Musk Deer 1

What a ridiculous name. This weekend, I redeemed a voucher I won (woo hoo!) for a stay in the Moganshan hillside. The place was called naked Private Reserve Stables ... yes, everyone was fully-clothed despite what the name sounds like! They refer to it as "naked" because it's an eco-friendly, sustainable property. Moganshan is about three hours west of Shanghai. My friend Erika headed there with me and we were lucky enough to stay in the Musk Deer 1 hut:

This name become funnier as the weekend went on. Everywhere we went we had to bill things to the Musk Deer 1 (which, coincidentally nearly every employee referred to as "Muskateer" ... seriously? We didn't name it, you did!). The hut was awesome:

This was absolutely NOT roughing it at all, but it was extremely nice to get away and be able to breath a bit better. And we lucked out with perfect weather. Here are a few views from the balcony:

It was pretty unbelievable in Moganshan. This area used to be a hideout for Chinese gangsters and even for political elite in it's heyday, and once again the area is gaining fame as a great city escape thanks to properties like this. One of the really cool parts of the property is that it winds through hills and the woods. Various buildings were strewn across this large property, so to make life easier, you are assigned a host with a golf cart who will pick you up and take you to wherever you want to go. For example, if you want to head to the front of the property to look at the horses, you call the host and they come zipping up to your hut in the golf cart to transport you there. I could get used to that lifestyle. And here are a few of the horses:

Erika and I were quite proud of how outdoorsy we were and the adventures we went on. First, we hiked to a tea plantation:

This area is famous for white tea. Spring is the real harvesting season, and they allow guests to pick their own and take it home. That would have been cool, but it was still lovely to see it growing. I never realized how beautiful tea plants actually are. There was just row-after-row of tea leaves up on the sides of the hills and mountains.

Our next athetic activity was outdoor yoga. Who wouldn't want to hold downward dog when you have great scenery like this around?

We also rented mountain bikes. I am honestly not sure the last time I biked on a real bike outside. The first concern the staff had for me was when they needed to teach me how to brake and how to shift gears. Yikes. Though unsteady at first, I was able to pick it up again just like, well, learning how to ride a bike. We saw some awesome scenery. Not so awesome was riding the bike through a single-lane tunnel shared by cars, trucks, mopeds, bikes and more. With no lighting. This would never fly in the US. I literally couldn't see anything at points, and just had to hope the people coming at me could see me. But once we got to the other side of the mountain, the views were worth it!

Another interesting thing I tried this weekend was getting a body wrap. What an experience. They lather you up in ginger lotion, wrap you in a cocoon of plastic-wrap and heated towels, then literally zip you into your own easy-bake oven heated contraption. The idea is to make you sweat out your toxins while moisturizing your skin. My assessment - not worth it. I think I was overheated, seeing as I could literally hear and feel my blood pulsing through me every time my heart beat. Guessing that's not supposed to happen. At one point I thought to myself, "You know, I would avoid a hospital even in Shanghai. What will I possibly do if I have a heart issue here in the countryside?". Thankfully, it didn't come to that. Just about the point I started seeing childhood memories flash before me and a bright white light (completely exaggerating ... ), the layers started coming off and I could again breath. That was an expensive way for me to realize that I don't enjoy being baked up like a pie.

It was a really great weekend. Erika and I had a blast. With only a few days left in China, I really am trying to savor all the moments. With that also comes the realization and stress of having too many things to do for work and too few days to accomplish them. Tomorrow I am headed on my second out-of-town business trip to a city called Ningbo. My company owns a few retail pharmacies there now, so I am in the group assessing how we can improve the pharmacy's professionalism and thus grow the business. It's a neat opportunity. I think I'll be able to go into tomorrow's trip with a clear mind thanks to my oh-so-relaxing weekend at Moganshan.