Change of plan?

I’m sitting in a proper internet cafe for the first time this trip, and am taking advantage of the opportunity to check the weather forecast. So far conditions have been still and clear (except for smog) every day, generally fine though it is naturally getting colder the further north I travel. Perfect really, given the season.

However I’ve just checked the forecast for the next couple of days, and I may have to change my plans. I am intending to go to Tai’an today so I can climb the famous mountain of Tai Shan tomorrow, stay overnight on the peak then watch the sunrise before heading back down again. It’s a 7.5km journey to the summit, a hard slog but not impossible and certainly well worth the effort I’ve been told. You can go up and back in about eight hours, but it’s recommended to stay up top overnight to make the most of it.

I was expecting (hoping) conditions to stay the same for the next few days, but according to weathercity.com a front is moving in tomorrow. Winds of up to 50kmh, snow and temperatures plummeting to -14 degrees celcius. Yes, there is a minus sign in front of that number. And that’s actually for Ji’nan which is the provincial capital 65km away, up on the mountain it is bound to be much worse.

I will still go to Tai’an as planned, and see how things are on Sunday. Don’t worry I won’t be a hero, I’m quite happy to stay an extra day or two in Tai’an and chill out (no pun intended!) before conditions pick up again. And if I don’t get to climb the mountain…. well it’s an excellent reason to return here one day! I aim to meet up with Welm in Qingdao on Christmas Eve 😀