Zhangjiajie – Day 2

To see the start of the story and how I wound up on a train, see the first or second post for my trip. If not, I’ll pick up the story the next morning, starting my first full day in Zhangjiajie.

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After having an amazing night’s sleep in what has to be the comfiest bed in China, I hurt everywhere. Muscles I didn’t know existed are sore and complaining about my every move. There’s only one solution to this problem, walk down another mountain. I’m going to need some new legs by the end of this trip.

After a lovely breakfast of noodles and dumplings and lots of much-needed water, I’m off to visit another section of the park, Yuanjiajie.

To the Elevator

Getting in the park is much as it was the day before, but without the need to go against the flow to purchase a ticket, as tickets are good for 3 or 4 days (I’m not exactly sure and I didn’t see anything at the park that mentioned it). However, getting in the bus took a bit more time as going to the Bailong Elevator area (or at least going in that direction) is very popular with a massive, pushy line.

Once I finally made it in and off a bus, I had to get a ticket to the elevator. One of the people working there said that I could scan a QR code and get my ticket that way. So, I did. And she sent me on my way just after I paid.

I expected that the “largest outdoor glass elevator” would go from the ground, with the ticket counter to the top of the mountain. I was very wrong. There was another elevator to ride up first, which you can ride without a ticket for the big one. It is a very uninteresting first elevator.

But afterwards, I was rewarded with some amazing views of the big elevator and the nearby mountains.

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Now, I just had to figure out where my ticket was. When in doubt, I just show the person behind the counter all the options and let them pick whichever they need. This time, it was my phone. She had to hit something and then there was another QR code that she could scan.

And into another line, I went. It didn’t take that long as the elevator has 2 floors and the ride is only 6.6 seconds supposedly.

I got stuck somewhere in the middle of the car, near the wall, and, as the Chinese have never been shy about pushing and shoving, there was a lot of jostling going on. Someone even rested their arm on my shoulder to record the trip up, which was half enclosed in concrete.

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After a stop to take some more pictures, I met a man chopping up a while box of watermelons. Then it was on to another bus to take me to the sightseeing spots.

Beware of Monkeys

But first, there are monkeys! I got to witness a monkey stalk and rob a guy of all the snacks and tissues he brought with him. The monkeys really enjoyed the cucumbers and Oreos.

After a quick lunch of some fried potatoes, I found between all the different things on sticks, it was time to, once again, fight the crowds and monkeys to see the famous Hallelujah Mountain from Avatar and other peaks nearby. There were some nice views, but there were people everywhere.

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In the Forest

Finally, it was time to be on my own and hike down. By some miracle, it’s a good trail, and not exclusively stairs, there are some flat bits and, at least in the beginning, there aren’t that many stairs together.

I also saw some amazing views of the mountains not that far along the trail. I’d definitely recommend, if you have time, to hike a ways along this trail. These were the best views of the day, and not just because I wasn’t fighting people off for a chance to take a picture without being bumped or having someone’s arm or phone in my shot.

But, all good things must come to an end and the trail got steeper, often without handrails! How is this safe? I’m amazed we don’t hear about people falling off the mountain often. Slowly putting one foot in front of the other got me to the bottom without falling and killing myself.

By the River

Eventually, there was a river. A very pretty river. It was mostly flat walking along it to get to the closest bus stop to get me out of the park.

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Then, it was time for another bus ride to the entrance. Along the way, people were offering to drive (like in a car) me out of the park. I know the buses stop running when the park closes whether the people are all out or not, but it was only 5! I had an hour.

The bus line started out as a big mass of people then quickly turned only wide enough for 2 people next to each other. There was a ridiculous amount of pushing and shoving. Luckily, or, more likely, unfortunately, there was no room to fall down. Thankfully, the buses showed up 4 at a time and it only took about 3 mad dashes for it to be my turn to run for a spot on a bus.

I hurt more now (legs), and somehow also less (overall). Does anyone know where to get that new pair of legs? Mine aren’t speaking to me anymore.

Next Time

If I were to ever go to the park again, I wouldn’t do all that much differently. I definitely enjoyed the 2 days I spent there and the routes I chose.

However, I would definitely wear different shoes. I wore my hiking boots as I thought I was going into the woods, but everything is paved. I’d also have a different bag for the things I don’t need on the mountain as there was a bag check available at the entrance and my hostel would also hold bags.

There is food and water for sale in most of the popular areas, even if it is overpriced. Buying things in the park is a good idea if you don’t want to carry everything you’d need for the whole day in with you. I, personally, drank 3 liters of water one day and would not have liked to carry it all in with me.

If you plan on using your cell phone at all, I’d bring a battery pack to charge it with. I did not see any charging options in the park. But there is signal, so if you’re in trouble and still have juice, you can call for help, if you speak Chinese.

Overall, it was definitely worth the visit and the money.

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Today’s route:

Food and water spending: 97.5

Attractions/activities cost: 65

Today’s total spending: 162.5