Tunxi and Mt Huangshan

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My day started at 4a.m when I got up to see the sunrise coming over the peaks. I was saddened to see the clouds and even more so when I got to a vantage point the sunrise was completely obscured. I returned to the hostel 500m downhill where I collected my pack and sort myself for the day ahead. Thank god I packed decent waterproofs and bought an extra poncho for good measure, when I came outside it was chucking it down from the heavens, The West side of the mountain is an easier climb due to the shallow gradient but it takes longer to descent, with this in mind, the clouds reducing visibility to about 50m and the fact the weather was miserable Arsan and I decided to take the cable car. This was still a half hour walk away over a few peaks rising and falling at an approx 40-45 deg angle, the steps soaking they were slippery and in some areas there was no railing or banister to stop you falling, some of these staircases had a flimsy wall at the bottom but if you had a slip you would be deluding yourself if you believed for a second this would break the fall between you and the abyss below. On the way to the cable car I met the couple from Hong Kong again and wished them a safe trip. At the bottom I was first to the minibus where the driver informed me that he needed 10 passengers before leaving about 30 minutes later the couple arrived at the bus so we decided to go to lunch together. The driver was taking flak from all angles because the bus was full but he wanted more people before leaving, finally after an hour wait we were on our way, 10 minutes in the bus pulled over and without reason we were transferred to a coach, this is where it got interesting. The driver would randomly stop on a crossroads and do a 3 point turn, it seems he aimed for potholes but by far my favourite moment was when he raced up to a junction thinking he could clear it and encountered a Mercedes driver (obviously of the same opinion) and had to do an emergency stop in the process locking the wheels and skidding, I think we came very close to jack knifing.
When we arrived back in Tunxi, all passengers alive our little group found a side street restaurant and had a feast for £2.20 per person which included Vermicelli, Stir fry vegetables in garlic, Something that translates as Chinese new year cake - a staple of the died, cuttlefish, and Chinese barbecued squid, mutton, beef and chicken skewers. It was splendid. At the hostel the others checked out and planned their return to Shanghai. Ben and I stayed, he didn’t feel up to the bus ride and hassle and I had made plans to go to Hangzhou the next morning. Ben and I went for dinner in the same street I ate earlier where we had more skewers and a large bowl of broth with roast beef, noodles, chilli’s and a few unidentified and of course a beer. After dinner I went to the supermarket to get something to eat the next day in case I wasn’t near a restaurant. In the supermarket a group 12 teenage girls followed/playfully stalked me through the aisles and occasionally spoke to me to practice their English. I met Ben for a beer and a few games of pool before turning in.

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