Huangshan, China
黄山
Locked in love, Huángshān, China — August 4, 2006
Lovers place these locks here as symbols of their love.
Chinese tour group, Huángshān, China — August 4, 2006
There were a lot of native Chinese visiting Huangshan and it got very busy at times. My recommendation would be to never go during a national holiday and book your hotel well in advance or you will be renting a dirty tent at the summit without the highly-needed shower options. (I ended up begging a hotel to put me in a dorm so I could take a hot shower.) Still, with all the crowds, a pilgrimage to this famous mountain is a must for first and repeat visitors to China.
Stickman porting vitals, Huángshān, China — August 3, 2006
I opted to not take the gondola to the summit of Huangshan; so instead I walked. It took me more than half the day and was entirely beautiful and fully exhausting. On my way up, I was passed by porters carrying heavy loads of dozens and dozens of eggs, vegetables, and who knows what else. The hike up Huángshān was hard enough without 60 pounds of fragile items balanced over my shoulders, and I cannot image how hese guys did it. What is even more baffling is that it was cheaper to hire these guys than put the food on the gondola.