Bootiful

Bonsai trees

Anyway all this meant I was intending to blitz the hill in a day and being the super fit specimen that I am I was going to avoid using the cable cars and walk up. However I was talked out of my only walking plan b a number of Chinese who quoted me times between 3 and 10 hours just to walk up the thing, this was in fact bullshit (it takes 2) but they had a point as I needed 4 or 5 hours to walk around the top plus photographing time and the last bus back was at 5 so I would have been pushing it for time. So I took the sensible if a little expensive option of catching the cable car up so after setting off from Huangshan city at 6am I was on the top amongst the crowds of tourists by 9:30am. After a couple of hours of close proximity with the throngs of Chinese tour groups all wearing there colour coded hats it was a welcome relief and a stunning view.

Huangshan is formed from a very hard granite stone which over the years had formed into vertical (or at least very steep) peaks which would normally erode but due to the strength have remained and also sport an array of pine trees that have grown into the gaps in the stunted style of bonsai trees. The combination creates a very picturesque and "Chinese" landscape which against a crisp blue sky really looked great.

I had made a friend on the bus and in the queue for the cable car, a chap from Shanghai who had similar views to large groups as I so once he'd checked into his hotel we struck off to the Western section of the mountain in the hope of leaving all the retirement groups in our wake.

We soon came across a large gorge type structure which reminded me of Tiger leaping gorge because of the way it just dropped down seemingly endlessly. As We got to what we thought was the end of the path a few huffing Chinese passed in the opposite direction appearing from a small path in the cliff face. We followed this down and soon realised that the impossibly steep cliff wasn't too steep for insane Chinese path engineering and so began the long decent down, peering at the opposite face and thinking how on earth were going to get back up.
The views where fab and well worth the knee crunching stairs and the assent wasn't too difficult as we where in the shaded side of the mountain and it wasn't as steep as the opposite side.
At least I didn't find it too difficult but soon found myself well ahead of Minglung (the chum) and was also passing other Chinese with alarming regularity. Either I'm as fit as a fiddle or the Chinese are rubbish at steps, I have a sneaking suspicion its the latter!

After waiting 30 minutes for Minglung to catch up and only halfway up the hill I said my goodbyes and carried on as it was getting into the afternoon and I was about 10 km away from where I needed to be to descend.
After reaching the top of the far side I carried on wondering the tops and the relentless up and down steps began to take there toll. Fairly shattered I got to the steps and cable car down saw the massive queue for the car and made my fatal error. I chose the steps.

Kind of looks polystyrene!

Fairly early on in the descent my muscles started to wobble and within minutes I was in a Monty Python style funny walk trying desperately to stop my knees from giving up on me. Pleasingly all the Chinese coming down looked similarly stupid so we all grinned at one another as we developed are own unique styles. It got less funny after an hour and a bit when I saw the sign that said I had another 2.5 km's of the 8 to go.
Eventually got to the bus station though and hobbled onto the bus.
I never really understood why people said they preferred stairs up to those down but now I completely agree. If you get in a bit of pain going up you can just stop and rest and it will go away but this doesn't work in the opposite direction, your not tired but your legs start acting like jelly!

All worth it though.

written by  Dan on October 14, 2008 from Huangshan, China
from the travel blog: Been there, Dan that!
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