Zhangjiajie with kids, day three (Tianmen Mountain)

In ZJJ city, we stayed at the Bajie Ren Wen Hotel (also known as Bajie Hill Inn), which was cute and much more Western-tourist friendly than our first hotel. The room did have its issues, however, most importantly being a non-Western toilet (not sure if all rooms are this way). This took me back to my Peace Corps days! By the time we got there, my daughter had gotten used to it, but just FYI if that's an issue for you. It's located in a cute little alley way but is hard to find. And it's noisy. Very thin windows and walls.

Day three might have been my favorite. Or maybe not. It's hard to pick! We took a cab over to the Tianmen Mountain cable car station. Our guide had already waited in a 45 minute line to buy the tickets, but then we waited in line for about an hour to get onto the car. It's just crazy how many people were there, and even I could see that the lines could be much longer. But I wouldn't want to be there when that happened.

This cable car ride is the longest in the world (~30 minutes). It starts in town and goes to the top of Tianmen Mountain. It gets very steep! It also goes through a lot of different scenery, and is really a lovely ride. 

 

Upon arrival at the top, Grace suggested we walk all around the mountain. One section is a glass walkway, but most of it is a lovely wooden walkway bolted into the side of the mountain. It looked quite sturdy and we didn't stop to think about it.

 The glass walkway requires a small entrance fee and shoe slippers. It really didn't seem like much to me, but then I don't have a fear of heights, I guess.

The glass walkway turned to wood again and we walked on. Suddenly we found ourselves in a sea of red ribbons. We learned that the Chinese write a wish on a ribbon and tie it on a tree, so of course we wanted to do the same!

 There was also a cool bridge, with great views.

I think he's telling her about Dungeons and Dragons here. 

After the walk around the mountain, it was time to head down to the hole inside the mountain. This required 7 LOOONNNG escalator rides! And after that? 999 steps down to the base of the mountain. The kids really loved all these little challenges and transportation methods.

We stopped to take a few pictures on the way down. 

Above is at the base of the mountain hole. You are still pretty far up. And I'm sorry to say that this is the only way down:

This road has 99 curves and they don't take them gently. It takes about 45 minutes. We made sure our stomachs were full before we got on the bus and we sat in the front. No one tossed their cookies, but I wouldn't really like to do that again. 

And that concluded our Tianmen Mountain day and our trip to Zhangjiajie! I did like the third day the most, because it included so many interesting aspects. 

Overall, it was a really cool trip, and we are glad we went!

Zhangjiajie with kids, day two

On day two we headed to Tianzi Mountain, another popular scenic spot in the park, but one that is less visited since they closed a cable car route for maintenance. We again had to take the bus to the glass elevator to another bus ride, this one 45 minutes long. This bus ride went through some winding roads- if you are apt to get carsick, be forewarned. With all the waiting at each stage, it took us about 2.5 hours to reach the sightseeing area.

However, I liked this area even more. It was a little more built up and a little more beautiful. It helped that the day was prettier- bluer sky and all. We did eat at McDonald's, because there was really nothing else. And boy, did it taste good.

After lunch, I forget exactly how we got down to the valley, but I think it involved a bus ride or two and a cable car ride. We took the Golden Whip Stream hike, which I would really call more of a walk on a paved path and sometimes a wood walkway. I wish it had been dirt, as our feet were really sore from walking on so much concrete when we were done. We walked an hour or two through the valley and it was really lovely. It looked like both Oregon (my husband's home state) and West Virginia, (a state where my family has spent a lot of time) so we were both homesick and happy.  But I think if you have just come from the U.S., this might not be that special.

That night we drove back to ZJJ City, which looked larger and more developed after 2 nights in Wulingyuan.

Zhangjiajie, Hunan with kids (part one)

Brand new, futuristic airport

Last weekend we traveled to Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, to see the national park where the movie Avatar was allegedly filmed. It was our first trip to the interior of China and was definitely a new experience for us.

I'm going to share my thoughts and tips in case they can help someone out there. Since I have ok Chinese at this point, I thought we could navigate this trip on our own. As I researched more, however, I realized how incredibly huge and complex the park is, how many different movements there would be, and how confusing it was likely to be. In China, I feel like they unnecessarily complicate things, even simple things, so I realized that doing it on my own with three people relying on me would NOT BE FUN. It would be one thing if I was traveling alone or with a friend and we could just wander. But I was there with my family and had only 3 days. Thus, we hired a guide, Grace from Synotrip, and thank goodness we did.


