I climbed a mountain

August 30th I decided to climb this mountain.

The problem was I didn't know how to get to it.

It took some time, and I was able to take

 this visually appealing photo (left).

I came across this clearing 

and felt like it would be a good place to start. For the next hour I pushed my way up the mountain through thick brush. It went a little something like this: 

When I was especially fatigued, I sprawled out on 

top of the bushes I was climbing over... 

Right around the time that I started having flashbacks of the never-ending stair-climber

 workout machine, I came across a pathway leading to a clearing... 

I was pretty thirsty, considering I did not know that the path you see in one of the pictures led 

all the way up mountain. So, I proceeded to engage in the most difficult but necessary conversations with the two gentlemen in this picture, asking them if the water was clean to drink. Thinking I could use sign language as the universal communicator, I pointed to a water-dispensing tube and made a drink motion with my hand and a scrunched, inquisitive face. The men transcended my expectations, as they did not provide a simple yes or no answer. They just continued in conversational Cantonese,  ignoring my drinking gestures, perhaps admiring the liters of sweat spurting from my hot epidermal layers. Finally, "Drink! Drink!" he said. That was all I needed to hear, and this man was as good as a marine biologist.

The next hour was spent climbing the remaining distance and admiring the view. I was pissed off when I reached the top... ... apparently. A

ctually, I was very happy, stunned, and at peace...  ... with much armpit hair. Here is some footage I took. (For those reading my blog and aren't completely internet-savvy, you can click the underlined word "here" and view footage. You can also leave comments on my blog, email me at jacobcarrigan@gmail.com, or send me mail): 

Lingnan University HC-105A

8 Castle Peak Road

Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong

On top of a mountain nearby was the structure you see in the picture here. What is it? I don't know.

As I mentioned earlier, there was clearing with men living on the mountain. Or, I think they lived up here. There is a large buddhist influence, with graves

 like this sporadically built on the mountain. And figurines like this. There are places like this. I want to learn more about it.

As I made my way back down the mountain, I returned to the original clearing I had found earlier. Different men were there. I asked them if it was okay to drink the water. They said, "No!" "There is bacteria in it!" "Do not drink!" in much better English than guy number one.

I'm made it down the mountain with enough strength about me to appreciate the eye trick this picture I took plays on you (look at the pants in the middle/right).

I am excited to visit more mountains. Hopefully, I will camp on the top of one or two. And hopefully the first guy was right about the water.