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NANJING/TUNXI/HUANGSHAN MOUNTAIN::We arrived Nanjing and were treated to the dirtiest restaurant of our tour � food on the floor, eaters spitting & smoking, greasy table, plates & cups... Erg! I almost stepped on a pile - yes, a pile - of chewed bones. (Take Heps A & B injections before going to China.) After lunch, we embarked on a 7-8-hour drive to HuangShan Mountain. It was a high-adrenalin, scary ride � The driver drove around 100kph most times on uneven roads (some lengths were dirt roads!!); through villages, skilfully (and in control) whizzing past school children, pedestrians, cyclists, 3-wheel, blue covered motorbikes, and other vehicles. At one time late afternoon, a car raced alongside and the passenger signalled to us. Our driver was able to out-drive them. We later wondered whether it could be an attempted robbery. Indeed it was stupid to have, on our car dashboard, a big sign that we were from NZ. When night fell, everywhere was pitched black, except the occasional dim, dotted lights from houses. We were glad to have travelled in a group. It felt safer.
HUANGSHAN::The gondola rides up and down the mountain were dangerously overloaded. Maximum load was 50 but there were definitely more people!! Everyone was packed tightly as sardines. I was so relieved each time I landed safely. Nothing to say about the mountain itself coz we saw little. Ran out of luck (only 100 sunny days in a year). It was raining heavily and very foggy (less than 20 metres of visibility). In the morning, the guide walked us around, describing the sceneries while we imagined with our most creative brains. We spent the afternoon drying our clothes and shoes using hair blow-dryer. Food and material supplies as well as clean bed sheets and towels are carried by men on feet; 3 hours each way ascending or descending the mountain. Many of these men only dressed in shorts under temperature around 10 degree Celtius. I truly appreciate their effort to provide us all a comfortable stay. Surprisingly, the meals we enjoyed at the mountains were the best and healthiest during the tour. |
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QIANDAOHU::Tall bamboos lined the road down from HuangShan mountain. The fighting scene on top of bamboos in the movie �Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger� was filmed somewhere here. On the way to QianDaoHu (Lake of Thousand Islands) we passed tea plantations, vegetable gardens and rice paddy fields, dotted with traditional black roof white houses. The houses were constructed such that if one were on fire, the fire would not spread to the neighbouring houses. The green land and rivers running through the countryside is such a contrasting scene from Xi�An. Among us, we bought 3 baskets of fresh fruits for RMB5 each (so cheap), at QianDaoHu jetty before boarding the ship. We had a delicious lunch and relaxing cruise, stopping on 2 of the islands to see snakes & ostrich. Next day, we drove to YaoLin Cave, the biggest disappointment of our tour. The Cave has many stalactites and stalagmites in various formations but they were blackened by pollution. All along, the local guide could only rehearse fictions of the stone formations but was helpless when we requested for factual or historical information. The Cave has been used for TV and movie production. Colourful lights and the artificial structures completely destroy the natural beauty inside, e.g. big GuanYin God statue and the joystick burning, brightly-lit stage, mermaid (what the heck??!!), a food & drinks stall. |
