MOUNT HUASHAN
REAL ADVENTURE HIKE - MOUNT HUASHAN
If you are tired of hiking tourist trails that are supposed to be an adventure and are definitely not, you might like to try a real adventure hike. This is said to be the most dangerous tourist route in the world.
Mount Huashan in China can have you dangling over a 2090 cliff face and there is no safety barrier!
Mount Huashan located near Huayin City is a sacred mountain and is 2200m above sea level.
To reach the summit on foot you have to navigate along a trail of narrow footpaths and very steep staircases that have been cut into the mountain.
With cliffs on all sides the North Peak section of the trail is extremely exciting. Hikers manoeuvre across the cliff face by using a rusty chain and a 30cm wide wooden plank. This is followed by a 20m descent using another chain to help you get back on the trail.
Apparently there are approximately 100 deaths per year from those falling off the trail. Despite the obvious dangers hundreds of climbers a day make the hike.
The climb takes about 24 hours if you want to visit all five peaks on foot. There is a fairly new cable car but that is supposed to be even more frightening and dangerous than walking the trail.
When and if you ever get to the top the view is worth it. A breathtaking view of waterfalls, temples and ancient ruins.
For those of you looking for a real adventure, danger and excitement you might want to consider this real adventure hike up Mount Huashan.
SPRING FESTIVALS - CHINESE NEW YEAR
Despite the depressing weather at this time of the year, spring is not far away and to help you choose that well-earned break, Travel Advice takes a look at Spring Festivals around the World.
It will soon be time for the ancient festival of the Chinese New Year. Traditional celebrations for the Year of the Rat begin on 7 February 2008 ending with the Festival of Lanterns, 15 days later. Why not join the Chinese in Mainland China, Hong Kong or even the Chinese communities in New York or San Francisco and enjoy the colourful celebrations.
Before the New Year, Chinese families clean their homes to sweep away the bad luck of the previous year but making sure that the brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that good luck remains.
Families hold a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, eating certain traditional foods to usher in wealth, happiness and good fortune with married couples giving small red packets to the unmarried and the children. These packets containing money signify luck and honorability. Red clothing is commonly worn throughout the celebrations believing it will scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. Some families will invite a traditional Lion Dance Troupe to evict bad spirits from the home. Sadly, the fireworks are now banned due to safety and security issues in many cities. New York did allow firecrackers in 2007.
Each of the 15 days of the Festival requires certain traditional activities. For instance, on the second day, married daughters visit their birth parents. Visiting the graves of deceased family members occurs on the third day and house visits are considered inappropriate. Celebrations end on Day 15 with the Lantern Festival when candles are lit outside houses to guide wayward spirits and families parade through the streets with lanterns.
Opening windows and doors is considered to bring in good luck. Switching on the lights for the night should scare away the ghosts and spirits of misfortune for the New Year. Wearing new slippers, bought before the New Year will step on the people who gossip about you. Bad luck - having a haircut or washing the hair (could destroy luck and prosperity) and avoid talking about death.
As the Chinese say – Gung hei faat choi or Kung hei fat choi. The celebrations in China and Hong Kong provide an exciting background to a fabulous Spring Break in those countries.
BEIJING FOR AN OLYMPIC HOLIDAY
The next summer Olympic games are being held in Beijing in 2008. If you are thinking of going I wouldn’t leave it much longer to book flights and hotels. A quick search and you will find hotels in all price ranges but for something approaching western standards I wouldn’t go below a three star. Their luxury hotels are lovely and certainly of the standard you would expect of 5 star hotels.
Apart from all the Olympic events most people will want to do some sight seeing while in China. Beijing is a huge city of 15 million plus people. However despite its size it is relatively easy to get around. There are plenty of buses and taxis and a new subway system should be completed in time for the Games.
Taxis are metered and fairly inexpensive. If however you notice the taxi you are about to enter doesn’t have a meter negotiate a price first. Buses are great, rather crowded but you can go for miles for a few cents. A great way to sightsee if you are lucky enough to get a seat, just travel the whole route and back again.
