Tai'an | A spontaneous journey to conquer Mount Tai

On a whim, I just went for it! Encouraged by someone, I boarded the train to Tai'an with only one thought in my mind—I wanted to be conquered by Mount Tai! (Actually, I was going to conquer it~😜) 🚄 On the evening of March 18th, I bid farewell to the bustling Shanghai and embarked on my journey to Mount Tai. The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight entered Tai'an Station, I was already eager to start my climbing adventure.🌅 Since we planned to rest on the first day, we chose the Ginza Jiayi Hotel on Qingnian Road in the center of Tai'an as our base. Although the hotel's bathroom had a peculiar smell, the surrounding environment was beautiful, which was perfect for a nice stroll and to taste the local cuisine.🏨 Day1⃣ Waking up in the morning, we found that we couldn't check into the hotel yet, so we decided to spend some time at Tianping Lake. The lake was shimmering with sparkling waves, and the scenery was picturesque, making me instantly fall in love with the place, even to the point of considering buying a house here!😂 At noon, we tasted the spicy and affordable Laowei Malatang at the old county yamen.🍲 In the afternoon, we returned to the hotel to rest and recharge. In the evening, we decided to have a good meal to celebrate. However, the Liangji Hotpot Chicken we carefully selected was a huge disappointment. The chicken was not tasty, the sauce was mediocre, and the self-service snacks were even harder to swallow.😣 It seems that the food journey still requires more effort! Day2⃣ In the morning, we packed our bags and set off towards Mount Tai. We chose to start from the Red Gate, a classic route that was crowded but the scenery along the way made us forget the fatigue. I started off full of confidence, but as the mountain path became steeper, I gradually felt overwhelmed.😓 Fortunately, there were various snack stalls along the way, and a ten-yuan melon instantly revived my energy!🍈 When we reached Zhongtianmen, we had a hearty lunch—beef noodles with fried chicken cutlet, delicious and affordable. Afterwards, we continued to climb, our clothes soaked with sweat, but the hiking stick in our hands became my most solid support.🧗‍♀ Finally, we reached the summit! Standing high and overlooking the mountains, at that moment, all the fatigue vanished.🌄 When descending, I had to take the cable car due to a sprained foot, and although I regretted not completing the entire journey, this trip was still very rewarding.🚡 In the evening, back in Tai'an, we tasted the delicious shedding cake, and our hungry stomachs made the food even tastier.🥐 This trip to Mount Tai not only allowed me to appreciate the magnificent natural scenery but also let me experience the meaning of travel. This year I started to really get into traveling, and I hope to explore more beautiful places in the future, experiencing different cultures and customs.🌍