Zhangjiajie 2 (8-16)

Wednesday morning was sunrise morning, which meant waking up at 5:15 to leave at 5:30 to walk to the Great Sightseeing Platform for the sunrise at about 6:00. I did manage to do that in good spirits. When I woke up, I could hear other people nearby getting ready to leave. There were vans heading out. All of this seemed a little strange, since no one was out and there was no traffic when I went out at 7:00 on Tuesday. At the viewpoint, about 50 people were waiting for the sunrise. This took a long time because there was a thick cloud above the mountains, and the sun rising was not visible through it. We waited until it finally rose above the cloud at 6:30 and were rewarded with a little color.

Then we returned to the guesthouse for breakfast. And then we were on our way at 7:40, which was good because we missed the rush of vans leaving at 8:00.

Our first, of three, destination of the day was Tianzi Mountain. In spite of its name, there wasn’t too much going up and down, which was a good thing after all the ups and downs on Tuesday. I couldn’t have done that again, and I think Sunny would have had a hard time, too. On the mountain, we walked to He Long Park, which is named for an important man from the area. There’s a huge bronze statue of him which Sunny said is the biggest one in China. I think this may have referred to the weight or the biggest bronze statue because the one of Mao in Chengdu is at least as tall. His grave is also at the site.

In terms of rock pillars, the area is thought of as a sea of stone. 

One pillar has a boat-shaped rock on top of it. This is like a boat floating on the sea, which is a sign of good fortune and that everything is fine. There is another group of pillars that are called a tortoise. This area was full of tourists and large tour groups. I was glad when we stepped out of the main area and went to a smaller, less crowded side area. The view was basically the same; it just wasn’t the most popular view. I was feeling really glad not to be part of such a large group. An advantage of having my own guide is that I can take time to enjoy the scenery for a few minutes when it’s not crowded. There is no need for me to hurry to keep up with the group, and I don’t have to always have an eye out to make sure I know where the guide is. She’s right beside me.

In another section, there is a group of pillars called the writing brush pillars. The story is that when He Long died, his brushes turned into the stone pillars. There is also a tall pagoda from which there are good views of the stone forest.

Then it was time to leave the mountain top. We descended by cable car. Morning was a great time to go down because there was no waiting line. Sunny said that in the afternoon there is a long line for the cable cars. I was lucky to have a seat beside the window on the side with a view of the rocks. This was a different view, as we were at the same level as the pillars some of the time. When we got to the bottom, there was a long line of people waiting to go up. I was glad to have missed that.

Our second destination of the day was Ten Mile Gallery. I’m not sure how it got its name because it is not ten miles. It’s actually about five km. We walked one way and took the monorail back. The path is flat and paved; so it was a nice change from the mountains. The gallery is the views of the rocks and mountains as you walk along.

The third and final destination was Baofeng Lake. First we had to walk up (yes, up again) the lake. But it wasn’t too bad. The lake is a beautiful, dark green color. It’s very calming, as lakes are. We took the boat ride around the lake. I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing sensation of being on the water. 

There are two small houseboats where a woman and a man sang a short song as we went by. 

After the ride, we walked back down to the waterfall at the entrance. In a pool near the entrance, there is a special kind of salamander (as translated to me) that lives in the park and is an endangered species. It’s surprisingly big. We had seen a picture of one and an explanation as we walked along Golden Whip Stream. People had thrown money into the pool for good luck.This was a relaxing place to visit after all the walking. It was also nice that the temperature was lower.

Having finished our itinerary for the day, it was time to go to my next guesthouse. I’d chosen one in the village near the park entrance because I didn’t want to be in the city. My bags were there when we arrived. The village is small and is mainly there for tourists. It was nice to be back to a place with full-time water.

Thursday we had a “late” start. Sunny and the driver picked me up at 8:30. It was quite nice to sleep in a bit. We had a full day again—longer than the last two but not as challenging or tiring. Our first destination was Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. As we started descending down the canyon on regular steps—the kind that are found in buildings, I decided not to even think about walking back up. A few minutes later, Sunny gave me the good news of the day: We didn’t have to walk up! The stairs descended steeply into the canyon. At one place, the passage was narrow, but not as narrow as the one on Tianzi Mountain. I read on a sign at the top that the walls are 400 meters high. About half way down, there is an option to take a slide, but we wanted to descend slowly and to walk. 

I became quite fascinated with the signs on the rubbish bins inviting people to use them. They are so Chinese in style.

At the bottom, we walked along the river. It was cool and shady most of the time. The river was shallow due to the lack of rain. 

There are a few waterfalls that were barely trickling—again due to the lack of rain. However, the area was lush and moist and green. And the path was flat. It was very pleasant walking there. At one point the path goes through a cave. There is a canon in the cave that was a prop from filming The Journey to the West. In one place, we enjoyed watching the dragonflies and some other similar insect. 

At the end of the path, there is a boat trip to the exit. All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours.

The next, and final, destination was Yellow Dragon Cave. The grounds on the way to the cave are lovely. The first building is a music hall that has a grass roof and blends in with the environment very nicely. There is a trellis covered with hanging gourds. There are carved zodiac animals that are the nicest I’ve seen. There’s a display area where the local corn-based wine is made. 

