Sunday night sounds

Moldy Peaches, NCY's Like a Graveyard

Dogs of China - #204 (Shanghai edition)

Dogs of China - #203

His name was Keith - though maybe I misheard that.

Huangshan, what we did and how we did it (part 5 Hongchun)

Hongchun is a gorgeous village to explore but I'm glad we opted not to base ourselves here. As you'd expect with a village filled with beautiful architecture and impressive water features, it's also filled with lots of day tripping tourists like us. But louder than us and with guides with loud speakers.  

We spent the morning getting lost up and down the laneways  away from the main pack and then retreated to the nearby bamboo forest for some quiet which was the perfect contrast. If you are going to the bamboo forest and would like to do the full walk - allow around 2 hours (and be prepared for lots of steps). 

Dogs of China - #201 & 202 (Kaiping edition)

Dogs of China - #200 (144 again)

Dogs of China - #199 (Xi'An edition)

Dogs of China - #198 (Xi'An edition)

Dogs of China - #197 (Xi'An edition)

Dogs of China - #196 (Xi'An edition)

Huangshan, what we did and how we did it (part 4 Yellow Mountain)

We had the driver from Xidi drive us to the base at Tangkou, and I'd read a lot of forums suggesting Tangkou as a base to stay. I'd say don't do it, it's a pretty bleak kind of town (no offence Tangkou-ans).  Other people suggest staying on the mountain.  Unless you are a dedicated mountaineer, or up for a cosy time with lots of tourist groups, again I'd suggest don't do. If you opt for a day trip, bring wet weather gear and lots of snacks. Oh and a fair bit of patience.

So the thing is, you get all the way to Tangkou and then from the bus station you then need to catch a bus to the cable car and it's a pretty long bus ride high up a hill. You have two choices about which cable car you take up the mountain but either way on return you end up at the same bus station (so in theory you can take one cable car up and the other down on return).  

We had a grand plan of going up one way and returning a different route.  We didn't count on progressively worse rain and lack of visibility mixed with abundance of stairs and tour groups. 

Look, I'm happy to have seen Yellow Mountain (Huangshan) but don't feel the need to do it again. Even with love locks and squirrels.