting for the others who are out of breath - four of us continue a bit further to the top-top. A few more stairs, but nothing serious but we are treated to a beautiful view of the other side.

By now it is around five in the afternoon and the others are reluctant to set foot on another single step. We take the cable car and then the bus down... I join them as I will not walk down by myself. In the evening we have another delicious dinner. China has the best food I have ever tasted out of all the Asian countries I've been to so far. It's best to leave this place as soon as possible less I want to enter next year's sumo championships...