And there is a series of large, connected water wheels. Each one pours water into the next one as the water goes down the line.

The cave itself is huge. We spent two hours walking through it. I had no idea we’d been there that long. Caves are always magical experiences, and this one was no exception. It has four levels connected with stairs that go up and down and wind around. In one place, you take a boat to the next section. 

As always, I enjoyed the various formations. 

The cave is a wet cave, and we could see drops of water at the bottom of some of the stalactites. In one big room there is a waterfall coming down from the ceiling. Like all the local water features, it was very small due to the drought.

There were several large tour groups going through the cave when we were there. The guides used microphones, which was annoyingly loud in the cave. The groups were loud. Fortunately, we were able to hang back as they passed and then had quiet time before the next group arrived. These quiet times were especially nice.

I was delivered to my hotel at 5:30, making this the longest day. But the temperature was lower (29^o C/84^oF), which made a huge difference. And most of the day we were in the shade or in the cave. Most of the walking was downhill or flat. We did go up some stairs in the cave, but the ascent was in sections. So it was a relatively easy day physically. The change of pace and scenery was pleasant.

Friday was my last day in Zhangjiajie. When she picked me up at 8:30, Sunny said Tianman Mountain, our destination, takes about five or six hours. We had agreed that I should take the 2:25 train, which didn’t leave enough time for the mountain, especially considering possible lines. So I decided to spend the night in the city. Luckily, I was able to cancel my other reservation for the night, and the agency had someone find a room for me. With that taken care of, we could relax and enjoy the day, not worrying about getting me back in time for the train. This was good.

When we took the cable car up the mountain, it was raining lightly, but we could still see some of the mountains. 

When we arrived at the top, Sunny purchased rain ponchos for us, as did most of the passengers. But when we went out of the building, the rain had stopped.

At the top, where there are beautiful views of the mountains, we saw only the trees in front of us. The rest was a sea of white cloud—just white like when you’re in the cloud, not fluffy, white, beautiful clouds like the publicity pictures show. Sunny said that her friends had told her about this, but she had never seen it before. We skipped the glass walk above the canyon, since there wasn’t anything to see below except the whiteness. 

As we walked, bits of the mountain tops emerged from the cloud. It was fun to watch for these. After a while, a whole mountain was visible some of the time. We were fascinated watching the cloud from a nearby valley rise up and cover the mountain and then move on. This happened many times. It was a magical experience.

Zhangjiajie is known for views of its peaks above the clouds. Sunny had told me that that happens after a rain, especially in the spring. I’d been thinking that I hadn’t seen any clouds. Now I had. It wasn’t like the beautiful photos, but it was still magical and mystical.

In one area, people hang red ribbons on which they have written prayers.

There is a temple at the top. When we were leaving, a few monks were walking out with some people. This was the first time Sunny had seen monks.

At the very top, there is a pavilion with panoramic views. This was the only uphill waking on the mountaintop.

We saw blue sky a few times, but most of the day was cloudy.

After spending four hours walking around the top, we took the cable to the mid-point to go to Tianmen Cave. 

After exiting the cable car, we took the shuttle to the cave. The road has 99 curves, many of which are marked with signs. 

The cave is actually an arch. Sunny explained that the story is that it was a cave, but many years ago the back part fell off the mountain. To get to the cave, you walk up 999 steps. Sunny said there are actually only 896, but maybe 999 sounds better and 9 is a special number in China. The steps go straight up with no real break, but there are sections where they are longer and flatter for about ten steps. The sign beside the stairs reminds people to "slow down when stepping into the steep elevator."

Then it was time to take the cable car to the bottom. Again it was raining slightly. At the bottom, the man from the guesthouse met us to take us there—about a ten minute walk. When we arrived, we were given watermelon, which tasted delicious after the long day. After checking me in, Sunny went with the man to the train station to purchase my ticket for Saturday morning. Then it was time to say “good-bye” to her. She’s a wonderful person and I’m glad to have had her as my guide and friend for my time in Zhangjiajie.

When I asked about eating, the woman at the guesthouse took me around the corner to a local food shop. There I saw a couple I’d seen briefly at the guesthouse, and they recognized me. They’re Greek, and she has studied Chinese as a hobby and speaks well. She had been working in China for two months, and now they are traveling for a month. When I asked about an ATM, she and the woman chatted and decided that the woman would take me to the Bank of China. After returning, I joined the couple to eat and chat for quite a while. It was a very pleasant night.

Saturday morning when I was eating breakfast, Sunny arrived. This was a surprise, as she had said she had thought about returning Saturday morning but decided to sleep. She came to thank me for the generous tip I gave her and to give me some grapes and a can of flavored peanuts. She went to the train station with the man and me. When we parted again, she said I was her best client. I really felt a heart connection with her, as with Hanh last year in Vietnam.

Although my five days in Zhangjiajie were wonderful and amazing, I have realized that five days of intensive hiking in a row is too much these days. I guess it’s time to slow down a bit.