On July 12, I had the chance to go for a local hike set up by Jetbay. Firstly, I had never heard of the company; secondly, I hadn’t heard of the place we were meant to check out. Both turned out to be pleasant surprises. The one day trek was going to feature a barbecue dinner and after staying in Beijing for some time, I have come to the conclusion that out of town barbecues are simply delicious.
Jetbay has decided to let expats in on the local secrets get away hikes for families and singletons alike. The company describe itself as “your local guide in traveling in China.” This hike happens to be one of the yet-to-be launched local series offered to locally based foreigners.
Reasons to make it out there:
- Landscape: The trek is along a spring which provides little spots for cooling down and you’ll find Chinese families trying their luck to catch the little fish. The atmosphere is filled with squeals of delight from the children. The trail has washrooms along the way but squatting toilets and trash bins at nearly every corner therefore making the place very clean and well kept. Walking will be mostly in the shade for about 3.5km with green trees and lush bushes surrounding you. There was a little construction going on at the beginning of the trail but nothing too severe.
- Food: We first had lunch before heading out, and it was yum. The freshness of the vegetables and the different dishes we ordered will put you in a good place to want to walk off the binge eating that just took place. The dinner, which was a barbecue, was succulent and we all were in a food coma on the ride back.
- Company: You will meet interesting people from various walks of life and it will be exciting to hear about their experiences and lives. Along, the way you will laugh at the anecdotes told and get to know that the trip was fun despite the 8.45am meeting time on a Sunday.
- Relaxing: The trip wasn’t exhausting like others I have been too. I was worried that the trail was going to be physically draining that meant that come Monday morning, I was going to struggle to get to work. But this hike had the opposite effect as I was relaxed and ready to tackle the week ahead.
- Boat ride: We had to take a boat from the entrance to the beginning of the trail and that was one short but pleasing. If only we were allowed to go back and forth for several more trips. The boat ride sets the tone and mood of the hike. The other hikers will be itching to get out as they don’t want to miss out on a spot.
It’s RMB 399 includes transportation in a nicely air conditioned van, lunch and dinner, entrance, and boat ride fees. To make your booking send an email to marketing@jetbay.com. Get RMB 20 off for referring a friend when booking.
Photos: Jetbay
