Getting high on beauty and bliss

In China, it is difficult to find a place that provides both beautiful views and a peaceful atmosphere. But I got lucky recently when I went on a trip to Simingshan, a mountainous area in Zhejiang province.
We started in downtown Shanghai after lunch and the bus trip to Simingshan in Yuyao City took just over three hours. The journey was more interesting since we were able to enjoy the sunset and the beautiful curves of the newly built Hangzhou Bay Bridge. Also, we played cards on the bus to kill time.
It was almost dark when we arrived at Siminghu Resort. When I opened the windows of our hotel room, I couldn't see anything or hear a sound except for the wind.
The next morning, however, I discovered a small lake and forest right outside and it was such a pleasant surprise. Imagine: a person from a concrete jungle sleeping in a green oasis with a real lake instead of the small overused pool in my neighborhood.
The Simingshan National Forest Park is a top local attraction, especially during summer when the temperature is lower than in the nearby cities. Winter, however, is low season and we found few other visitors.
During our walk in the park, we came across a small but beautiful lake, surrounded by bamboo and trees. As there was no wind that day, the lake was still, almost like a giant mirror showing the reflection of the trees. It reminded me of the scene in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The guide asked us to shout "aah" as loud as possible to "get rid of the pressure we brought from Shanghai". We shouted like crazy people in the open mountain area. I had never shouted that loud before, but it felt good!
Walking along the stone-paved passage, we climbed onto the mountain, which is a little less than 1,000 m high. On the way, we passed a pavilion where you can rest, and we saw hundreds of strange plants, for which the mountain is famous.
Finally, we arrived at the "observatory", which is a platform built on the mountain. The platform provided a beautiful view of the valley and mountains nearby, which are good places to take photos.
After walking up and down, we developed an appetite and then enjoyed a big lunch in the forest park restaurant. A weird array of dishes was offered, including deep fried wild rabbit. The local rice wine was also delicious and everyone asked for more.
In the afternoon, the guide led us to another important scenic spot in the park - Shui Lian Dong (Waterfall Cave). It was a long walk down, about 5 km, we were told, but walking in the quiet mountain was an interesting experience. You could hear the beautiful sound of the transparent stream alongside the path.
As it turned out, the cave was a little disappointing and not as marvelous as we were led to believe. The guide told us the mountain was famous for its waterfall and would have been more enjoyable after heavy rain. Even though we didn't see a gorgeous waterfall, it was worth the trip to just walk and breathe fresh air.
Nearby there was a small lake called Yangtian Lake, a nice place to rest and do some reading in the sunshine when it isn't too cold.
The next day, when we left the mountain to visit the nearby city of Shaoxing, I felt a little uneasy to find so many visitors around. After two days in the isolated mountain, I almost forgot there were so many people in the world.
Shaoxing City, which is just an hour's drive from Simingshan, is good for shopping. It is also well known for many delicious dishes like candy, dried vegetables (mei gan cai), salty beans (hui xiang dou) and rice wine.
It is also the former home of the late, great writer Lu Xun and near his old home is a shopping street for tourists.
(China Daily 01/01/2009 page10)