Must sees while you are there are of course the Great Wall of China. This is fantastic, a truly great experience. There are loads of junk souvenir sellers outside but if you look amongst the dross you can actually find some nice things to buy. Once on the wall you can take great photographs. Try to go very early in the morning to miss most of the tour buses so you can get some pictures of a fairly empty wall or take the harder uphill route there are fewer people on this section.
The Forbidden City is another place not to be missed. It is huge inside, well preserved and again a great photo opportunity.
The Temple of Heaven ( the largest sacrificial complex in the world), is quite beautiful and a little surreal. As you walk about the park area there is piped dance music coming from hidden speakers. In such an ancient place it does seem little odd. The temple is beautiful though. There is a market outside that is definitely worth exploring. There are a wide variety of stalls and some great antiques. These markets can be far better places to buy authentic Chinese souvenirs than some of the shops.
Tian’anmen Square is well known for all the wrong reasons but is an impressive square, the biggest in the world and worth a visit. You can also join the queue to see Mao’s body. Depending on when you visit there are frequent display and events held in the square.
Beijing has an abundance of temples, museums and sites of interest for the holiday maker. The ancient observatory is one worth seeing and the unusual police museum which is rather full of propaganda but definitely interesting. The very unusual underground city built in 1969 when thoughts of a nuclear war sent city planners underground is worth going to just to say you have been there. There are 90 hidden entrances on Qianmen’s main streets. There are hotels, restaurants and shops down there. Also worth looking at are the China National Museum and the China Art Museum both are interesting and if you have the time try to fit them in. There are literally dozens of places of interest so you won’t be short of things to do and places to go. There are photo opportunities around every corner.
To keep you fed and watered while doing all this sight seeing there are plenty of restaurants. The Hotels usually have at least one each and frequently more, the streets abound with them, many are well known names that you will be familiar with and there are hundreds of Chinese Restaurants. The Chinese food is not the same as you will have had in your home country. Here it is the real deal and is somewhat different in taste and style to the Americanised version we are all used to.
This brings to mind the toilet situation in Beijing. It is certainly better here than outside the city. However unless you use the ones in the hotels and better restaurants be prepared and take your own paper. Handy little packs of tissues are easiest to carry and I would suggest some wet wipes for your hands. When desperate I used what was referred to as “the stinky palace” I should have known not to enter when told the name but needs must. I went in, the smell was indescribable, it was filthy, there were just holes in the ground, no paper and no washing facilities. So be warned and go prepared.
If you have the time there is some great shopping in Beijing. We went to the Cloisonne factory and watched the items being made then we went into the factory shop to buy a couple of pieces. It is a great city to buy antiques, gold, silk, lovely embroidered table linens and jade and pearl jewelry. They have lovely ceramics and pieces of original art work can be quite inexpensive. There are the usual shopping malls and small shops too. My favourite places to shop were the street markets. Literally on the street, many “stalls” were just a mat laid on the sidewalk but the offerings are worth looking at. Two of my favourite antique pieces were found this way. So you may look at a lot of tat but there are also some lovely pieces to be found. Also artists are sometimes found at these markets producing original work for very low prices. So if you are a shopaholic don’t worry there will be more opportunities than you will be able to fit into the usual two week vacation.
If you are going to see the Olympics, enjoy yourself and the events, if you are just going to Beijing for a holiday I am sure you will have a great time. For the summer tourist the weather is very hot, humid and usually sunny, if you prefer sunny but cooler weather the autumn is best. The winters are great. Very cold and dry. The time to avoid in my opinion is spring. This is the time of year you are liable to get “yellow storms”, dust from the Gobi desert.
My last word of advice on Beijing is dress comfortably and wear the most comfortable shoes you have. This city is huge and you can walk for miles at any one of the places of interest above. Have a great holiday and enjoy your trip to China and the Beijing Olympics.
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