On our last day on the cruise ship, Ruby and I decided to join a full day activity that cost a little extra. I pushed for it a bit more because I really wanted to explore the area a bit more. I didn’t actually completely understand what the activity was about, but it looked like something about a cave and something about a mountain. That sounded good to me!
We lined up and headed toward our bus with our meal buddies. We usually ended up together because we asked for English and they did too.
The boat crew guided us towards our bus, and we loaded up. Throughout the 30-minute bus ride, our tour guide told us about the area and gave us some directions. I understood the rules, but most of the things that seemed more interesting (like myths and stories about how the area came about) were beyond my language ability. A few times our guide spoke in English, but with the microphone, I could understand even less of what she was saying.
We arrived at the cave and started walking through. Our boat had about three bus loads of people and all of them had their own guide. So there were quite a lot of people and quite a lot of microphones. Our group was last, and sometimes I tried to hang out toward the back so it was a bit quieter, but it was impossible to find much quiet in that cave.
One of my favorite things to do in caves is to turn out all the lights and sit in complete darkness and sing a song with my friends. It’s incredible to be surrounded by people I love but can’t see, knowing that just as my friends are around me, God is also with us even though we can’t see him either. It’s a beautiful thing to do. But this cave had too many lights and too many people for that. So we wandered through, looking at the stalactites and stalagmites and trying not to step on people’s toes. Some of the areas had colored lights which were cool, but much less natural.
After the cave, we headed to a restaurant for a quick lunch. The boat had advertised that this was a real Chinese meal. The restaurant was plain, it was just a boring building without any decorations. The food was about the same. I was glad that I wasn’t basing my understanding of Chinese food on that meal because I probably wouldn’t have cared to have it again.
We loaded back onto the bus and drove up into the mountains. The guide was quiet for this ride, and I enjoyed looking out at the scenery as we drove up the mountain. It was beautiful.
This portion of the trip was the most frustrating. Once we got to the top of the mountain, we were guided into the tourist center and told to use the bathroom while the guide got our tickets. Nothing felt very organized, and I was tired of being around groups and not knowing what we were doing rather than being out in nature.
We got back on the bus and finally got out on the top of the mountain, but we weren’t given any time to stop and enjoy the view because we were immediately guided onto a cable car to go down the mountain. I was disappointed, why were we going down the mountain when we had just gone to all the trouble to get to the top? But I followed the group (eventually and with lots of complaining—unfortunately, that’s sometimes how I follow God rather than trusting that His way is better than what I want to try to do).
The cable car was small and felt like a little greenhouse without much air flow, but the views were beautiful. They usually put 4 people into the car, but I asked if Ruby and I could go with just the two of us, and the guys helping people on let us do it. I was extremely thankful for the peace and quiet.
After the cable car, we got into some golf carts and finally we were at the starting point of our adventure. I didn’t really know what we were supposed to be seeing, but I was happy that we were finally free to walk on our own and explore the area.
Ruby and I started walking down the path, and it seemed like a normal park in the mountains in China. We passed a tourist stop with drinks and snacks and a place to throw a dish into a pile of other broken dishes, shattering your dish. Apparently it was supposed to bring good luck. That’s a bit different from our American superstition where breaking mirrors are supposed to bring bad luck.
There were still a lot of people on the path, but as we walked, the path changed from a normal path in the mountains to a path that was attached to the side of a cliff with a deep valley below us and high cliffs on either side of the valley.
This was the Great Rift Valley of Wuling mountain.
I looked around in awe. This was incredible! The path on the side of the cliff was cool, a nice break from the heat up above us on top of the mountain and especially the oven of the cable car.
Why do I so often fight for my own way or grumble and complain when I don’t get my way rather than trusting that sometimes, the way laid out for me is better than I could imagine?
We kept walking and passed a rock that a sign told us looked like a general from ancient China. The rock did have definite facial features, but I couldn’t make a definite comparison since I haven’t seen the general.
Further on, a shaft of light shone into the chasm where we walked. There were some dark places in the valley, but this shaft of light shone down, a beam of hope into dark places. I wanted to sing, “Light of the World,” but there were still lots of people, so I just thought about it instead. I wasn’t in the mood for a concert.
I thought about how incredible it is that Jesus left His glory above to come into our dark world, bringing hope and peace and love. He brings light to our dark places.
The drive back down the mountain was even more beautiful, and I enjoyed the mountains and the river out the window.
Our bus took us to Fuling. The boat had traveled to meet us there while we were gone. I was super excited to be in Fuling, but unfortunately, the White Crane Ridge Museum that I really wanted to visit was closed by the time we got there. I walked past it and mourned that I was so close and still so far.
We got back on the boat for our last night on board. Dinner was fancy. The servers all wore qipaos, but mostly I enjoyed the extra-good food.