Huashan Mountain

The finale. Known as the most dangerous hike in the world. Mount Huashan is one of the 5 sacred mountain in China, and holds the title of "most precipitous mountain". Just imagine climbing a mountain shaped like a square, with the vertical incline at almost a 90 degree angle.

We left our hostel with our bags at 6.30am and walked to the nearest metro station to take a train to the Xi'an North station. We left our heavy luggage at the storage area there for the time being. From there, we took a bullet train (pre-booked on Ctrip site) to Huashan North station. It took around 30 minutes to get there. There is a free shuttle bus service every half an hour from the train station to Mt. Huashan. Entrance ticket costed us ¥180, but there is more. The bus ride to the mountain proper is paid separately. We took a bus to the North gate (¥30) as most tourists go to the West gate, so it wasn't as congested. From there you have to take a cable car and pay again. It was an expensive day but we didn't care because it was our last day in China.

Once at the top, we walked up and down stairs to the multiple peaks starting from the North Peak. It was tiring and my knees needed a break every now and then. Luckily I had muffins and Snickers. Unhealthy I know.

It was a mildly cool day so a regular spring jacket was adequate. The views are pretty much the same for all the peaks, but what we wanted was an adrenaline rush. We reached the Dangerous Plankwalk people have been talking about after 3 hours of hiking. After waiting in line for almost 2 hours and a fee of ¥30, we were worn harnesses and allowed on the plank. Now this was thrilling. Just a plank against the mountain wall and the view is just breathtaking. Some tourists were screaming and crying but still wanted their picture taken. This is not for those who fear height.

After that adventure, we continued our way down to the West Peak and took West cable car down the mountain. We took the park bus and then the shuttle bus to the Huashan North station and caught our train bound for Xi'an North station.

We were so hungry by the time we reached Xi'an North that we started binging on McDonald's. We then grabbed our luggage and took the airport shuttle bus since it was only ¥25.

Our flight was departing at 12.50am so we took the time to eat again since we were done checking in by 9pm. It was time to say farewell to China. This trip has taught me alot, especially regarding the Silk Road history.

Here's some tips I can offer:
1. As far as possible try to opt for roaming. If you don't then you have to have VPN everytime you connect to wifi. I recommend the Express VPN app.
2. Book your train tickets 1 month in advance from ctrip.com or the app. Otherwise, it is highly likely you won't get a train buying tickets over the counter.
3. Carry snacks with you as you are going to be very nomadic. Biscuits and bread will do.
4. People in China don't understand English much so I recommend using the Google translate app. It can help in constructing sentences as well as reading the chinese writting on signboards and menus.
5. Expect smelly public toilets even in decent looking places, to avoid disappointment.Read more