Morning Walk by Ourselves @ Huangshan in China

With the morning free time at Huangshan,my family and I decided to check out the surroundings of Shilin Hotel (黄山狮林大酒店) to make full use of time! 

After unknowingly trespassing a private space ( the Upcloud Shilin Villa), we continued our hike to the highest point! Of course, there are numerous trails but we had been informed by our tour guide the day before that we can just take the pathway to the left after exiting the hotel.

Protection to prevent rockfall.

Upwards to the Qingliang Terrace, where it was said to be give a spectacular view of sunrise, sea of clouds, and sights of the 18 arhats to nanhai and the 18 bends. Well, not expecting much given the thick fog.

Didn't see much indeed and given the drizzle, the ground was wet, and I was so afraid that my dad would slip and fall. Thankfully, we had prepared in advance by asking him to wear his hiking shoes we purchased at Decathlon for our Sapa trip in 2024! 

I was more captivated by the bird.

A splash of yellow amidst the green.

Nevertheless, we can't control the weather and having the mountains shrouded in a blurry filter did make the walk very comfortable and mystical. It also helped that most of the tourists had yet to ascend the mountains, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere. 

The stone sign said don't climb the cliff. And I definitely wouldn't given my fear for heights and there's absolutely no barricade!

Climbing, and climbing; not a bad workout for a morning. A trivia; how big do you think would be the scale of the Huangshan granite mass? It's actually 15-kilometer long and 10-kilometer wide, albeit in an elliptical shape. 

My 74-year old dad can climb.

But we did buy a hiking pole to aid him further.

A view we didn't manage to capture; the stone monkey watching the sea (of clouds). One thing about travelling in China; there are always references to how mother nature isn't that boring. That rock looks like bodhisattva with her hands clasped, that's an eagle spreading its wings, from that angel, it's like a tiger about to bounce. 

Closed section.

Another viewing platform; aside from the uncertainty of a guaranteed view, the slippery looking slope and the handrails that didn't look too secure made me stop in my tracks. 

One wrong move; and I shall tumble down the mountain.

Though crazy, I am no daredevil, unlike my elder sister!! Gosh, my legs were literally shivering on her behalf and if anything happens to her, how am I going to explain to her hubby and children?! 

This would be good enough; and less heart pumping.

I still didn't dare to venture too far out. Friends and colleagues who know would be aware I am super clumsy and the joke I always mentioned is that I am clueless as to why I am still able to stay alive. Guess thanks to my guardian angels.

Trust me; I still managed to slip. 

What would you have imagined from this young pine tree? One side was flourishing yet the other was bare, yet at certain angles, it's like a bird was perched on it! 

Going back, slowly.

One step at a time.

More and more people coming up as we descended. Now Huangshan can be therapeutic to explore, when human number is small. Too many people, and it get too inevitably noisy but most importantly more dangerous as the paths are actually too narrow. 

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