Huangshan and a bit of Hangzhou

Hi everyone,

We decided to fly from Xi'an to Hangzhou.  Other than having to arrive incredibly early due to some faulty information from a travel agent, the flight was comfortable.  Airlines in Asia have yet to engage in the massive services cutting that has taken over North American Airlines, though apparently some discount airlines have followed the model.

Flying to Hangzhou and taking the bus was the best way to get to Huangshan, which is also known as yellow mountain, and is supposed to be one of the most beautiful in China.  We decided not to opt for the 24 hour train ride from Xi'an.  After flying in, we stayed for one night at a hostel in Hangzhou, left our bags there, and headed off to Huangshan.  Upon arrival, Mr Hu picked us up (seems like he picks up all white people).  He arranged a hostel for us at the top of the mountain.  He also owns a restaurant, which served decent food.  We climbed the eastern steps of the mountain, which was rather arduous.  Ilana was not feeling well, which made it doubly difficult for her.  We did not even consider the cable car on the way up.  In fact, that would have been a smart idea, because the eastern steps did not compare to the western steps, and we could have done a hike in between.  Upon arrival, we saw the last remnants of the sunset before having some instant noodles for dinner and going to bed early, as we wanted to see the sunrise.  The hostel was not exactly first class.  It was a large dance hall, in which the gentleman had booked our beds.  Unfortunately, when we showed up, we were told that only tents were available.  I do not fit in Chinese tents.  Having convinced them to give us beds, we then retired to some not very clean, not very warm beds for a short sleep before waking up at 4:30 to see the sun rise over the mountains.  The weather was rather murky, but we dutifully clambered for space among the many Chinese tourists at a small viewing point.  It was very nice, but, as someone noted, not quite what was in the brochure.  We then put more kilometers on our exhausted feet to reach the peak of the western steps.  Ilana opted for the cable car, while I decided to tough it out and walk down with some French people that we met along the way.  The views were great.

We then took the bus back to Hangzhou, which we will be seeing today.  Pics soon to follow!

Thanks for reading!