The bus pick picked everyone up in Guomao at 8 am on Saturday morning. Once everyone checked their name on the list, a total of around 30 people, it was time to board the bus and head to Wuzhishan.
The ride took around 3 hours, and we arrived at the Fudelai Hotel in Wuzhishan city around 11 pm.
Shortly after checking into the rooms, everyone ate lunch at the hotel, relaxed a little and then headed out for the first activity of the trip which was a brief stop at the Hainan Museum, then onto a long table dinner on San Yue san public square.
Tables were dressed with banana leaves and bamboo cups were filled with Bai jiu and mi jiu which is a local liquor found around Wuzhishan. Despite the drizzling rain, everyone had a good time.
The next day was an early start, around 7 am we grabbed breakfast before heading out to tackle the mountain. The city was covered with a blanket of cloud, which soon cleared up as the sun came out.
Everyone boarded the bus and went to the starting point in Wuzhishan square. Live dancing and singing were taking place in the square whilst everyone was limbering up for the hike.
Hanging around the square gave The Haikou Guide a good opportunity to meet some of the newcomers to Haikou city and find out what they are doing here and how’s life in Hainan’s capital.
First up were Pierre and Nina. Pierre is originally from France and is now working as a marketing adviser for a company called Hainan Vedo flavours & fragrances. His wife Nina, is accompanying him while he stays in Haikou. The couple has now been in Haikou for around 2 months.
Pierre said that he thinks Haikou is beautiful, the people are nice and as he’s into water sports it’s perfect for him. Living in Haikou so close to the ocean allows him to go out windsurfing.
Pierre also shared his thoughts on the trip, “The trip has been great so far, it was good to discover a new place with mountains with all the other expats, it allows us to meet new people and find out more about Hainan island”.
Next up was another couple, Adele and G originally from South Africa, and they have been in China around a year and a half, and recently decided to make the move to Haikou. Adele said that she loves Haikou as the weather is good, the people are friendly, and there is lots to do.
At around 9:00 am the hike was off to a quick start. Walkers had the choice of either the 6 km or 12 km route.
Smiles soon turned into red faces gasping for oxygen, as the flat city roads turned into steep gradients around 1km into the hike.
Water stops were on hand at each 3km mark, volunteers handed out bottles of water, cakes and a cheer of encouragement. Local law enforcement and medics also did an incredible job of safeguarding the walkers.
At 9:59 am Gwendolene Roberts announced in our Wechat group that she had finished the 6km hike. She was the first person from our group to finish this section.
The group of around 30 had naturally divided into two sections. One half finishing at the 6km and the other at the 12km finish line.
From the 6 km point, the roads didn’t get any easier. The hills became longer and gradients became steeper making breathing shorter for those taking part. The hill twisted and turned separating groups into individuals fighting the mountain to finish in good time.
At 11:13 am Zeb Shah announced in the group that he had just finished the 12 km hike. He was first to finish from our group.
Legs aching, sunburnt and with a satisfying feeling we all jumped back on the bus and headed back to the hotel for a late lunch.
After lunch and a short rest, everyone headed back to the square for the closing ceremony of the race. Cash prizes were given to the top three places from the hike and a tea set to those that won the raffle.
After the prize-giving at the square, it was time to get back on the bus, go for dinner and take the long ride back to Haikou.
Guests attending the trip were from all corners of the globe, we had people from, Hungary, Poland, China, England, USA, Pakistan, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago.
A good turn out from the international crowd in Haikou. See you at the next one!
