Huang Shan--Getting there

With just over a week before I depart Shanghai I took a weekend trip to Huang Shan, Yellow Mountain. China has several important, sacred mountains. Although Huang Shan is not one of these, several Chinese poets and literary writers have written about it's beauty for centuries. Located in Anhui province, Huang Shan is about a six hour journey from Shanghai. I began the first leg by train, arriving in Hangzhou to meet my friend, Jay, who was in China for business.

From past experiences I knew that securing a taxi at the Hangzhou train station could sometimes be a chore. I had just over an hour to head across town to the bus station in rush hour traffic. Drivers at the station will ask you, "Zai nali?/Where are you going?" before you even open the door. The first driver told me it was too far. As I was talking to the second driver through the passenger window, a woman came up behind me and negotiated a fare; all while I was still bent over with my head in the window. It was a day where my patience was wearing a bit thin for the differences in Chinese etiquette. For a few minutes I just stared in amazement as the driver got out to help the woman put her bag in the trunk. Thinking she had hijacked my taxi, I gave the driver a look and he quickly motioned for me to get in the car. So the three of us headed out across town. After dropping off the other passenger I started chatting with the driver in Chinese. Traffic was horrible and I stressed that my bus was leaving in less than an hour. He used his trusty horn to navigate through the crowded streets to get me to the station with just a few minutes to spare.

Jay and I set out on a 3.5 hour bus ride to Tunxi, a small city about 35K from the mountain. The drive along the highway was complete darkness. There are no street lights to illuminate the roads which was probably better given the speed the driver was taking some curves. Once in Tunxi we negotiated a taxi ride to our the Koala Hostel. We were greeted by friendly staff who offered to keep the restaurant open for us. They cooked us great Chinese dishes so we were well fed for the night. The Koala hostel lobby and bar is brightly decorated with a pool table and Internet area. The stairwells leading up to the rooms are covered in graffiti and notes from past visitors. The rooms have air con although the heating wasn't working very well. This is fairly common for many places in Southern China. It was a fairly cold night so we slept in as much clothing as possible to keep warm.

The next morning the hostel arranged a minibus to take us to the mountain, a 70 minute drive. Like all the minibuses there, they only depart once the bus is full. We had about a 30 minute wait which hawkers know how to use to their advantage. The weather was cold with constant drizzling rain. A woman with a huge smile and small shoulder bag boarded our bus immediately. Jay and I were the only ones on board and she did her best to sell us ever item she had. Rain ponchos, pants, maps, plastic shoe covers and gloves were among the goodies that emerged from the bag. She was friendly and talkative giving me a great opportunity to practice my Chinese.

Once on the road, we were again reminded about the use of horns in China. They are used to let a driver, pedestrian and sometimes no one at all, know that the bus is approaching. The shrill bus horn would send a warning about every three minutes. Most of the passengers were tourists except for two other woman who lived near closer to the mountain and were going home or to visit family. A woman in her early sixties got on with shopping bags full of food and decorations and situated herself in the front seat. Another young woman with an LV suitcase sat behind her. The minibus arrived in Tangkou, the closest town to the mountain's base. A woman on the minibus who helped to lure passengers on the bus told me we needed to take a taxi from the town to the mountain's base. As we got off the bus we were greeted by a man who introduced himself as Mr. Hu. I had just been reading about him in my Lonely Planet guide, which he included as part of his introduction. Mr. Hu is very famous in the city for English speaking travelers. He drove us past his restaurant, suggesting we may want to have a meal sometime that weekend and also informed us of his travel arrangement services for buses back to Shanghai and Hangzhou.

We piled into Mr. Hu's black, shiny car with leather interior. I imagined his lucrative business and excellent marketing helped to finance his upscale vehicle. Like many Chinese that I've met, Mr. Hu is a savvy, successful entrepreneur. Two French travelers who were on our minibus also joined us. Mr. Hu took us to yet another taxi whose driver took us up the winding roads to the hiking paths and cable cars of Huang Shan.

Here's a photo of Mr. Hu, Jay and me in front of his restaurant and car.