It was tough to find mid-range accommodation in Hangzhou so we ended up spending a little more than we should have and stayed in the Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale, which was your typical huge, gold chandeliers everywhere, business-type of hotel. Not our thing but it served its purpose for the night. We explored West Lake in the drizzle, I understand why it's another of China's great artistic inspirations and even in the rain there was something magical about it.
The pollution isn't great, we should have masks but can't be bothered to find some, we will get some in time for Xi'an which doesn't look good either. You can actually smell it, it's like a wood burning smell and it really gets in your throat. Went to Grandma's House for dinner, a Lonely Planet recommendation and very glad we did! Menu was extensive but all was delicious. There were a number of items on the menu that we were less likely to try, duck tongue for example, eeww, just the sight of them made me feel a little queasy. Good internet at the hotel allowed us to catch up on some much needed travel admin, we are leaving everything to the last minute, as usual. Quick breakfast and a trip to the Zhejiang Museum as recommended by my lovely friend Meg, the walk over the bridge to the island it is on is lovely in itself and the museum has the most amazing ceramics collection. It now takes me just under 45 minutes to repack my bag. Must work on that. Thank god for Anita from Guest Services. We left our toothbrush charger and they were kind enough to send it on to an address in Beijing, no questions asked. Sometimes it's good to stay in a 5 star 😉 The great Huangshan mountain - one of China’s most famous landscapes that has inspired, been described and portrayed by literati and artists for centuries, and we finally got to see it with our own eyes. Well, kind of. Early start and yet despite this, we didn't actually get up to the mountain until midday. For the most part, visiting the places we have during low season has been an absolute blessing, no crowds, no queues etc. But this also means that a lot of services are on limited timetables or closed for maintenance, so getting to the base of the mountain wasn’t that easy. Once at the base, there are three ways to get to the top, cable car, eastern steps, and western steps. As we still aren't fighting fit, we took the cable car up and were lucky to catch some awesome views on the way up before entering the fog which eradicated any other views for the whole time we were at the top, which was a real shame. But, it was still hauntingly beautiful, seeing the pine trees and rock formations slowly emerge as you ventured further up. I think many assume that once you are up there, it’s a nice flat amble round, well, it is not! We had steam (well I did) billowing out of our jackets in no time at all as we climbed the seemingly endless granite steps. We saw many a crossed word between the girlfriend out for the day in her platforms and the boyf whose patience was clearly running out as they realised what they were in for. But we fought on, despite being ill-equipped ourselves - no food other than a banana and a packet of ‘Italian meat’ flavoured Lays. Can buy from the top but crazy prices and all a bit dodge looking. I love a good sausage most days but these red and on a stick variety put even me off.
After hiking up and down several other smaller peaks like Turtle Peak we finally reached the point where we started our decent. Jesus, its now the day after we did this and my legs feel like how I think they’d feel if I had run a marathon. Lonely Planet says you can hike up the shorter, less scenic Eastern Steps up to the summit in under three hours and down in two. Well, that’s total BS! Days most essential travel item: Google translate Despite what all the guidebooks and blogs said, we decided on making Tunxi as our base to visit Huangshan mountain in the Anhui region. Bit of a ball ache getting off a night train and heading straight on to another train to Tunxi (another 3 hours) but we were short on time - in retrospect, we’d of added one more night in this part of the trip. We had discussed staying in Tangkou (town at base of Huangshan mountain) and even spending a night on the summit but so so glad we didn't as Tangkou is a total shithole and the places on the summit looked derelict and super depressing, plus, no idea how you’d get your stuff up there… Any way, more on that later. Another absolute accommodation gem - Hui Boutique Hotel, a beautifully restored Hui style house, traditional, authentic, cosy, super clean and owners very helpful. Tight for time, we decided to shower, poo, (no pooing on the night train, noooooo no no!) and dash off to an ancient village called Xidi, despite it being an hour away on a bus and our hotel lady advising us against it, tapping ferociously on her watch. But hey, we like to live on the edge. Not really. There are lots of differing info online as to when this famed ancient town ‘closed’ (yes, its ticketed) but to our relief we arrived at 4.15 to learn it closed at 5.30. Plenty of time to run round. People actually still live here so bit weird walking through people’s ancient living rooms. Not sure how people spend a whole day here… We loved it though. Missed the last bus home and out of cash, naturally. Hmmm. Begged the ticket lady to order us a taxi - 5 minutes and 200 Yuan later (bus was 19 Yuan!) a car arrived, presumably her brother or husband to take us back to Tunxi! Dinner at the most fun, 12th-generation side alley dumpling shack, Gaotang Hundun: Getting there (cue Rob): Guilin North > Hangzhou night train booked on Ctrip, 14 hours, 1400 km. Booked Hangzhou > Huangshan North bullet train at the station on arrival. Don’t expect any English anywhere, and the only manned ticket booth is on the 1st floor (ticket halls also on B1 and 2nd but only machines, not in English and only bookable with Chinese ID). It’s also worth getting the train code and time in advance on your phone rather than doing it the hard way. The train stops for about an hour in Shangrao then goes back out the station the same way it went in, don’t be alarmed. This route is relatively new, some people will tell you the only way to get to Tunxi or Tangkou is by bus from Hangzhou West Bus Station, which is an hour in a cab through the traffic (no MTR nearby) and is only slightly quicker than the train anyway. Easy and quick taxi from Huangshan North to Tunxi centre.
Guilin to Hangzhou: 15 hours
Arrived with ample time back to Guilin station, so Rob convinced me to try to find lost property for the camera despite me thinking there wasn’t a chance in hell that someone would have handed it in… But, to our astonishment, there it was. Neatly logged down next to our seat number, a smiley official looking woman asking to see some ID and our train ticket - note to self - keep all train tickets when travelling in China! It restored our faith and made our year, so far. The train: Ok, ok, really not as bad as I had thought it would be!! All the 2 person cabins were the first to sell out so we were in a 4 person cabin, we were lucky as the other people didn’t board until 10.30pm so we had the cabin to ourselves in the evening. It’s quite close quarters, so I think it would have been a bit much if it had of been full the whole journey, especially if we’d been lumbered with some stinkies. Settled down to a downloaded Eastenders marathon (yes yes, so sad) and a nutritious feast by way of an unrecognisable Chinese pot noodle. Woke at around 3am asphyxiating due to lack of air, mild panic, more rescue remedy night drops, calm again. Days most essential travel item: loo roll |
AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |