A Perfect Zhangjiajie Travelogue
I had long wanted to go to Zhangjiajie, but never had time and kept postponing the trip. This time I finally got a vacation, so I decided my first trip would be straight to Zhangjiajie. As soon as I got off the plane, I saw a kindly-looking young man holding a welcome sign with our names, staring intently at the exit, as if afraid he'd miss us in a careless moment.
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
I'd been wanting to go to Zhangjiajie for a long time, but because I never had the time, I kept putting the trip off. This time I finally got a vacation, so I decided my first travel destination would be Zhangjiajie.
As soon as I got off the plane, I saw a simple-looking young man holding a welcome sign with our names on it, staring intently at the exit, as if afraid that with one moment of inattention he might miss us. This young man was our guide for this Zhangjiajie trip, named Xiao Li, whom we had contacted ourselves online. Because many netizens who had been to Zhangjiajie had recommended him, we also decided to ask Guide Ning to be our guide.
D1
1) Not long after entering the mountain, we saw a group of monkeys by a small hill. Many tourists were teasing them with food. The little guys seemed used to it and didn't run away, scrambling for the food thrown by visitors. Watching them was so amusing—they pursed their lips and made a crisp sound, as if saying, 'Give me, give me.' We saw two mother monkeys still nursing, with their babies clinging tightly to their chests. The mothers jumped up and down, but the babies never fell off. This was the first time I'd ever seen such a scene. I was so fascinated that Guide Li and Manman had to call me several times before I finally left, looking back at every step.
2)
I teamed up with an uncle who had come specially from Taipei for the trip. He was extremely witty, and his company added so much fun along the way. He didn't quite understand why so many mainlanders want to travel to Taiwan. He said Sun Moon Lake isn't even as big as Qiandao Lake...
Heh heh. The uncle's next stop was Chongqing. I hope everything goes smoothly for him.
3)
I accidentally noticed that every landmark sign in the scenic area had Chinese, English, and Korean. When I asked Guide Li, it turned out that every year a huge number of Korean tourists come to Zhangjiajie. It's said that it's even cheaper for Koreans to travel here than to travel within Korea. The uncle from Taipei also said that traveling within Taiwan is indeed more expensive than coming to the mainland. So that's how it is. Later I saw the China-Korea Friendship Pavilion, which is practically a pavilion built from business cards (left by Koreans who had visited). On the road, we encountered even more Korean tour groups, mostly elderly men and women, most wearing brightly colored clothes, and the women wore fairly heavy makeup, looking very refined. I like them like that, and I admire their attitude even more. On the return shuttle bus, a Korean uncle struck up a conversation with me, gesturing and speaking English. Finally I understood: he said, 'Chinese people are their little teachers.'
After getting off, he very politely shook my hand, which actually made me a bit uncomfortable. Was it pride as a Chinese? Or feeling unworthy of such an honor?
4)
The Bailong Elevator goes up 326M in 1 minute 58 seconds. It cost 56 yuan. Because I was standing at the very front, the view was unobstructed. As the elevator rose higher and higher, my legs shook more and more. It's still the shadow from bungee jumping the year before last—having a fear of heights is really annoying. Later, crossing One Step Difficult and a few open-work bridges had me struggling for a long time. It's just my personality—the more afraid I am, the more I push myself to do it (the more frustrated, the braver). I guess it's a kind of compulsive disorder:). By the time I took the cable car down the mountain, I actually forgot to be afraid. The uncle from Taipei suggested that next time I should jump from something over 50 meters to jump the fear of heights right out of me. Ha.
D2
1)
Strawberries growing on trees—have you ever seen them? Ha, I've eaten them! Guide Li pointed them out to us as soon as he saw them. We not only tasted wild strawberries, but also wild cherries and wild peaches. Because there's no fertilizer, they're all small, with a slight sweet-and-sour taste. Guide Li said he often picks them to eat, but those near the road have all been picked clean by passersby. He said there are plenty of wild fruits in the mountains. If you come a bit earlier, in September, there are wild pears, wild kiwi, wild lychee...
I strongly suggest backpackers come in September—let's all charge over together!
