Trespassing a Private Space (Upcloud Shilin Villa) @ Huangshan in China

Taking advantage of the fact that we still have about two hours to go before congregating with the rest of our tour mates, my family and I decided to explore the surrounding of Shilin Hotel at Huangshan! 

Stone Gate of Qingliang Villa, which was right behind the Shilin Hotel, where we stayed at the night before. While simple, this stone gate dated back to the Ming Dynasty, meaning it was already more than three centuries old.

111 steps leading to the lodge by the cliff side, this was connected to the stone gate, and was given the title of an ancient road. Damn, it was older than Singapore's founding back in 1819. 

It might not seem like it from the photograph but we were really up in the mountains, although Huangshan is not exactly that high, with its highest point at just 1,864 meters above sea level. 

Cool, crisp and fresh morning air!

While it comes to mountain climbing, always prepare a hiking stick! Even though we were given wooden one from the tour agency, I actually brought along the adjustable ones with better grip purchased from Decathlon Singapore.

Arrival at the entrance arch of the lodge, with the English and aptly name; Upcloud. Since there wasn't a gate or a door, we proceeded in for a better look. 

A charming, classic place devoid of any tourists, unlike most of the places in Huangshan, which was known to be one of the most famous mountains among the 1.4 billion local population in China! 

There's even a observation deck! 

It was windy though, and cold! 

View was disappointing, due to the surrounding fog, reducing visibility to just a few hundred meters, and masking all the beautiful sighs that Huangshan is well known for. 

Quite a waste although not as bad as Sapa! 

At least I managed to see some hills and trees! 

From this height, we also managed to catch sight of Shilin Hotel! There were more things to explore at the back of the hotel, and I doubt I would have sufficient time to check it out later. 

It was only towards the end of our "short" visit that we chanced upon a staff and realized that this was private property and not opened to the public, unless we had a room reservation! Thankfully, we were not hauled up to the police station for trespassing! 

How were we supposed to know that this bamboo gate was actually the marker of a private property?! There wasn't any sign.... let's just blame it on the stupid Singaporeans mindset. 

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Location

Side of Shilin Hotel, 

Huangshan, China

Click HERE for our 8 Days Huangshan, Tunxi, Yixian, Wuyuan, Mount Qiyun, Thousand-Island Lake, Hangzhou Tour Package to China via CTC Travel Agency