Exploring the Yellow Mountains-Huangshan

About a year ago, Wayne Clarke, (fellow BYU teacher) and I talked about hiking in the Yellow Mountains.  I took a look on the internet before we left for China and read some comments from hikers.  Some of them described hiking there as the most dangerous in the world.  It was noted that the trails were not trails but steps carved into solid granite.  There are so many people on the steep and treacherous steps that a person should be advised of the danger.  But, we also learned that you didn't have to spend time in the most challenging areas.  We found that we could bypass some of it by simply taking the cable car to the top. 

This weekend, Wayne and I, along with Robin, a Chinese SDU employee and his nephew, a high school sophomore, took an overnight train about 600 miles South to Huangshan.   The first leg of the trip took about 14 hours, but we purchased a ticket in the "sleeper" car so we could "sleep" on the way.  It was the ultimate in communal living.  There was absolutely no privacy.  There were 6 bunks in our compartment with no door.  It was "grand central station" most of the time with people moving in the corridors or sitting in the corridors or vendors pitching their wares.  At about 10 p.m., however, all the lights went off and people settled in for a night of being rocked to sleep by the gentle swaying of the train car.

 Wayne in his bottom bunk.

 

Upon arrival at the train station in Huangshan, we hopped onto a bus for a 45min to an hour trip to the base of Huangshan mountain park.  From the visitor center, we took another bus to the first cable car station to the East.  We noticed something right away.  There were very few people.  This is not like China!!  In a matter of minutes, we were at the top, or where we thought was the top.  We learned quickly that there really is no top, just up and down;  and very steep ups and downs. 

 Notice the number of people waiting.  It was FANTASTIC!!

 

This was taken from the cable car on the way up 

 You can see Wayne standing on this precipice.  This was one of our first stops after exiting the cable car.

It is difficult to describe the mountains of Huangshan.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.  We were very impressed with the trails/steps and how well maintained everything was.  There were dangerous areas, but if you stayed on the trail or in the designated areas, there was nothing to fear.  That doesn't mean that there were times when I felt a little "woosy" as I crowded next to a guard rail posing for a picture.  There is nothing like these mountains in the US,  and certainly, no place where anyone could be so close to a 1000 ft. drop-off. 

As you will see in the pictures, the cliffs and mountains are a little obstructed by fog or haze.  Even with the haze, I hope you can appreciate the beauties that we experienced.

There are no roads in the park.  Everything for the hotels, vendors, etc. must be carried in.  We saw many Chinese men providing this service.  We also saw groups of men who would carry you up and down steps for a fee.  At the end of our trip, that option started looking tempting.

 This is a stone bridge in front of our hotel.  It was a 5 star facility, possibly the best we have seen in China.

 Most of the time the steps are very steep.

It's hard to imagine that off the edge of this stairway it is a

 very long way down.

 I'm not kidding when I say you could parachute off of this point and free fall for quite a distance before deploying the chute.  This position really gave me the "willies."

 This is Robin and Wayne.  Notice Robin was starting to drag a little and his face is showing it.

 I don't think you can see it but on the very top of this peak are some observation areas with their guard rails.  Fortunately, it was closed this week.  Otherwise, Wayne and I would have been "obligated" to try it.

This is a very "famours" (the way Chinese speak English) tree in China.  It is the "Welcoming Pine."  All those who are hiking up the West trail will pass this tree.

 After coming off of the mountain, we had dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant in old town Huangshan.  Robin and Jasper wanted to eat here because they serve a special fish and they love it.  They told us that it doesn't smell very good, but it tastes "deliciours." (again the way they pronounce the word).  We've learned that when someone says something like that, "DON'T EAT IT!"  They loved it, but one small taste for me was enough.  How can you separate the smell from the taste?

 On the way back to Jinan, we took a slow train to Nanjing.  It took 6 hours.  What you see is what we saw.  There were about 100 people in our car.  Of course, Wayne and I were the only foreigners on the train.

Upon arrival in Nanjing, we took the subway to the other train station and climbed aboard a High speed train to Jinan.  It was a nonstop and the speed was flashed on to the screen.  307 km/h is the equivalent of 191 mph.  Unbelievable!

While the "guys" were hiking, Nancy and Libby went shopping, accompanied by Lily.  We went to a shopping "mall", which is fairly new about 2 miles from our apartment.  This "mall" has individual vendors with small storefronts and has three floors....one for electronics/jewelry, one for clothing and one for shoes.  You see similar styles at several vendors, but the price can differ somewhat.  You can also try to bargain.  Libby was hunting for some "dress-up" shoes for her granddaughter who is 10 years old.  Size was not a big concern.  There are many glitzy styles in China and you see them everyday with jeans, etc.  Red and gold is popular as those colors mean good luck in the Chinese culture.  The shoes were about $12-30 US.  We are certain that most of the styles we get from China are not available here.  Lily wanted some shoes, but they were very stiff plastic and several styles are very high heels.  She finally found some flats she felt were comfortable and good for driving in the manual car for her driving lessons!

 For dinner we ate at the central campus "canteen".  There Lily approached some college graduates at the canteen who were wearing their graduation gowns.  She wanted to take a picture since she never participated in a ceremony although she has a 3 year degree.  It is interesting that many Chinese are "shy" and won't volunteer answers in class.  However, you get them talking easily on an individual basis and they are not shy about asking "personal" questions like, "How old are  you?" or "How much to do you make"?  Lily did not hesitate to talk to strangers so she could have a photo in a "borrowed" gown!