My INSANE Trip to China's YELLOW MOUNTAIN

After a long and exhausting week, I was looking forward to the longer weekend (the following Monday was a holiday). I thought I’ll explore some tourist spots, somewhere peaceful. This is not my first solo adventure in a foreign country for which I know not the culture nor the language but my experiences from hundreds of solo trips before had always been amazing. I’m pretty sure this one won't be different.

Three days before my planned trip, I asked several of my Chinese work colleagues for travel tips and one of them was kind enough to help me purchase the tour and bus tickets - a small feat that I can't do on my own due to language barrier. My colleague handed me the tickets and went over some logistics like, “this is how you get to the bus station on Saturday morning”, “this is your departure ticket which you should keep separate from your return ticket the day following”, “one-way bus ride is around 3 hours”, etc. All checked!

The days quickly passed by and I woke up Saturday morning super excited. I’ve decided to bring my laptop with me just in case, along with one-day worth of clothes and provisions – all jammed inside my backpack.

I took a taxi to the bus station and when I arrived, I realized it's a huge terminal (I should have known since almost every infrastructure in China is huge!) and so the challenge was to find the right gate and board the right bus! After several attempts talk to at least 10 people with no luck, I got nervous since nobody could pinpoint me in the right direction and time is running out. The bus is supposed to leave in 10 mins. I finally found a younger guy, who speaks English. He was kind enough to speak to several bus drivers who pinpointed us to the “right” bus. I thanked the kid a million times and boarded the bus.

The bus left just a few minutes past our intended departure time. Everything looks fine and the view of the countryside was spectacular. The only thing that's odd was that I’m the only passenger who does not have a livestock or vegetables with me. Three hours later, I showed the bus conductor (in most Asian countries, buses have a driver and a “conductor” – the who collects the tickets and helps the passengers upload/unload) my bus ticket (passenger's copy) and a picture of the Yellow Mountain (with a Chinese description underneath). To my surprise, he laughed so hard and made an announcement to all the passengers on the bus. There was a loud chorus of laughter thereafter, and some passengers were pointing their fingers at me while they laugh to the tune of “we have an idiot on the bus”.

Didn't I tell you I don't understand the local culture?

Moments later, the bus ground to a screeching halt. I was “motioned” to get off the bus and to “wait” for the next bus. I found myself standing in the middle of the triangle where the highway starts to diverge. And yes, there was no phone number, no bus description, not even a color of the bus that was supposed to pick me up. From what I’ve gathered by the hand gestures, the instructions were “You stay put here. Don’t leave or sit anywhere else, otherwise, the next bus won’t see you”. I placed my backpack about 5 feet in front of me as I stood there in awe, primarily to warn incoming cars that there’s an “abandoned puppy” standing in the middle of the road, and also to serve as a false bumper just in case a speeding truck miss a turn. I saw in movies that a laptop computer can stop a bullet and so my laptop could perhaps stop a speeding truck?

For over an hour, tens and hundreds of cars flew past me, and hundreds and thousands of curious eyes darting at me as I stood there distraught. Finally, a bus stopped, a man picked up my backpack and ushered me into the bus. No questions were asked. I was just happy to be safe inside a bus than lay exposed in the middle of the highway.

For the next several hours, I was praying and begging all the angels in heaven to “make this the right bus”. At the back of my mind, I was already thinking of plan B – where should I spend the night and how do I get back to home. Taxi would be the easiest but the most expensive option since with my zero Mandarin knowledge, I can’t haggle the price and I wouldn’t know how much it would cost until I get to my destination.

It took me another 3 hours to arrive at the foot of the mountain where the tour guide awaits. The guide introduced himself, and collected the tickets. What a relief to hear someone speaks English! He then described a detailed plan on how we will spend the next 48 hours – a quick tour around the mountain, then climb up the mountain where we will spend the night; at 5 am, we will start our descent to see the sunrise, and visit many other tourist attractions along the side of the mountain. Sounds great! Climb the mountain, eat, then sleep. Tomorrow’s a fresh day. Can’t wait.

After a brief tour of the attractions at the foot of the mountain, we were then instructed to start climbing whenever ready and at our own pace. "See you all at the top of the mountain!". Off we go!

It was around 6 pm when I started the climb. It’s a very tall mountain so I figured it would take about 3 to 4 hours to get to the top if I pick up the pace. There were hundreds of us. Men, women, children of different age.

The first hour was fun, I felt very proud of myself. Having run 2 marathons in the last 12 months including the Great Wall marathon, this climb is a just another fun-filled experience. I saw the same level of confidence in other climbers’ faces.

The view along the way was thrilling. I could watch the valleys down below and the surrounding forest and mountains for hours without getting bored. There were houses along the mountainside that offer food and drinks. Several bystanders were both cheering the climbers and some make fun of their exhausted appearance. “Look at those couples dragging their huge luggage”. “They won’t be sleeping at the top of the mountain tonight, hahaha”.

The second hour was different. People past their 50's where sitting on the stairs looking exhausted. Some were breathing heavily. The third hour, I started hearing screams and complaints about how difficult the climb is. Men were dragging their wives, some were literally carrying them on their backs. What made the climb harder as you move up was the uneven steps. The well-designed steps at the foot of the mountain were replaced by huge slabs of rocks which were placed erratically and loosely along the path. Some were bigger than others, some were flatter. Our phones went dead along the way and so we were walking in utter darkness.

After four hours, I began to realize how heavy my backpack was. My legs were now screaming in pain, and shoulders were aching.

Five hours later, all the excitement was gone and was replaced by anger and frustration. I can't believe our tour guide never told us that the climb would take more than 5 hours or did I missed him say it? It can't be, otherwise, I would be the only one complaining now. Breathing at high altitude was extremely difficult. I could barely make 10 steps before resting to breath and pump more oxygen into my lungs.

After six hours of climbing, I swear this was two times worsts than a marathon. I can only imagine what the older climbers are experiencing right now. I wish I could help. By this time, I could see a big light on top of the mountain. It must be the hotel where we’re supposed to spend the night. The light gave me reassurance that I won’t be spending the night on the side of the mountain.

It took me another 45 minutes to finally reach the top. I was extremely exhausted but at the same time happy that the torment is finally over. But then my excitement was suddenly dozed off by the sight of our tour guide waving a banner and congratulating everyone who crosses the finish line. Seeing him there gave me a mixture of anger and curiosity. How can he be here ahead of me? I was 100% sure he was still at the foot of the mountain when I started climbing and I did not see him came passed me along the steps. I need to ask him how he did it.

And so I did, and his answer rang the bell inside my ears – “Oh, I took the cable car on the other side of mountain”. “What? There is a cable car? Why didn’t you tell us?” I furious. I don’t recall what his answer was, or maybe I just didn’t care, but I wanted to strangle him right there and then.

The rest of the night was uneventful. The rooms were very crowded, but I fell as asleep as soon as my head touched the pillows.

The next morning, I woke up early and found several people sleeping all over the lobby, the stairs, everywhere and every space available. I learned later that the hotel was over-booked and the beds were first-come-first-served!

We did not have a good view of the sunrise since it was a cloudy morning. But the view from the top as we begun our descent was no less than marvelous. The tops of the surrounding peaks appear to be hanging in the sky (I was told this is the mountain that inspired the hanging mountains in the Avatar movie).

The descent has challenges on its own but we were enamored by the fantastic views and captivating sights. Hundred-year-old temples, waterfalls, rivers, bridges, a death-defying stairway built around the mountainside. It was mesmerizing. Despite the frustrations of the climb and the tour guide, I still consider this an epic adventure that I would endear my whole life.

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