Shengsi on my mind

Shengsi on my mind

走，到嵊泗去玩!

When the summer heat starts becoming oppressive within the confines of a big city, it often seems that taking the quick exit to the sprawling spaces of the countryside is the best solution.

当我们在大城市的樊笼中感觉酷暑难耐时，似乎最好的解决办法就是飞奔到视野宽阔的乡村。

So one recent weekend, in early July, when Beijing was sweltering and a faint moldy odor seemed inescapable, the exit lights lit up and off I went - not in this case to the countryside but to something even more idyllic, an island.

七月初，北京闷热难当，挥之不去一股淡淡的霉味，出逃的灯亮起，我选择在周末出发，这次不是去乡村，而是去一个更悠闲无忧的地方-一座岛屿。

Normally when the number 404 flashes up, you're looking at a computer screen being told you've taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way. But when I arrived on Shengsi, an island county in the northernmost part of the Zhoushan Islands in Zhejiang province composed of 404 islands, I knew I was definitely in the right place.

通常来说，当数字404闪现在你的电脑上时，就是告知你找错了地方。嵊泗县位于浙江省舟山群岛最北部，由404个岛屿组成，而当我到达嵊泗，一座位于浙江省舟山群岛最北部的列岛，由404个岛屿组成，我知道我肯定没走错。

A group of three of us drove to Shenjiawan Wharf in Shanghai for a ferry ride to start our journey to Gouqi (wolfberry) Island at 8 am. After two and a half hours we disembarked on Gouqi Island. The endless sea, the turquoise water, the forests and the stone houses were layered on top of each other, as if inlaid on a cliff.

上午8点，我们一行三人驾车来到上海沈家湾码头乘坐轮渡，由此开启了我们的枸杞岛之旅。两个半小时后，我们抵达枸杞岛。一望无际的海面，绿松石般的海水，树林和石屋层层叠叠，仿佛镶嵌于峭壁之上。

Having set off on our trip in the early hours, we were already feeling the effects of sleep deprivation, but that did not stop us enjoying the views along the scenic route, including the island's summit, its head protruding elegantly through a shroud of mist and cloud.

我们是凌晨出发的，现在已经感觉到睡眠不足的影响了，但是这并没有妨碍我们欣赏沿途的美景。岛屿上的山峰，也优雅地在云雾环绕之中探出头来。