Zhangjiajie in the Rain

Day number two in Zhangjiajie was a bit less glamourous than the first day.  I could see out my window at 6 a.m. that it was pouring rain and after getting dressed, I headed downstairs for breakfast and to find out what the new plan would be since we clearly could not go out in this torrential rain.  We ate the same breakfast as the day before and my stomach again had difficulty processing food this early in the morning.  Just when I was about to ask about the rain and what we were going to do instead, everyone started putting on these rain ponchos and plastic booties for their shoes.  Clearly, they intended to go out in the rain. So, we got our umbrellas and we headed off to the park again.  I was worried about not enjoying the rainy experience, but I actually found it to be quite interesting.  You've gotta hand it to the Chinese.  They sure are gamers when it comes to adventure.  As crowded as the previous day was in Zhangjiajie with nice weather, it was nearly as crowded in the pouring rain.  The lines were long and there were people everywhere.  Plus, it was even harder to navigate now that all these people were holding big umbrellas and visibility was impaired.

The tour guide first took us on what I would say was a pretty long hike on the valley floor.  I'm not sure of the exact length, but it took us 3 1/2 hours to hike it at a moderate pace.  It was certainly very beautiful down in the valley.  It was very grassy and mossy.  There were many different kinds of dense trees including my personal favorite the bamboo tree.  The bamboo trees are very aggressive trees I am told and sort of "colonize" whatever area of the forest is theirs.  Wherever there are bamboo trees, there are many of them and not many other kinds of trees growing near them.  They are quite lovely.  Also along the way there are many little creeks and with them old looking bridges to cross them.  I really enjoyed this leisurely stroll at the base of these giant peaks.  It was hard to see the tall mountains at times because of the fog, but every once in a while I could see them poking out of the fog and they looked magnificent surrounded by the white backdrop.  

Later in the day, we decided that it was far too treacherous to climb the mountain on foot, so we took a cable car to the top.  It was kind of pricey at 100 yuan ($15 dollars), but I really wanted to have the experience of riding in a cable car up the mountain.  The visibility was absolutely terrible and I could barely see anything on the way up.  I caught a few small glimpses of what it might look like had I been able to see well and it made it even more disappointing for me.  When we got to the top, it was colder, windier, rainier, and foggier.  We walked around for about 30 minutes and then decided to just go back down the mountain (again on the cable car).  When we were standing in line to get back on the cable car, there was a man behind me that was clearly pointing at me and then saying something about me.  I asked Ya Lun what he was saying and this time she would not answer me and said it was "nothing."  So, I got on the cable car and in step 3 other women.  That left 4 spaces since the car can hold up to eight people.  The guy behind me looked in the car, pointed at me, and then said something to the ride attendant.  I could now tell that he was refusing to ride because he thought I was overweight and would endanger him by being in the cable car.  It was really the low point of my visit to Zhangjiajie and made me feel even worse about myself.  I decided then that I would not return to China next year unless I went back with a more traditional Chinese physique.  Ok, maybe not the 5 foot 6 inch 120 pound stature, but you know what I mean.

Once we were down at the bottom, we boarded our bus to Changsha and headed back.  I slept most of the way since I was exhausted from all the hiking the past two days and my arms were sore from holding an umbrella for 10 straight hours (sad isn't it).  Overall, I was really happy I had the opportunity to see this gorgeous national park.  I was in Zhangjiajie for 2 days and saw only two other people who weren't Asian.  It made me feel fortunate to be in this exotic place.  I wish more Westerners had the chance to see the beauty that exists in this remote part of the world.

The hotel we stayed at was run by a really nice couple who had two kids.  This is the mom and her littlest.  Isn't she cute?

It took me a second, but then I realized this is actually a basket backpack.

Looks pleasant outside doesn't it?

Still quite beautiful even in the fog.

It was actually kind of fun to see Zhangjiajie in a totally different way than the previous day.

More fun signs.  I like the emphasis on "DO NOT."  I had no intention of teasing the wild monkeys....much.

Two reasons I like this photo.  First, it's kind of sweet the way this young couple is holding hands in the rain.  Second, it shows what a great many Chinese people were wearing all day.  They had these rain ponchos and little plastic booties that go over their shoes.  Someone offered to sell me a set, but I have an image to maintain.

Interesting juxtaposition of thoughts here.  On the one hand, I'm thinking the place is serene and beautiful and should be treated with respect.  On the other hand, watch out for perils that might kill you.  

The Chinese are such rebels.  This bridge has signs clearly posted saying that there should not be more than 10 people on this bridge at a time.

Hooray!  I did get to see a wild monkey!

In America, we charge children's rates based on age.  Here, it's all about height and age is irrelevant.  A tall child better have a hefty allowance to pay for his ticket and a short adult gets to go everywhere for cheap.

What the poster said my cable ride was going to be like.

What it actually looked like out the window of my cable car.