2)
At Daguantai, I happened to meet the director of the Zhangjiajie Tourism Bureau, a cute middle-aged man with glasses. I chatted with him a bit. In the future, Zhangjiajie will have 'audio guides' to replace human guides for tourists. I guess it's a kind of player—when you reach a scenic spot, you press a button and the corresponding introduction comes out. I feel I wouldn't like that kind of approach. Interaction creates communication, and communication brings liveliness. What's the point of a journey without liveliness?
3)
I don't know which bridge it was in front of, but Xiao Ning, who was guiding the uncle from Taipei, told us a story. The gist is that two people (a man and a woman) agreed to jump off a cliff together for love. In the end, the woman jumped, but the man didn't. And so the story was passed down. When I got back, I asked Manman: what does this story illustrate? The answer I got: 'Next time you jump off a cliff, you must first take rat poison together—absolutely no surviving alone!'
4)
The most depressing thing about this trip was: my eyes were red and swollen. Curious how it happened? Crying? Bitten by a poisonous insect? Neither. Self-inflicted, no one to blame~ Out of sheer curiosity, I touched a caterpillar on a tree (in the morning), and the head of a cat resting lying down (in the afternoon). Then I forgot to wash my hands and touched around my eyes, which made them swell up. It felt like being bitten by some insect, very itchy. I hurried back to my room and treated it with disinfectant wipes before it eased. That night I shouted at the mirror: 'Lesson learned! Lesson learned!'
Manman sincerely reminded me: 'Lessons can't change habits.' I began to admire this calm and composed young girl.
5)
Walking the 'Three Passes' of Wulong Village is said to be the challenge one must pass to become a bandit. Especially the third pass, 'See Who Doesn't Turn Sideways'—it's a narrow gap left between two narrow mountains. Guide Ning said you have to be able to walk through facing forward to qualify as a bandit. So it turns out the bandits of old couldn't get enough to eat, which is why they were so slim. I wonder if any MM wanting to lose weight might find some inspiration:)
6)
Originally I discussed with Guide Li about going to 'Mandarin Duck Waterfall,' said to be the only primitive scenic spot in Zhangjiajie where mountains and water are connected. Unfortunately, I was told that no one has walked that way for a long time, the path has been overgrown with weeds, and at this time of year there are many five-step snakes. He said it was too dangerous and he didn't dare take us. My god... I had to give it up. He said we'd have to wait at least until the snake ancestors hibernate before daring to go. This was the only regret of my trip.
D3
1)
On the way to Tianzi Mountain by shuttle bus, Zhangjiajie promotional songs played the whole time. The most memorable line: 'Kingdom of mountains, hometown of clouds, Zhangjiajie.'
Later Manman bought a promotional picture album. I was stunned by a photo of a sea of clouds in it—so beautiful! Later, the uncle from Taipei and Xiao Wen after returning all strongly recommended Huangshan to me, saying the sea of clouds there is especially beautiful. Hearing that made me gnash my teeth:)
I've missed going to Huangshan several times. Well, let's make it soon—find some time to go broaden my horizons.
2)
I made a last-minute decision to go to Baofeng Lake. When I got there, I found there was actually a 'Haohan Slope' (Hero's Slope). Crazy. Isn't that from our Lushan?! But Baofeng Lake still fits the principle of having both mountains and water. Several mountains form a basin shape, enclosing a lake inside, so the lake is half a mountain deep. Midway through the boat ride, there were Miao girls and boys singing antiphonal songs—quite interesting. Then a Korean tour group on the boat got excited and wanted to sing antiphonal songs with our side. Before we even agreed, they started singing first. And so, the back-and-forth singing made the whole lake lively. Surprises on a journey are just that simple.
3)
On the way back down the mountain, a guy who had just been on the boat with me wanted to sing antiphonal songs with me. After I politely declined, we chatted, and he said with certainty that I was from Hong Kong. Another certainty. Strange—what's wrong with people these days? Later at the waiting area I discovered something quite funny: at the ticket gate of the waiting hall, there were many decorated carts parked. It turned out they offered paid decorated cart rides (10 yuan/person) to take you to the platform. At the time I thought it was just a money-making gimmick, saying the platform was halfway up the mountain. Later it proved to be just on the second floor. I hope no one else falls for it.
This Zhangjiajie trip was very fulfilling. The only regret is that the time was too short and there were still many places I didn't get to visit. So next time I have time, I will definitely come back to Zhangjiajie!