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Following our hectic itinerary that took us to the end of Beijing, we were keen to have a chilled couple of days to recharge before heading to Shanghai.
We arrived in Moganshan on the night train from Beijing and was greeted by our guide Dexter, a Chinese national who lives in Shanghai and has just finished his studies. Following an hour transfer in a taxi we arrived at a quiet and picturesque village in the hills with one of the nicest hostels I've stayed in.
Our first activity was a trek up the Moganshan peak which was a pretty strenuous task! We were also told to watch out for snakes because the taxi driver said he'd spotted one. The information we were given on starting the trip also explained that there is a snake called the seven step snake which bites feet and can kill you after seven steps. Once at the top the view was incredible and we had a chance to chill before being driven to chairman Mao's old temporary summer house for a wander round. The house was very unassuming and not as grand as I expected. Our guide Dextor gave us loads of information on the history of Mao and the communist party.
That evening we had a much needed chill at the hostel bar. There were not many people staying at the hostel whilst we were there so atmosphere was low but it meant that we had free reign of the pool table and the wifi was rapid too!
On our final day at moganshan we woke early for an all you can eat breakfast which included a type of bacon which was heavily piled onto our plates. We then hiked through the bamboo forest to the blue lagoon where we were able to dive and swim for an hour. Before leaving to catch a taxi back to the hostel, we were approached by a film crew who were filming some sort of romantic story film at the lagoon (it's not what you're thinking). They asked if we could be extras and gave us a small acting part in the film as follows. We had to look like tourists chilling at the lagoon, a couple then approached us asking if I could take a photo of them, I agreed and took the photo. They then asked if we could have a selfie which we were all in. And that's a rap. It was all very random.
I am currently writing this from the bullet train to Shanghai where we could be due a busy few days but the last couple have allowed us to have a quiet(ish) break from the fast pace of the first few weeks.
Beard status - unruly
Acting career status - don't give up the day job.
Max.
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