It's hard to read, but it says: "Promises of sedan chair management: not soliciting tourists; not deceive tourists and swindle money out of tourists; and not shouting."  I can't say I was swindled out of any money, but they broke promises number 1 and 3 like a million times.

I know those beautiful peaks are out there somewhere.  I just can't see them from here.

The best shot I could get from my cable car ride.

Took this shot waiting for our bus to take us back to Changsha. Apparently, it started raining on Monday night after I fell asleep and it's now Wednesday night back in Changsha and it has not stopped raining.  It is the monsoon season they tell me and it's normal.  

Zhangjiajie National Park (Day 1)

To begin my adventure to Zhangjiajie (stands for Zhang Family Homeland), my Changsha assistant Li Ya Lun and I went to the bus station to meet up with our tour, which was called Golden Phoenix Tours.  We were to board a bus with about 20-25 other people who would accompany us on the tour.  The bus left on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and the seating was very similar to what you would find on an airplane, so it was very cramped for an oversized American such as myself.   The trip took about 5 hours and I passed the time by watching a movie on my Nook color.  The Chinese generally don’t have gadgets besides their phones (which are usually iPhones), so they kept looking over to see what I was watching.  Despite our language differences, I think we all agreed that the movie was dumb (Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale).  I wanted to read a bit too, but the bus was unusually bumpy for some reason and it was very difficult to read or sleep. 

We arrived at a small town outside of Zhangjiajie called Wulingyuan.  It was 12:30 a.m. and we simply got the keys to our rooms.  Thankfully, the tour package pays for everyone to have their own room and their own bathroom.  For some reason, I pictured us sleeping on a dirt floor and sharing a communal bathroom.  To my surprise, the room was actually just fine, apart from the usual squatter toilet and a lack of air conditioning, it was pretty comfortable.  The pictures will show that I was being a baby for no reason and that the accommodations were quite good.  Because I was so excited about finally being in Zhangjiajie, I could not get to sleep until about 1:30 a.m.

Our wakeup call was at 6:00 a.m. because we were to all eat breakfast together at 6:30 before heading off to the park.  When I went down to eat, I was a little disappointed that we all were to sit around a large table.  To be honest, I have quite enjoyed the social eating experience with the people in Changsha that I’ve gotten to know well, but it was difficult to eat with these strangers.  My Chinese is pretty terrible and telling people my name, where I am from, what I am doing in Changsha, and that I have five children pretty much exhausts what I am able to communicate and then the conversation just dies.  Plus, they would often just stare at me awkwardly and it can be uncomfortable in an eating situation.  One part I particularly don’t enjoy is when someone says something in Chinese, then they all look over at me (so I know it’s about me), and then they all laugh.  I kept asking Ya Lun what they would say and sometimes she would tell me and other times she would not.  On a couple of occasions, she told me that they were guessing by my size how much I could eat.  Another time, Ya Lun simply told me that one of the older men had given me a nickname and it was “the red kid.”  I never thought I was red before, but he had traveled from Northern China and was very dark skinned.   Also, those who know me well know that I don’t really like to eat breakfast (except for the rare occasions my father-in-law is cooking bacon).  I especially don’t want to eat anything at 6:30 a.m. when my stomach is still unsettled.  But, custom dictated that we all eat together so I fought to get some rice porridge, a hard boiled egg, and some mantou (bread rolls) down.

After breakfast, we went to the main gate of the park and faced a huge line to get on the buses.  The bussing system in Zhangjiajie is surprisingly good for how many people they accommodate every day.  Apparently 28,000 people go through there every day and hundreds of buses take them to different spots in the park.  Our first destination was the Bailong Elevator (stands for Hundred Dragons Elevator), which is well known for being the world’s tallest outdoor elevator.  I thought the elevator was really impressive.  I did think before I got there that it wasn’t full enclosed, but it is.  My children are nervous to go up in it next year, but I think they will feel safe.  It was almost like an indoor elevator in every way, except for the phenomenal views of the outside.  Also, it goes to the top (about 1,070 feet) in about 45 seconds, so it’s quick..  The tour guide kept bragging that it was the world’s tallest outdoor elevator AND the world’s heaviest elevator.  I don’t know why, but I found that to be disturbing and could not stop thinking about how this was a record I did not really want it to hold.  When we got to the top, the views were extraordinary.  I’m not sure how to describe how I felt, but it was nothing I had ever seen before.  I have always appreciated things that are big in scope.  Maybe it’s a spiritual thing because I’m always in awe of the sheer greatness of some of God’s creations.  For this reason, my favorite national park has always been Zion.  I love to climb Angel’s Landing and look down at the valley floor.  I got the same feeling from seeing these giant pillars of quartzite sandstone and it was really breathtaking. 

