Jack Lloyd: Baiyun Mountain Hike

Yesterday, we visited Baiyun Mountain, which is something like the local equivalent of Grouse Mountain. Its peak offers views of the city of Guangzhou and the surrounding area. There are also many activities that tourists can enjoy like bungee jumping, roller luge, and roller skiing. The trails are very peaceful and the shade from the trees provides a cool relief from the hot sun which is unrelenting in the city of Guangzhou.

On the trails, one can see people of all ages enjoying the scenery and getting exercise. It is common for people to play music from speakers attached to their backpack, and hiking through the trails of Baiyun Mountain one will be exposed to an interesting assortment of songs though they are mostly tranquil and add to the peaceful setting. It is interesting to see how physically active the people are here in China.

For most of us in the group, we were looking forward to the exercise to balance out the diet of rich food that we have been getting so accustomed to eating over the past 10 or so days. For me, seeing a group of people doing tai chi just off the trail was the defining moment of the day. The image gave me a sense of serenity and comfort and I will remember that feeling long after we leave this country.