Field Trip to Shidu 十渡

Monday, July 26th, 2010 in: News, Travel

The second field trip organized by the school was announced shortly after I suggested to Alan we take the students somewhere nice to forget about city life for a bit, a place with clean water we aren’t afraid to step into, maybe with some nice mountains to boot. Within a week there was a sign-up sheet for a field trip to Shidu, the land of Ten Ferries.

There’s a lot you can do at Shidu, especially because there are so many different parts you can visit. We arrived at the foot of a long wooden bridge across an expansive river carefully controlled with a series of dams. Everyone trundled across the bridge, rocking it enthusiastically to the disdain of some. We wandered a bit on the opposite shore, and loitered around the seemingly random stalls with various carnival-style games. Eventually everyone just started walking up the wide footpath that led away from the river, for no particular reason.

That footpath, after passing a cable car station under construction, turned into a rather grueling hike in the sticky humidity, winding through the valley floor but slowly making its way to higher ground. Sometimes aided by metal stairways bolted to the cliff face, the trail was mostly hand-laid stone pavement, uneven and unforgiving on those of us who came expecting to play in the water wearing flip flops instead of hiking boots. Which was all of us.

The view at the top an hour later was quite nice, but not quite as nice as the break that followed, in which we all sighed in relief that we had already reached he apex of our journey, and that all we had to look forward to now was a rapid descent followed by terrible shinsplints. Back at the base of the hike, we got a variety of dried fruits and nuts to snack on as some people enjoyed the various games available. Julie and Marion tumbled around inside a giant inflatable tube, while Bill, Charlie and Andrew puttered around in bumper boats, getting soaked by the mist of the cascading waterfall above us.

After we’d all had our fun, we got back on the bus and went for a late lunch in someone’s courtyard. Whole chicken in a pot, various stir-fried dishes, and a warm beer. The walk back took us past the bus and a stable of horses for hire, to another section of river dammed up for some leisurely rafting on bamboo skiffs. Everyone dropped their cellphones into a bag and donned orange life vests which must have been as old as myself–a necessary safety precaution for the shallow waters. Once we got downstream from the dock, I slipped out of my vest and dove into the water. After six weeks of being landlocked in Beijing, I was excited by the prospect of being in water I could actually swim in. The surface water was warmed by the sun, but a foot down the cold mountain stream bit into my legs. It was worth breaking the rules for. I hopped from one raft to another before returning to the one I shared with Megan, and we spent the rest of our boat ride idly floating on our backs as the others splashed each other playfully. Lying there in quiet relaxation with the gentle sun kissing our faces through the mask of clouds, for the first time in months I let the stress and uncertainty of this transient existence get carried away with the flowing river, and in that moment, I was aware of my own happiness.

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