On the Side of a Cliff

There I was two thousand meters in the air, on the side of a cliff standing on a plank of tattered wood no wider than two feet. Looking down all I could see was the rising cloud line, the rocks and cliffs of the neighbouring summit. The only sounds I could hear were those coming from the Buddhist temple located at the top of the peak. The only thing keeping me from certain death was the harness I was wearing which attached to a metal chain. There I was standing on the infamous Cliffside Path located on the side of one of China's Five Great Mountains, Mount Hua Shan. The climb down the side of the mountain was nothing short than being the scariest moment of my life. Nothing prepared me for having to climb down using steps carved into rock, seeing nothing but endless clouds below my feet, and having to avoid a collision with other hikers heading the opposite way. It was in that moment when I decided that no matter the tears of fear streaming down my face that I would continue on, that I would walk across the plank, and that I would tie my newly purchased red ribbon to the side of the mountain.

Reaching the end of the path was more joyous than I had expected, but it quickly gave way to the realization that I would have to walk back across the plank to return to the hiking trail which headed down to the base. The walk back across the plank was no less stimulating than the first time and was equally as rewarding. When I safely made it back to the hiking trail, it slowly started to dawn on me how much I enjoyed my recent adventure, how alive I felt, and most importantly how happy I was to have discovered a new place. Climbing Mount Hua Shan came at the end of a three month long stay in China. A stay which had led me to visit the famed Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the stunning Victoria Peak of Hong Kong, the awe inspiring Great Wall of China, and the incredible Forbidden Palace in Beijing . A stay in which I participated in perhaps one too many tea ceremonies and ate delicacies I never would have had back home, and a stay which solidified in my mind that my greatest passion in life is travelling the world, discovering new and unique places.

Five years ago if someone would have asked me what I was most passionate about I would not have been able to answer. It has only been in the last few years in which I have been able to discover this about myself. Whether for work or for pleasure, the travelling I have done recently has always led to some self discovery. Travelling to Dubai for the first time for work and visiting the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, reinvigorated my admiration for engineering. Driving into the stagnant volcano located on the Caribbean island of St.Lucia and seeing all the lush foliage made me realize how important conserving the environment is. Living and travelling around China taught me that at the end of the day we humans are all the same, we all want the same