Day 12 ... Oh those beautiful mountains

April 25, 2025

Today we spent the day in Zhangjiajie, and in particular in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area and then Tianzi Mountain. Our guide for the next 2 days is Kaila (pronounced Kia). We didn't get to meet her yesterday when we arrived as she was seeing another group (34 people from Poland) to the airport.

However at 7.30 we met her in the lobby of our hotel, after we had breakfast and then went to the shop to buy Ian some throat lozenges. Kaila presented us with a bag of snacks ... yummy!

We then headed on to the ticket office for Kaila to purchase our tickets to the park and then we were off. At the first entry gate we needed to scan our passport and from then on all security gates were activated by facial recognition ... so easy.

We boarded a bus that took us high into the mountains through thick dense forest and along winding roads. All transport in the park is primarily via the tourist buses and shuttles. We arrived at our first location which was the Bailong Elevator. This glass elevator built into the side of one of the mountains rises up 325 metres. The ride to the top takes 88 seconds! The first part of the ride was within the mountain and then you emerge and the world opens up before you.

We then began our walk around the park (now at the top of the mountains). Beautifully constructed paths, walkways and bridges that hug the mountains but then open to viewing platforms that provide incredible views.

The mountains here are a geological wonder. Tall spire like structures ... some clustered together, and others standing alone. Some are very thin and others are massive. Kaila pointed out different ones ... the lady with the flowers, the three sisters, the old man, the paint brushes. All we could do was marvel at the incredible natural structures. For anyone who has seen the movie Avatar the scenery that follows will look familiar. This landscape was used in filming and inspired the production design.

Flowers dotted the craggy rocks and trees grew on top of the stone. At every turn there was something new to see. We saw and walked over a natural rock bridge and through trees laden with red ribbons which had been placed by visitors (they add their names and the date and what they are wishing for).

We travelled across the park on foot, in shuttle buses, in small trains (two different Chinese star signs ... first a monkey and then a pig), and even a cable car that took us down from the highest peak.We saw the statue of He Long and his horse ... and took the time to pat the horses bottom and to pat its head ... again a request for for good luck and prosperity.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant at the top where Kaila had ordered ahead for us ... so we ate beef with celery (just a little bit spicy), a tomato and scrambled egg dish that didn't look that appealing but tasted delicious (and is apparently good for the complexion), a tofu cooked in a mild chicken curry broth and finally some steamed bokchoy. It was delicious!

We visited a small monkey park where the macaque monkeys reside. They had become quite aggressive with tourists and food so they had been moved away from the main tourist areas (not forcibly ...) and relocated to a quieter part of the park. Look in the following photos for what happens if you take food for them.

(Ian here) Down from the mountain and back out through an empty square (that had been crammed in the morning rush), our final destination for the day was only a 7 minute drive away on the south edge of town. Baofeng Lake is part natural part artificial, and very beautiful. It is nestled up in the mountains, a short but steep drive from the ticket office. There you are put on a boat for a 20-25 minute cruise around the lake.

The general look and feel continued the theme of the day, rocky tree covered pinnacles pointing skyward. Kaila pointed out interesting rock formations - a camel, a peacock, a pig's face, a beautiful lady, Marge Simpson (Jacqui named that one). From one boat moored under an overhang a young man popped out to serenade us. Further up a young maiden sang. With gorgeous colours and a cool breeze it was a lovely moment.

And then on the way down we stopped at Baofeng Waterfall (Water curtain cave owned by the Monkey King). Used in the shooting of Journey to the West this is where the Monkey King has his cave (under the waterfall). So another 50 photos to round out the day.

More than 9 hours after departing this morning we returned to our hotel, exhausted from a wonderful day. Desperate for a rest we headed up to our room ... Nah, wrong. We snuck out the hotel's front door when Kaila wasn't looking and dashed across the busy road to a little stream that runs through town.

There we set up a picnic with a lovely bag of snacks from Kaila and watched the world go by. The water burbling over a stone causeway. A boy playing in a sandpit watched by his mum. People walking along the promenade. Joggers and people on the public exercise equipment. So ends another day.