Holing up in Tai’an

Tai Shan mountain, above Tai'an

Tai Shan mountain, above Tai'an

The weather isn’t as dire as predicted, but it’s still C-O-L-D. Looking out the double-glazed window of my room it seems like it should be okay as it’s sunny and dry, but it’s tough to walk around outside for more than twenty minutes. There is no thermometer around to tell me exactly what the temperature is and the news reports won’t be on until the evening, so mid-afternoon I put a glass of water outside my window to see whether it froze. After an hour it was part ice, after three it was solid. It’s windy too. [Note: the TV news just said today’s temp range in nearby Ji’nan was -11 to -4]

I don’t expect things to improve until Tuesday, so I’ve decided to hole up for three days in Tai’an. If the weather improves I’ll climb Tai Shan tomorrow, but if not this is a fine place to relax. My modern hotel room is excellent and cheap (Y200, or $A45, a night) with comfortable double bed, cable TV with flat screen, great shower with hot hot water and that holiest of holies: central heating. Perfect for hunkering down when icy weather closes in :-)

Tai’an is a nice city, much more modern and clean than Qufu or Bengbu and its compact centre is easy to navigate. Apart from Tai Shan there is a magnificent Temple in the heart of the city and loads of internet cafes, shops and restaurants. As I write the sky is clear and has that sharp light that only a mountainous region can deliver, but even in the bright afternoon sun occasional wisps of snow float crazily through the air. It reminds me of hill country service towns in NSW like Cowra, or Canowindra: relaxed, almost sleepy, but outward-looking and welcoming to tourists. Amazing given that its population is about 800,000.

I bought Fuschia Dunlop’s foodie memoir Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper as part of my preparatory reading, but events of the last few months took over and I never got past the first chapter. Now, with time on my hands, I’ve dug it out and spent the best part of an afternoon lost in her tales of learning Sichuan cookery in Chengdu in the mid-1990s. Her delightfully descriptive writing is compelling at any time, but after a week in China I can now imagine her world with magical clarity. If you like food and/or China, this book is highly recommended.

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Born in New Zealand, now living in Australia. When I'm not travelling, that is... Though I have travelled quite a bit before, 2012 is the first time that I've taken a year off to roam the world. Spending this time with Kristen exploring some of this planet's finest sights has been the best decision I've ever made. Who knows what 2013 will bring?

3 Responses to “Holing up in Tai’an” Subscribe

  1. Victor December 23, 2008 at 5:23 am #

    We climbed Tai Shan back in 1981 staying overnight and rising early for the sunrise. The night was bitterly cold and the next morning the mountain top was shrouded in cloud and mist so no sunrise was visible. Hope you have better luck!

  2. Sue December 23, 2008 at 9:18 am #

    I went looking for the book in my local library when you mentioned it last time but they didn’t have it. I’ll have to get them to order it in for me because it does sound great. Hope you find someone fun to have a Christmas feast with – and do keep your toes warm.

  3. Damien December 24, 2008 at 3:44 am #

    Victor – I just climbed down this morning after watching the sun rise. Not perfectly clear, but better conditions than you had by the sounds of it! The whole experience was well worth it, especially making the effort to climb up and down. Bitterly cold though – temp range was -13 to -4 yesterday.

    Sue – it may be too soon for it to be at the library? I bought it new at a bookshop a couple of months ago. If you don’t find one let me know and I’ll forward you my copy when I get back :-)

    And yes, after a week or so of solo travelling I will definitely not be alone for Christmas. I train it to Qingdao today and will be spending the next couple of weeks with Welm. Hopefully we will make it to Harbin for the Ice Sculpture Festival – now that will be COLD!

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