(1) A Walk On The Wild Side - The Great Wall Hike. Undoubtedly the best way to see the Great Wall is to see the wild and unrestored parts in its full splendour and glory. No crowds to jostle with, the wall in full view, take as many photos as you want without framing in other people, see the wall stretches out into the distance etc. What more can anyone ask for? A marvel that survived the modern times that no one should miss in this lifetime.
(2) Meeting Baby Miracle from the Szechuan Earthquake. I could still recall the excitement in me during the nearly 2 hours long journey to Mianyang to visit Song Xinyi. I think she and her family, unknowingly, taught me lessons in life which I could never have learned any other way.
(3) Nightswimming - The Night Climb up Mount Huashan. With torch lights, faint lightings and moonlight, we literally "feel" our way up the mountain in the dark of the night.....and we were the only group going up that night!
(4) Starry Starry Night - Viewing the picturesque night skies up on Huashan full of stars and constellations that looked so near and yet so far....all in freeze frame mode too! For your eyes only as the available cameras at that moment could not capture it. Vaguely we consigned it all to memory however faint the memories were at that point in time with fatigue setting in.
(5) Catching the daybreak and sunrise atop Huashan. One of those things that makes the climb up so worthwhile. A great way to start a brand new day after all the legwork getting up there.
(6) The plank walk on the cliff of Huashan. The best way to describe this was best echoed by one of the co-climbers - "No hesitation doing it a second time after coming back from the first one". It was that exciting and memorable. I was having serious second thoughts after seeing the conditions descending down to the starting point but it only took a split second to change my mind considering the difficult climb up here and also I might never get to return to this place. So it was "here goes nothing" and "just do it". Anyone afraid of heights will forever banish the fear after completing this walk.
(7) Reaching the highest peak of Huashan. It would not be complete without reaching the highest peak of any mountains. The views, the sigh of relief, the sense of achievement.....makes the way down a mere stroll in the park.
(8) Dinner overlooking the Bell Tower in Xi'an, the company, the food, the wine, the occasion(s) - everything was perfect! On New Year's Eve too!
(9) The Szechuan Earthquake DVD. The closest thing to actually being there. We all tend to forget about the disaster after a while, this trip made by those brave souls show the aftermath of the quake and the life of living in the disaster areas after the quake. I salute these brave souls as well as those affected by the quake who are still in the midst of returning back to normal life. Death is easy, living is the hardest part.
(10) Muslim Quarters, 清真寺 The Great Mosque (Xi'an). A unique convergence of cultures between things Muslim and things Chinese.
(11) 灌汤包 (Xi'an). I still drools thinking about these!
(12) Cycling round on top the City Walls of Xi'an. Seeing the old and the new in one round trip. Not many places in this world that you could see almost an entire city in less than 2 hours on a bicycle.
(13) Big Wild Goose Pagoda & the water fountain show. Mounting a pagoda and seeing the narrowing pathways upwards is quite an experience in itself. Along the way - the Buddha relics, the scriptures, works of art on the walls and the panoramic views. The water fountain show in the night is a sight to behold too!
Add in between Nos. (3) thru' (13) --> Dathy, Dathy and more Dathy!!!
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