The day after visiting the warriors (and the lovely vegetarian restaurant down by the Small
Goose Pagoda for the second time), we boarded a bus for an overnight climb up Hua Shan – one
of the most western of China's holy mountains named for the flower petal like peaks at the
top.
As we got off the bus on Monday, we were approached by an Australian college student who,
like us, didn't understand more than two words of the very extensive instructions of the bus driver
or, apparently, orientation guy at the restaurant. The Australian, Luke, quickly befriended a
Chinese college student who called himself Chad. Chad had planned to take the cable car up to
the top and walk down the following day but decided to join the, now, four of us walking up
instead. So, five of us climbed the mountain.
It was a great climb, though extremely steep and the terrain uneven at times, and, although it was 1000 meters and shorter and quicker than Emei Shan, was more tiring than the other climb.
The views were just stunning. The signs warning "No walking while looking; no looking while walking." bore advice worth following.
. . .
Comments