Today started pretty early at around 5am when I awoke wanting to catch sunrise on the mountain peak (Bright light peak). It was a massive case of the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The thought of the long flight of steps up was daunting but eventually the desire to see Sunrise won. However the moment I stepped out of the room, all I saw outside was fog and a drizzle of rain. Disappointed, I headed back into my room. However I was slightly happy at being able to sleep longer.
At about 7am, I awoke and within 15minutes, was packed and all ready to descend the mountain. The bus to HongCun was mentioned on the web to be at 9:20am and the trip down was estimated at 2hours. The trip down was not exactly down as there was a lot of long flights of stairs upwards too. It seemed like I was just going up and down like a stocks exchange chart. The drizzle started to turn into a rain, and soon, my clothes were soaked even though I was wearing my goretex jacket. Thankfully, my canvas Palladium boots stayed dry and it was excellent in navigating the slippery terrain! Certainly befitting of the reputation as the official boots of the French Foreign Legion.
Eventually after two hours and a hike of about 4km, I reached the cable car station. In fact, I was rather disappointed that I did not catch even a glimpse of the famed sea of clouds throughout my time on the mountain. As the crowd was thin, I had a cable car cabin all to myself and could lay out my bag and gear on the benches. On the way down, the fog started to clear and I could see the sea of clouds in the distance! A mad scramble to photograph it ensued! How I wished the sony 70-300 had better quality even though it's rated as a G-standard lens. Eventually I was down at the bottom and with the fog gone, I could photograph the leak that was covered with clouds. Within ten minutes of the fog dissipating, it was back again and the marvelous views were gone.
I had originally intended to head to my huangshan city hotel immediately after descent to rest but suddenly I felt a little energized after looking at the sea of clouds. And so, I booked a public bus ticket to HongCun that departed in a hour.
The public bus turned out to be a minibus, and it was fully booked. I obtained a seat right at the last row corner and it was a good idea since I had my huge backpack with me on my lap. Having the window open meant that I had a bit more breathing space. An hour later, I was in HongCun. I had earlier read that there were a few other attractions near HongCun, which were the MuKeng Bamboo Forest and XiDing Ancient Town. Upon alighting, an old man with a motorcycle cart asked if I needed a ride and I asked him to bring me to MuKeng Bamboo Forest. It was only 30rmb two way and that was cheap too.
The ride on the motorcycle cart was such an experience! As I was on the cart, I could stand up and photograph my surroundings freely and feel the wind in my face too! Dangerous but a good experience! The ride was about 20 minutes and soon I was at the entrance of the bamboo forest. The old man agreed to wait for me for two hours and the ticketing counter lady said it would only take about an hour and a half if I stopped to take photographs.
Upon entering the forest proper, what stood before me was an endless flight of stairs. Basically, I had to climb stairs all the way up to the peak, which was about 1.5km worth of stairs up. Every few hundred meters, there was a short stretch of level path, about 15m in distance. The peak was really amazing and I could see a vast expense of mountains, valleys, clouds, river and small towns! Continuing on, I encounter more bamboo plants surrounding me. The photography opportunities were tremendous. About 70% along the route, I had to pass through an authentic old village and it was quite an experience too. I have entered such villages before on previous trips to China and every one is different. Eventually, I made it back to the entrance, taking exactly two hours.
After a ride back to HongCun, I was dropped off at the ticketing counter and it was absolutely not cheap to enter the village! 104RMB (22SGD!) I spend quite some time taking long exposure shots of the mirror-like reflections of the little town that was surrounded by a still river. This UNESCO site is famous for that mirror-like reflection. There were also many art students there practising their painting and sketching along the river. However, the massive tourist crowds with the loud tour guides ruined the original serenity of the place. Heading in, the shops in the town was very touristy and nothing much was notable.
Once done, I headed back to the entrance where I was accosted by private car drivers who asked where I was heading. The drivers there were all in alliance in terms of pricing. The bus ride back to Huangshan City Rail Station was 30rmb and the driver quoted me 30rmb to send me to my hotel! Why not! Plus it is always more fun to ride in private cars as you get to chat with the drivers, especially since I got to sit in the front seat. The car took a few more passengers and we were on our way.
Back in the hotel, and after a good warm shower, the first after two days in the mountain, I was out looking for a warm meal, also the first after two days in the mountain. And a nearby steamboat restaurant beckoned! 127rmb for 7 huge dishes of meat and vegetables and a yuanyang pot of mushroom soup and Mala spicy soup! Now that I'm back in the hotel, time for my massage session later on at night. Gotta rejuvenate and massage those aching shoulders and calves!
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