Monday Holiday

Sunday is the Autumn Harvest Moon Festival. It is similar to Thanksgiving in the aspect that it is a day for families to get together and enjoy a big meal. But more importantly for me this means no work on Monday! I have been invited by some coworkers to go on a hike with them at a park that's a few miles away from the office. From the entrance it looks like a peaceful and serene place. For the most part it is. with the exception of the stairs you climb on your way to the top. These are tall and the hill is steep. The stairs never seem to end and along the way the heat and humidity begin to take a real toll on me. I have brought a bottle of water but after what turns out to be only a third of the way I've already drank almost the whole thing. I can't stop sweating. Te group consists of 8 people and one of the member's 3yr old daughter. The party is split up travelling at different paces. My eagerness is my downfall and I am quickly winded. I've marched miles of switchbacks in the Sierras, and have climbed the slippery stairs of Chichen Itza's castillo in the Yucatan, but this is one of the worst feelings I can remember. My head pounds as my stomach considers evacuating it's contents. I stop for a long rest. Other members of the party are also having trouble. I feel that my breakfast consisting of a peanut butter sandwich was a bad choice. I fish around in my pockets and delight in finding a sole piece of doublemint gum. Well maybe delight isn't the right word. Right now I'm way too close to passing out to be delighted. Several chews and the last sip of water brings me back to what I think was a close collapse. I rebound and find that the slow and deliberate approach is a wise one. a short time later I find myself at the summit. At least I thought it was the summit. It is a flat spot with several seating areas to take in the view of Shenzhen. If not for the haze it would be a site to see. You could see our office building, a giant stadium, a river winding it's way through a park, and a range of hills that I'm told is considered to be a sleeping dragon. That part is nice but what I need is a new taste in my mouth. As I consider some options of leaving the group for the nearest cab home I am given a hard boiled egg and an orange sized green fruit. The fruit turns out to be a tangerine. It is so delicious along with that hard boiled egg that I instantly recover. I am told that at the top there is a tea house where we can rest and relax.
This is all the motivation I need and soon we are doing just that. My friend Peter grabs three large "family" sized bottles of Tsing Tao while a couple of the girls Hatty and Coleinho produce several packages of breads and pastries from their backpacks. The beer is passed out to every one and we toast to our arrival after the gruelling ascent. Cards are brought out and we play a game called Killer. It is a blast. We switch off to a game called 007 which is also tremendous fun. It has nothing to do with cards. One person begins by saying 0(zero) followed by the next person. The third person says 7. that cues the next person in line to point at any one else in the circle and stick out their finger like a gun and say "pow!" The person who was just shot must say "Ow!" while the people to the target's immediate left and right must put both of their hands up while staying silent. It seems silly but it is hilarious and whoever screws up has take a big bite of bread. it seems easy but the faster the game goes the easier it is to goof up.
We stay at the teahouse for a few hours. Sometimes laughing so hard that my sides ache. I am also able to make them laugh equally hard. It is a good day and I am tired as we slowly walk back down the hill.