Zhangjiajie

After around half an hour on the train I asked a lady if she knew how long it was to Jishou. About 5 am apparently. Rapture.

The lady and her friend then hassled me for a while asking where I was going, and why I was going to Jishou. After a while the language barrier intervened and they relented. I double checked my Lonely Planet, and the line that I remembered stating that there was no banks in Zhangjiajie actually said that there was no money changers in Zhangjiajie village (and went on to name the banks in the city).

I then went to the ladies and asked if I could pay extra and just carry on to Zhangjiaje. After a bit, they explained that Zhangjiajie is actually the stop before Jishou, which explains their wonder at me going to Jishou. I decamped at Zhangjiajie at 4 am.

With time to on my side, I ignored all the taxi drivers and searched the buses to get into the city. Some half an hour later I relented and went to the taxis. I got them down from 20 to 15 yuan. However, half way there the guy started up. He even rang the hostel to get them to talk to me. 20 yuan it was, but only after a lot of shouting. The driver did call up the hostel when I got there to ask the receptionist to come down and get me, so I guess that was nice?

Checked in at 5 am, set alarm for 8.30 am, got out of bed at 11 am. Oh well. Laundry, a new pair of trousers (from a supermarket, 100 yuan), and travel plans through to Guilin. I also got a shave with the world's most blunt cut-throat razor. Two people and about half an hour later the job was done, and pretty smooth it was. 5 yuan, but I would have paid more for a sharp razor (and less pain).

Into the park, I started walking up a peak. I then saw the route the cable cars were taking and quickly changed my mind. Up beautiful ride and I was up the top, and cursed with a thick fog, and some rain. However, on the other side of the peak the air was clear and the view took my breath away. I actually shed a couple of tears of joy, I cannot express highly enough how beautiful the scenery is.

Rushing through the hordes of tour groups, I went along the Golden Whip Stream, and up to the walk to Yangjiajie where I was spending the night. I was told it would take about an hour. It took two. I was also told that there wasn't another way up there, there is an escalator further up the Golden Whip Stream. I also wasn't told that the walk up is basically and ascent of the entire fucking mountain range.

In the end I got there, sweat pouring off me, and with aching calves. Letting out a shout of YES! I then ambled up the road to try and find a bus. The first lot of buses were going the wrong way (to the escalator), but was told to wander up a further 200 metres to the next station. There a lovely lady tried to get me and four others on any bus, but an officious fuckwit started shouting at her and ordered us to wait for the next bus. Next bus came, was crowded, and just sat there as a group of about 15 drivers stood around chatting and smoking. I just got up and left. One of the drivers yelled at me to get back on the bus, I didn't even respond, and just walked out. About 40 minutes later (and having a procession of around 10 buses pass me in about two minutes (that's some pretty good scheduling, you fucks) I got to the hostel! Shower and a beer, and I was asleep by 9 pm.

The next day involved a bus driver taking me to the wrong town, and another once dropping me off at the wrong stop. Apparently none of them understand the road maps I point at. Again the scenery was spectacular, and my fear of heights was becoming more manageable, but the 'One Step to Heaven' peak was still terrifying. I then went on another trail, which I thought was meant to take me on a loop back the hostel. Wrong.

Each step down, I reminded myself was a step I'd having to take back up. Thinking that it couldn't be THAT long I completed the trail. It ended back down the bottom of the range, I had to climb the fucking thing again! Oh, and it was also getting dark.

The first few people that saw me climbing up expressed alarm and tried to convince me to turn back. I was not to be deterred. I was making good speed, despite the howls from my calves, and thought I was about half way up 20 minutes in. Bzzzzt. After about an hour (so half the time of the previous day, thanks to not having my backpack on) I got to near the top, recognising a place name from my map, and managed to buy a bottle of water (I had run out about 30 minutes prior). Just then two sedan chair dudes came down and asked me to go for a ride. The quickly talked themselves down to 30 yuan, and I gave in. After about 10 minutes of an extremely bumpy ride they dropped me off near the road. One of them then asked me for another 10 yuan, intimating that I was fatter than he thought at first. Cheeky bastard, I walked off, through the developing rain, in the dark, back to the hostel (another 30 minutes).

The final day I got a bus up to the top of the area, and started descending down the mountain. A young Chinese guy started talking to me, and eventually followed next to me all the way down. I think he was happy to practice his English (which was pretty good). At the end, he helped me get a bus ticket to Funghuang, and then stuck around. Something about helping to the end. After about 30 minutes I managed to convince him and his friend that they really should leave, and I was left alone to drink some beer, write, and reflect on the amazing beauty I had witnessed in the previous three days.