Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)

Last week we discovered that Yellow Mountain is only a 3 hour bus ride from Hangzhou so we decided to go there for the weekend. It was our first bus ride in China and we were pleasantly surprised by how smooth it was. As soon as we were out of the city the roads were mostly open and we got to see the surrounding countryside which was beautiful. 

This was one of several little villages we passed

The bus itself was actually really nice and clean.The only downside was that the whole way there they were playing really bad American action movies.The movies were in English but I guess violence is something that translates in to every language. When we go to dinner at our favorite restaurant in Hangzhou they always play Mr.Bean while you wait so humor is understood too and it would have been nicer than listening to the constant fire of machine guns as we were driving past green tea fields and quaint villages. 

Anyway we eventually arrived...sort of. Turns out the bus doesn't actually take you to the bus station where you need to get another bus to take you in to the mountain. Instead the bus took us to a restaurant in the middle of the nearest town. Since we were the only ones who didn't speak Chinese we tried asking the driver how we were supposed to get to the bus station but since he didn't speak English he pulled out his cell phone and called Mr.Hu(pronounced "who"). Luckily we had heard of Mr.Hu while researching Huangshan, otherwise we would have never agreed to get in to his car when he pulled up 10 minutes later and told us that he would take us to the mountain.He speaks more English than anyone else for miles and owns a restaurant in the area that needs business.So we agreed to eat lunch at his restaurant, where his wife is the chef, and then he took us to the bus station and pointed us in the right direction.

After a short bus ride that goes to the base of the mountain you are given the option to either take a cable car or hike the rest of the way up. Since it was already nearing the afternoon we opted for the cable car and were glad we did when we found out that the hike would have taken 6 hours. Not to mention all of the hiking there is to be done once you reach the top.The weather was also much colder than we had expected it to be.We thought because we were only 3 hours away from Hangzhou that the weather would be similar but once we reached the top of the mountain it was freezing and we had to put on everything we brought. 

The views were gorgeous though and all of the different rocks and trees had amazing names like "Monkey gazing at a sea of clouds" or the "Starting to believe peak". There were also these hilarious signs everywhere reminding you to enjoy your surroundings.

The sign below was the first thing we saw when we arrived and it drove me crazy the whole time we were there. I kept looking for monkeys everywhere we went but never saw a single one.

I started to think that maybe they just put the sign there so that people have something to distract them from all of the stairs that you have to climb in order to get anywhere. Don't think about the stairs,look for the monkey! At least it wasn't a sign saying "Don't feed or tease the tigers". 

Anyway, did I mention there were a lot of stairs? A lot. Our legs were so tired by the end of the first day and we hadn't even hiked up the mountain. It was definitely beautiful though.

This is "Monkey gazing at a sea of clouds"

This is "Lauren gazing at a sea of clouds" ; )

We were planning on waking up at 5am the next day to see the sunrise so we decided to go to sleep right after dinner. At most hostels the rooms are co-ed but the hostel on top of the mountain was segregated to James got to spend the night with 5 Chinese men and I got to spend the night with 5 Chinese women. Some lady stole the bed that I had saved earlier in the day so I got stuck with a top bunk next to a window.It was sooooo cold even with all my jackets still on and the lady below me kept moving around so I got no sleep. At 5 we met in the lobby and headed out to watch the sunrise.Unfortunately it was cloudy that morning so the most we saw was a little orange sliver that disappeared behind the clouds. Because we were up so early though we got a head start on everyone else for all the sights which turned out to be great because it got really crowded later on.

 Above was one of several Chinese people who asked to take pictures with us. We were the only Westerners on the mountain that day I guess. Our main goal was to get to the Fairy bridge. After hiking up and down and across stairs for a few hours we finally made it.

The bridge was amazing and since it was still so early in the morning, we had the bridge to ourselves for a good hour and were able to take lots of pictures. We also got to sit down and enjoy the view while eating a lovely breakfast of muffins and oranges. Eventually though it was time to head back up the stairs.

But of course we had to stop to breath a few times along the way. Despite how exhausting it was though I cannot imagine what these poor guys go through everyday.

Can you imagine having to walk up thousands of stairs carrying all that on your shoulders? They were all in really good shape but looked like they had permanent bruises on their shoulders. The cable car goes to the top of the mountain but it's these guys that have to go the rest of the way with all the food,luggage,laundry,etc for the hotels that are spread out on the mountain. 

And if you decide that you don't want to walk anymore you can pay them to carry you around for the whole day. We actually saw several people being carried. A few of them were really old but there were also a few girls who looked really spoiled and had realized it hadn't been a good idea to try and climb a mountain in high heels. 

Once we got back from the fairy bridge we decided it would be a good time to head back to Hangzhou since I had work the next day. It was a great trip though and I am excited to go back in April when my Dad visits.Hopefully then it wont be as cold and maybe we can actually see the sunrise : )