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A JAUNT UP THE MOUNTAIN

18/5/2015

24 Comments

 
Picture
View from West Peak of Huashan at dusk.  Stunning.

T plus 9 - Xi'an / Huashan

I decided against duking it out with the weekend crowd to see the Terracotta Army and went for a climb up Huashan instead, which is about 120km from Xi'an.

Huashan is one of the five sacred Taoist mountains, often referred to by literary heavyweights Li Bai, Du Fu and many others in their writings.  In days of yore, Huashan was the place to go to seek inspiration and contemplate the meaning of life amidst tranquil surroundings.  Think mist-shrouded peaks, tall pines rustling in the wind, time standing still, men with white beards tied around their waists etc.

Well, no longer I'm afraid.  The centuries of calm was abruptly perforated with the construction of not one, not two, but THREE cable car lines in the past 20 years.  Today, Huashan is a major tourist attraction; not so much for its serenity anymore, but for the spectacular views from the top.

There are altogether five major peaks in Huashan (N, S, E, W, Central).  The North Peak, which is the one you get to first, is 1,615m and the tallest is the South Peak at 2,160m.  All five peaks are accessible in a lung-busting walking circuit that goes up and down.  Now, it's entirely possible to dash up the mountain, complete the circuit and come back down again in one day.  But you'd have to run marathons for a living. 

A far better, and less painful, experience is to do it over two days, by staying at one of the guest houses on top of the mountain for a night.  This way, you get to see both sunset and sunrise which are pretty fabulous. 

WARNING:  running water is kept to literally a trickle on the top, so you're more or less condemned to wiping yourself down with a damp handkerchief after a sweaty day.  Food and drinking water are expensive (RMB24 for a bowl of instant noodles), so bring both with you.  The cheapest beds(RMB100-RMB150) are in dorms of 10 pax.  Quads/doubles are available, but you're looking at RMB250/RMB400 and above per person.  Accommodation is available at the North, East and West peaks.  I stayed at the East Peak for easy access to the sunrise.

Another WARNING:  It's a pretty tough climb.  The most popular route is the one to the North Peak, and that's 6km of stairs which get progressively steeper until the final bit which has an incline of about 70-80 degrees.  Really.  Getting to the North Peak took me 2 1/2 hours.  Another two hours to complete the circuit.  Lonely Planet says to budget about 8 hours.

Yes, you could save yourself all this misery and take one of three cable cars up.  About RMB160 for a return ticket.  But that would be cheating. 


Picture
Sunrise from the East Peak

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South Peak bell tower at sunrise

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View from South Peak, Huashan's highest point

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A little shelter, nestled amongst some pretty massive mountains

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View from doorway at East Peak

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Looking up at West Peak while going round the circuit

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See the central ridge?  That's the climb up from North Peak to the other peaks. 
Steep?  Naah, it's only 60 degrees.

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This is 80 degrees.

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The sun setting over the mountains of Huashan. 
It makes everything worth it.
24 Comments
yl
18/5/2015 03:29:21 pm

BRAVO!

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Felicia Lau
19/5/2015 06:33:53 am

Stunning. Breathtaking. 不到山上不是好汉。看到这些照片,让我更有意志力要到黄山一游。值得值得。。

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Neoh
19/5/2015 07:11:33 pm

Thank you, thank you.

Fel, my mandarin must be improving. I understood 95% of that!

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Aunty Kathy link
20/5/2015 03:37:07 am

Love your pictures. Very professional. Am following closely on your artistry in capturing your journey. Keep going. Love it !!

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Neoh
20/5/2015 05:49:22 am

Thanks Aunty Kathy! You're the artist in the family. I just point my camera at something nice, click and hope for the best.

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mel
20/5/2015 01:20:53 pm

Well said Aunty Kathy! i thought the same too..the only thing is had aint enough of it....how nice if Neoh posts more photos for us to enjoy :)

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Aunty Kathy link
20/5/2015 03:40:04 pm

For sure. Sze Ming has captured many beautiful pictures in his past adventures, but this present one will give him the opportunity of a lifetime to develope a collection that he can present as his portfolio. Can't wait to see more but Sze Ming, take care too. You are great !!

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Mahani
20/5/2015 04:31:30 pm

Amazing! those pictures are very beautiful.. 👍
Keep posting!

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Mum link
21/5/2015 08:59:26 am

Proud to know that everyone is enjoying your blog and loving your photography. Keep it up 👏We will be with you all the way!!