I do have to take issue with the way the tour guide kept moving us along too quickly.  I wanted to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, and she kept herding us forward.  I was clearly the straggler and she was frustrated because I kept stopping to take pictures.  But, I didn’t care.  This was my opportunity to see something I have always wanted to see and she wasn’t going to stop me.  I’m sure the tour was very helpful for the native Chinese people, but I couldn’t tell what she was saying and Ya Lun got tired of translating for me after a while.  The beauty speaks for itself though, right?  For pretty much the rest of the day, we kept traversing the different peaks and I really enjoyed seeing the different formations.  One thing I did not really expect was the amount of stairs that were built into these mountain peaks.  I’ve run three half marathons in my life and to this point they had been my most challenging physical accomplishments.  I would have to say, though, that hiking up and down these mountains was the most physically taxing thing I’ve ever done.  I got to a point where I could not go down a set of steps without my legs giving out on me.  At first I thought I was the only one, but I looked around and many people were having great difficulty.  When we finally descended the mountain completely, one of the guides predicted that we had walked down about 10,000 stairs.

I arrived back at my hotel room about 8:30 p.m. and fell asleep within just a few minutes. That's pretty early for me, but I was wiped out.  The next day, we were scheduled to start at the same time and to see some more beautiful locations.  Little did I know it would rain the entire day.  That was quite an adventure as well and I’ll save that for the next blog.  I hope you enjoy the pictures I took of day one in Zhangjiajie.  

My room.  Not bad, eh? 

Another squatter!  Come on...!  

View from my hotel window.  The shingles reminded me of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.  

One of the streets in the small town of Wulingyuan outside of the park.

This building is the entrance to the park.  I asked Ya Lun what the significance is of this building.  She said, "There is none.  They built it so that it would look Chinese."  Nice!

The lady in the pink is our tour guide.  There are many touring groups in Zhangjiajie, so we all had to wear pins to identify us and she had this flag with her all the time.

A view of the Bailong Elevator.

A great view of a few peaks from the bottom just before getting on the elevator.

I like this picture because it shows the elevators.  There are three of them and they are double deckers.  

I hate to let my handsome face detract from the beauty of the mountains.  Sorry everyone!

I never thought I would say this, but I kind of agree that the one child policy is a good idea.  

This is one of many Avatar posters in the park.  You better believe they are milking this for every penny.  They even renamed one of the mountain peaks Avatar Mountain in 2010.  

Inside the elevator.  I tried to get in first, but I'm new at the pushing and shoving thing.  These guys in front of me were old pros.  

I took this as soon as I exited the elevator.  I like that you can get a sense of the height by looking at the buses below.  

What is there to write.  Just beautiful.

No two peaks look exactly alike.  Really interesting shapes.  

I didn't realize I had worn my Yellowstone shirt until I got to the park.  Then I thought, "Am I trying to show everyone what a world traveler I am?"  I felt a little foolish.  

I included this one because this bridge was very wobbly despite its sturdy appearance.  Once all these people got on, some teenagers started rocking it back and forth and the people started to scream.  They all ran to the other side as fast as they could.  The trees make it look like it is not high up, but the height is pretty frightening.  

I took many pictures of signs that I thought had interesting or unusual English translations of the Chinese.  

One of my favorite peaks.

This is the same peak as the previous picture, but I could fit it all in one frame.  

I like this one too.

I took this shot mostly to get a sense of the vegetation growing on these peaks.  I'm kind of impressed with these trees that they just grow right out of the top of this rock.  However, with this much humidity, I guess you can grow anything on anything.  

This is the largest natural bridge in the entire world.  

I found this romantic.  Since 1982, people have been coming here and putting locks (many in heart shapes) to signify their unbreakable love for each other.  You better believe I'm going to pick one out for Stacie and I.

The guy in the yellow climbing the mountain is notorious in this area.  They call him the "The Human Spiderman."

Not my favorite.  I've been spoiled lately I guess.

Somewhere on the mountain, we got to see a reenactment of a wedding ritual.  The draped area is the bed where the couple will consummate their love.  She is veiled because the man is not allowed to see his bride until they married. The guy on the right is a reluctant volunteer.  When they asked for volunteers, about 50 Chinese people pointed at me.  I flatly refused, so they took this guy. 

Bees!  Run!

This man had a really fun routine where the monkeys would do tricks.  One of the tricks included him throwing knives to them  and they would catch them.

Close up of the monkey.  I couldn't get too close because I was warned they bite and have diseases.  I think that's probably with wild monkeys, but I didn't want to take any chances.  I would have loved to see a wild monkey, though.  

Beautiful Chinese tea house on top of the mountain.

View from the very top of the tea house.  

Such lush vegetation.

Primadonna! You can pay these guys to carry you up or down the mountain.  It's your choice.  Ya Lun told me I probably didn't want to do it because they charge by weight.  I'm so sick of people talking about my weight.  I'm normal and they are all 100 pounds UNDER weight as far as I'm concerned.  

All I need is some blue skin and I'm your next big movie star.  Sign me up, James Cameron. I'm ready for Avatar 2!