Gypsy Feet: Huang Shan

I just returned from a weekend trip to Huang Shan, or “Yellow Mountain” in English. I was really excited to go because it’s claimed to be one of the top 10 places to see in China, and this long weekend was the perfect opportunity. I went with my friend Pip, one of the other foreign teachers I work with.

Our trip began Friday evening when we boarded a sleeper bus to make the 9 hour journey to Tunxi, a town near the mountain. This town is a bit remote, so not trains went directly there, making bus our only option. The “sleeper” we received was a 5 ½ by 2 foot bunk bed on a bus with no suspension. The head of the bed was tilted up a bit to make room for the next person’s feet. I was on the top bunk, and a few sharp turns up the windy road and I was bracing not to fall out, while Pip was on the bottom bunk with a man with no bed laying on the floor next to her and elbowing her. 9 ½ hours later, 4 am, we arrived in Tunxi, and hopped on another little bus to get to the base of the mountain. We opted to climb the difficult route up (15 km) and save the easy route for coming down the next day. After buying our bus ticket to get on yet another bus to get to the mountain, where we could buy our entrance fee (nothing in China is a one step process, and EVERYTHING requires an entrance fee) we began our hike…and were winded after about 5 steps. As the sun rose though, it turned out to be a clear day, which we were incredibly lucky to experience because Huang Shan only gets about 100 of these a year. We were expecting rain and snow, and came with all the essential warm clothing that we ended up lugging in our bags the whole way up. We made our way up slowly but surely, taking many stops to eat and enjoy the view (or so was our excuse to get a rest). 8 hours of hiking later, we reached the summit. We knew that lodging and food was scarce at the top, so hotels and restaurants take advantage of this and charge you an arm and a leg, because they can. We came prepared by packing all our own food, and calling ahead to reserve a dorm at a small hotel. We figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask around at a few other hotels though, just to see if we could bargain a better deal. The first one we walked in to said they could give us one for 130 kuai (about 4x what I normally pay for a bed at a hostel), which we knew was a good price and said we’d look at it. The woman walked us to the hall, and pointed to a row of bunk beds set up just outside the bathroom, IN THE HALLWAY! We both looked at each other, and then asked her “so this is what the bed looks like…inside the room right?” She said no, there are no more rooms left. We said “OK, this can be plan B” and left with our mouths still hanging open. We continued on to find the hotel we made the reservation at, beginning to feel our legs turn to spaghetti noodles. We found it, and the man led us to the building which we previously thought was the bathroom facilities, and in to our “room.” It was a tiny, cement floored room with 2 sets of bunk beds and no heat. We both agreed that this was the best we were going to get for our budget, and paid the man. I sat down on the bed, looked at the sheets and said “I hope the beddings at least clean” and Pip responded “Oh I’m sure it’s not.” I leaned down and smelled it, and was reassured that she was in fact right. She then replied, being a more experienced traveler than myself, “ya…smelling it is never a good idea.” It was only about 4:00 when we arrived, which gave us some time to kill and we really didn’t want to do it in the prison cell we paid to sleep in, so we walked over to the 4 star hotel across the way and sat in their restaurant, paid 10 kuai for hot water, and ate our instant noodles. We also used their bathroom facilities to brush our teeth, etc since ours made me want to be sick. By about 6, we were ready for bed. We went back to our room, and by then the sun was setting and it was very cold. We put on every piece of clothing we brought, one to keep warm and two to avoid having to have skin contact with the bedding. Luckily I brought a beanie that covered my ears, so if I positioned myself just right on the pillow I didn’t have to touch my face to it. Every time I woke up in the night, which was a lot since the wooden planks covered in a foam mat I was sleeping on was giving my tired legs and hips bed sores, I was very consciece that the comforter was not anywhere near my neck or face. When we woke up the next morning, I was so ready to get out that room and get outside where it was clean and beautiful. We did just that, and began climbing down the steep and crowded easier route. This route wasn’t as scenic, but we were happy that we saved it for the second day when we were tired. 3 hours later we reached the bottom, and booked it to the Best Western hot springs! They were a little spendy, but totally worth it! We soaked in a number of different small pools including the red wine, green tea, milk, and coffee pools. We also got to experience a pool that had small fish in it that swarm you and eat all your dead skin, by far the weirdest feeling ever (sorry I didn’t get any pictures)!! We stayed there for a few hours, and then got on another sleeper bus back to Wuhan. My legs are like jelly and I probably won’t be able to walk normal for quite some time, but it was still a great hike and I’m so happy I got to see it!

There’s one quote that I’ve found continuously to be true as I travel, and this trip was no exception. It is “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

Happy Easter everyone!