Finally, I can see the mountains!
I’m currently back in Huang Shan for a second time. When my mind is set on something, I become focused on achieving that – seeing Huang Shan on a clear day was my mission. After 14 hours of travel (13 on the train, 1 on the bus), I arrived at Huang Shan this morning. My plan was to catch the cable car up, hike around the West Sea Canyon and then head back to Tunxi on the same day for a relaxing Sunday.
Follow that flag!
My plan was ruined when I didn't fully listen to the Lonely Planet’s advice – arrive very early or very late for the cable car…..you can imagine my frustration when I arrived in the queue at the sign reading ‘It is a 2 hour wait from here’! Having already paid my ticket, I was reluctant to turn back, so I waited. Luckily I only waited about 30 minutes and I was on my way. At the top of the cable car, huge queues were lined up to walk up the mountain. So, I had to abandon my plans of completing the 9km strenuous hike and getting back to the cable car by 4.30 pm and resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to spend a night in an expensive, characterless Chinese hotel.
The autumn colours were stunning
Of course, I hadn’t booked anything and after calling 8 hotels and reciting the same thing (“Do you speak English? Do you have a hotel room for tonight?”) and getting the same response (“A little.” “We have no rooms tonight”), I started to get a little worried. Luckily, I met some new friends who were in the same situation, so we hunted for a room together. We managed to find a hotel with rooms and it was totally different to the last place I stayed at – clean, friendly, great. But, cleanliness and atmosphere came at a price – 1080 rmb ($216) a night for a twin room. Not exactly what I was planning on, but hey, that’s the price you pay for winging it. It’s better than the tents that many Chinese were setting up outside earlier!
Beautiful mountains
After settling in, I went for a wander down a quiet path, where I was able to watch the sun set by myself. It was an early night for me ready to walk the West Sea Canyon the next day. As you can see from the pictures though, the day was clear and I was finally able to see the mountains that I had missed out on my first visit to the Anhui province.
Setting up the tents - you'd never miss these tents in a snow storm, so bright!
Autumn colours
Sunset over Huang Shan
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