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Neoh
21/5/2015 09:05:34 am

Thanks everyone for the encouragement! Hopefully I'll score some nice shots in Lhasa, Tibet. Although I can't know for sure until I get there. Apparently every visitor has to be personally escorted by a official guide. Not sure how accommodating they will be with regard to photography.

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Bosco Caldeira
3/6/2015 06:34:58 am

Neoh,

This is an utterly fascinating travelogue.... And I thought you went to chase the pretty girls in Kazakhstan...please keep up the photographs .. stunning visuals ... your pics would easily give NG a run for their money ...cheers

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Neoh
6/6/2015 05:54:16 pm

Thanks very much Bosco! Although I haven't yet captured the elusive Nat Geo quality shot yet. Your kind words will ensure that I keep trying!

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KPeng
9/6/2015 08:08:33 pm

Beautiful, surreal but i think i need to use the cable, it's not because not environment conscious but physical condition necessitates :(

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Kathy link
9/6/2015 10:58:39 pm

I am closely following your blog and still a fan of your mesmerizing pictures. You can come back to publish your own book. Think about it.!

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Neoh
11/6/2015 09:36:16 pm

Thanks KPeng and Kathy. Well, I saw 70-year old people make the trip on foot up the mountain, so it isn't thaaaat bad.

I WILL think about publishing a book, but nothing too serious. Maybe a coffee table book for keepsake :)

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mel
1/7/2015 11:04:08 am

be it coffee table or dining table, I WILL seriously but nothing too serious in looking forward for that interesting book..:)

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Neoh
1/7/2015 06:24:18 pm

Yar, and if enough people are kind enough to buy it, I can finance my next trip! Hahaha.

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Aunty Kathy
1/7/2015 07:04:00 pm

Your company should seriously consider publishing or sponsor the publication which is to their advantage as a promotion. But who knows if other sponsors may jump in for the opportunity. A matter of whether you want to market it. Your travels and picture coverage is not for the ordinary tourists but close to professional materials. I see the potentials of a good coffee table book ( that was what I think it should begin with ) but a hard cover with awesome colour pictures may win the game. Keep up the good work, Sze Ming. You are quite a story teller and supported by your strong visuals, you have enough to publish, for sure. Very proud of you !👍👍👏👏

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mel
2/7/2015 04:16:38 pm

Again, well said Aunty Kathy. And again, we think alike. I recently bought a coffee table travel book that costed around rm100, and for sure Sze Ming's writeup and pictures that tell stories is nothing lesser.

Sze Ming, as a start, you already have two serious buyer here... haha..eh who knows later got sponsorship from some travel magazine for full time travel blogging..how niceeeeee :)

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Aunty Kathy
2/7/2015 05:35:35 pm

Hi Mel and Sze Ming, for your information, the good old days of mine when in Malaysia, I had two books sponsored and published based on the biography of two Sultans. Copy writers who did the write ups and pictures by a professional cannot match what you have written and captured in photography and informations. I can foresee the potentials of your publication being a real success given the right direction and purpose. May it be for profit or not, it is still worthy of sharing with the world so continue the great work. Culture, landscapes, people and nature are information everyone is thirsty for. You have the best opportunity to share it and you are good at it. Great job !!

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Neoh
4/7/2015 11:20:57 am

Dear Aunty Kathy and Mel,

Thanks so much for the positive thoughts! I will amass the thousands of photos I'll have by the time I finish this trip and see if I can sort them out! I suppose this blog helps greatly because some of it is already organised here. By the way, I only post maybe 20% of the photos I take!

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mel
4/7/2015 01:07:27 pm

Thank you Aunty Kathy for sharing the good old days and i am proud of you too! And i like the thought of 'worth sharing with the world'.

Sze Ming, i smell a lil more certain in getting the book and my tables are eagerly waiting :)

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Bethany
19/7/2017 01:45:42 am

I disagree, I believe you captured several NatGeo worthy shots. I am especially captivated by "View from doorway at East Peak", it is absolutely stunning! It captured a magic that I cannot quite put into words. I found your travelblog by happy accident. I am very glad that I did. Safe travels.

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Neoh
2/8/2017 10:18:41 am

Thanks for the kind words Bethany! Hopefully you'll get to visit Huashan one day. It was one of those unexpected detours on my trip and I find that these are often the most meaningful experiences!

Reply



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