Daytrip to Huashan

Transport to Huashan
 
Today we have a trip to Huashan.  I had booked the entrance and cablecar tickets as a combo with return transport from the city to Huashan which is about 2h away each way.

We had the choice of meeting at a set pick-up point or from our hotel.  But because our hotel is on a pedestrian street, we had been advised to meet at a specific exit of our nearest metro station.  I had the presence of mind to enter Dennis’ local number into the booking so that we could be notified of this.

The bus that picked us up around 0700 wasn’t a minivan or shuttle but a full-sized coach. We drove for about an hour out of town before pulling into a depot.  As it turned out, this bus (along with all the others arriving there) was a pick-up service for a multitude of tours.

All the buses are now going to fan out to their respective destinations and the number of our next bus was advised to us onboard.

On the second ride, since we were all bound for the same destination, the attendant gave an in-depty explanation of the day, including safety tips and what to do if one misses the last bus back.

Ascent to West Peak

We arrived at the Huashan visitor centre around 0900 where for the first time, ticketing wasn’t a seamless affair.  It took the guide 40 mins to get purchase tickets manually.

There was a wait to get going on the park’s bus to take us to the actual entrance of Huashan.  A long walk up many steps is required to get up to the cable car ride.

Some of us paid extra to use a luge-like contraption to take us uphill.  KL & M declined and climbed by foot.

At the end of the luge around 1140 we were met with a huge queue for the cable car.  Fortunately, those of us who took the luge were allowed to join the queue while those on foot were held back.

After an hour in the queue, we climbed up the remaining steps to the cable car station where we boarded for an amazing ride of about 20 mins:

• Initially we made a steep ascent towards a high and steep mountain.
• My jaw dropped once we had gone past it as the terrain made a sudden drop.
• After the steep drop, we haded towards another mountain that was much much higher and just as steep.
• It was a long steep ascent towards the West Peak of Huashan.
• The cable car entered the mountain through a hole in its side where we disembarked around 1300.

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West Peak to North Peak hike

In view of the hike ahead, we grabbed a quick bite upon arrival at West Peak.  Burger at the temple proved to be the quickest option.  The meal vouchers we had prepaid for on a refundable basis couldn’t be redeemed anywhere nearby.

We were wary of the time we had up on the peaks before having to make it down for the last bus at 1800, bearing in mind queues for the cable car on the downward journey also.

We saw people hiking up to the top of West Peak, something I had seen on videos.  It was quite a way up.  While my heart wanted to go there, we were worried about the time it would take for us to hike to North Peak.

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E & BW, Kim and I agreed for us to go to North Peak.  KL & M were behind us and would do their own thing.

Our carefully chosen cablecar route from West to North is generally a descent.  Despite that we did go downhill then uphill again in parts.

The steps en route were very narrow, meaning that in downhill portions only our heels would be on the steps.  The scenery was stunning but the crowds were thick especially on the steeper portions.

After a little over 2 hours we arrived at North Peak.  The cable car had been in sight for a while, but it was actually quite a fair walk till we actually got to it and joined the short queue around 1530.

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Descent and return journey

Somehow KL & M had overtaken us (perhaps while Dennis was having photos taken in costume) on a side track.  We weren’t far behind them on the cable car ride down.

This cablecar line from the North Peak was much shorter and once at the base, we waited for E & BW before taking hopping on the shuttle around 1620 for the 20 min ride back to the vistor centre.

Back the visitor centre, we weren’t sure if we were actually at the same place as this morning.  It looked nothing like it.  There were restaurants and shops everywhere.

After a bit of walking indoors and then outdoors, and traversing the carpark, we finally found our way to this morning’s site.  The scale and walking distances is very typical of China’s sightseeing places.

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We hopped on the Xian-bound bus at 1720, meaning that we had made it back with only 40 mins to spare till the last bus.  We really couldn’t have done any more on a daytrip due to 4h being spent on the bus from/to Xian in total.

With hindsight

Knowing what I know now and the timings involved, if I had a second time for a daytrip, I would ascend the West Peak in the same way, climb all the way to its summit and return back down the same way on the West Peak cablecar, skipping the hike to North Peak.

Of course, if I had more time I would have done what we did today plus the hike to the summit of West Peak.  This would probably require an overnight somewhere nearby either before or after.

As for Huashan’s infamous plankwalk, the maximum age is 50 years old so I don’t qualify.  It is located on the eastern sideof South Peak, about 30 mins from where we disembarked from the cablecar.

Back in Xian

We were dropped off around 1900 the Drum Tower area.  Dennis and BW had went online in search of a nice restaurant, considering it was our final night together.

It was a bit of a walk and once we found the place, we had to wait for a table.  But they offered free snack while we waited.  The meals were good and nicely presented, in keeping with the standard of the place.

Once done, we wandered around the Bell Tower hotel to the rooftop of a department store for some photos.