Huang Shan

---

After getting on board the bus to Huang Shan we noticed something was different with this bus. Called a sleeper bus it was made up of three rows of bunk beds. Designed for chinese poeple we did our best to squeeze our size twelve feet into the gap at the end of the beds. We made do and got some sleep. The driver woke us up at 4am in a place called Tangkou. We are assuming a relative of his owned the motel he dropped us at. Bleary eyed we were handed a phone with an english speaker at the end and rented a room to get some sleep. We were woken by the same Chinese speaker with a bizarre english accent (Another relation) who offered to help us get some food and a room on Huang Shan. We headed off with Simon Cheng and after a bite to eat (In his restaurant of course), we got a lift to the base of the mountain. The climb was really tough.

Our first port of call was the dramatic "9 Dragons Waterfall". Although not wet enough yet to be in full flow it was impressive nonetheless. The climb got steeper and steeper and we struggled to reach the highest peak called Lotus peak at 1,864 metres. We visited a few other peaks before it started to get dark and we found our hostel. Stuck onto the side of a 5 star hotel (Bizarrely one of many on the mountain top), we got hot showers and a comfy bed before noodles (Of course) for dinner. We went to bed early to get up for sunrise.

We woke up at 5am to catch sunrise but unfortunately visibility from fog was about a metre so we rolled over and went back to sleep. At about seven we started our decent down the western peak. This was much harder that the previous days walking. It involved climbing a lot of steps then coming back down the same distance to be faced by steps going back up. The fog lifted briefly and we got a taste of the beautiful scenery buried under it. The locals called it the "Sea of Clouds" and it made for some dramatic views when the fog broke. We made our way down as far as the cable car and got it to the base of the mountain.

We arrived back in Huang Shan and after cold shower and a bite to eat, Simon had us back in a car heading to the "Green Pearl Pools". These are beautiful pools with sediment that turns them a bluey green colour. It was also the location of some of the scenes in "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon". After an hour or so of wandering around the ponds we were ready for bed. Simon had organised a bus to Shanghai and we were due to get up early. Unfortunately in the clear light of day we observed that our room had a major damp problem and an even worse insect problem. We stripped the bed to the mattress and slept in our clothes, but we both woke up the next morning sniffeling.

We got a local bus to meet our bus to Shanghai in a tiny village. From there we had a ten hour journey. We ended up sitting near the bin which was used for all sorts of things from spitting into and as an alternative to a nappy for the baby beside us. Needless to say we were delighted to see Shanghai in the distance.

Next stop Shanghai..........

---