Day 29: Heights

I've never slept as deeply as I did last night. I'm really beginning to look forward to climbing into a hard bed and wrapping up in a moist blanket, and I'm not being sarcastic, it's true. Also, I didn't sleep much the night before on the train, so falling asleep mid conversation with my roommates was pretty expected.

This morning, our group headed back to the park and rode several buses to get to the tallest free standing elevator in the world. We waited outside the elevator doors and when it was at its peak, the number showed it was on floor 326. I have never seen such a high number on an elevator, nor such an incredible sight from one, either. The glass elevator took us to such a height that I literally felt as if we were on the top of the world. It was really foggy and rainy today, so it looked as if the mountain peaks were just poking through the tops of the clouds.

We got off the elevator and walked around and saw different sights, when all of a sudden it began to pour. The raindrops were massive; each one splashed onto my skin and it truly felt as if I was standing in a shower, but fully clothed. I've been in big rain storms, but nothing like this. Our group bought ponchos there and held our umbrellas, double duty baby. They really saved us. Also, four of us got purple, green, yellow, and red ponchos, so we naturally took pictures posed as the telletubies! Our hunchback backpacks added to the effect of looking more telletubbie-like.

It began raining so hard at one point that it was obvious we needed to head down the mountain and back into town. The mountains were now invisible, due to the increase of fog, and it was freezing. The sky was a sheet of white and you could hardly see twenty feet in front of you. Even with my down coat and water gear, I was quite chilly. This weather makes me really grateful for the heat we have back at home in Kaiyin.

We got back to the hostile and Lexi and I had a good cuddle session/nap; It's the only way we could warm up. Some of us then went and cruised around town for a little bit to look at the shops and find some dinner. As we walked through town, I couldn't help but think how similar this town was to my beloved Colorado mountain towns, like in Ouray or Durango. All the shops look similar and sell just about the same thing, there's a "main street" with all of the shops and people on it, people biking everywhere or trying to find a place to park, etc. With both the weather and mountain town feel to this place, I really felt at home.

We decided to try some street food here because that was about all they had to offer. Usually I'm pretty skeptical about it, because there is meat and other things out and aren't refrigerated. Also, I was a little frightened when I saw caged rabbits and chickens next to the vendors' food stands; I decided against meat for this meal.

The little man at his cart began throwing different things, like sprouts, green onions, spices, carrots, noodles, etc., into a big pan over a burner. He also threw in a bunch of sauces I was unfamiliar with, but it came out and it was terrific. A hot dish of noodles, especially on a rainy day, had never tasted so good. The day was incredible, even with the rain. I can't get enough of this place, it's so beautiful and contains never ending places to explore.

Pictures:
1: Avatar
2: The Elevator
3: Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La, Po
4: Sooo incredible here
5: Our street vendor
6: The best grub of the trip
7: Street skewers...yikes. Betta not