First, some clarification:

• Zhangjiajie (ZJJ) is a city in Hunan Province. The airport is here (code is DYG). 
• Zhangjiajie National Park (where the famous Hallelujah Mountains are situated) is in Wulingyuan, a small town about 45 minutes away from ZJJ City. 
• Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It covers an enormous area, including the park, and you can only see a small part of it during a 3 day trip.  
• Most people do a few nights in Wulingyuan and then 1 night in ZJJ city, because the Tianmen Mountain cable car (longest cable car ride in the world) starts in ZJJ. 
• Tianzi Mountain (see day two) is inside ZJJ National Park, not to be confused with Tianmen Mountain, 45 minutes away in ZJJ. 
• Tianmen Mountain (see day three) is a huge mountain with a hole in it. You may have heard about the bird-man flying through the hole  and other stunts. There is also a cool glass walkway here. The brand new glass bridge you may have heard about is not yet finished and that is in the Grand Canyon area. 

Wulingyuan Town is quite lovely

Wulingyuan Hotel

Travel and lodging: We took a 1.5 hour non-stop flight from Guangzhou and arrived at the brand new ZJJ airport in the afternoon. We took a taxi to Wulingyuan town, about 45 min away. There are tons of cheap hotels and it was hard to know what to choose but we were pleased with our choices. We stayed two nights in the Wulingyuan Hotel in Wulingyuan, which is at the base of the mountains. Hard beds and Chinese breakfast but it met our needs and was cheap!

Avatar photo opp!

Walking around town

Zhangjiajie National Park: We followed our guide and this is the itinerary she suggested for us. We saw the highlights with thousands of our friends and also got off the main path for some quieter experiences. There is so much to see, but we were happy with this.

I don't have a wide angle lens on my camera, so photos are not as good as I wish they were. But this is really a place you have to see for yourself.

Day One: 
Yuanjiajie scenic area (apparently the most popular area, hugely congested). It was a little hazy that first day, so photos are not that great. Just to give you an idea of the park's size, getting here required a ~15 minute bus to the elevator, a line to get into the elevator, a smaller elevator and then larger, glass elevator, walking for about 10 minutes, and then, I think you were there. Unless there was one more bus ride. It's all running together in my mind, but you can see why a guide might be helpful...

Here's the glass elevator. Unless you are one of the first people in, you can't see much.

And an idea of the crowds. This was waiting for the first bus.

It's worth it when you get up there, though.

Lunch at an outdoor restaurant- just to give you an idea.

After lunch, our guide led us on a hike of about 2 hours round trip. First a dirt path and then a stone path led us to this awesome staircase and a 360 viewing platform which we shared with just a handful of people. It's called "One Step to Heaven."

Next, we kept going to another viewing platform where we sat on a rock and just took it all in. It's called "Corridor in the Cliff."

At this point, it was about 3pm and Grace suggested that we go to Tianzi Mountain, so that we wouldn't have to pay for the elevator again the next day. But it was still a 45 minute bus ride, I think, plus the sightseeing and the getting back down, and we were too tired. Again, this park is HUGE!

General Tips: 

• We went after the national holiday, in October, and crowds were still overwhelming for us. I do not recommend going between April/May and September or on a Chinese holiday! Our guide told us lines were like 6 hours long just to get from one stage to the next. The viewing platforms are small and you will be fighting for space. I think the best time would be late October/ November. Cooler weather, less crowds, lower chance of rain. I heard the middle of winter is beautiful, but you also have the possibility of snow/ice (roads are winding and I would not want to be on a bus if there was ice) and some transport methods being closed. 
• The park is huge. There are lots of transport methods and lots of lines to get from one to the other. Definitely find a way to do some hiking other than just looking at the viewing platforms. On the second day, it was like 3pm before we felt like we had actually gotten out and moved our bodies- it was all bus to elevator to bus to cable car ride etc. 
• Lodging and food are cheap, but tickets for the parks and the rides like cable car and glass elevator are not. The entrance ticket for the ZJJ park is RMB250 per adult, kids under 1.3m are free. Same for the Tianmen Mountain cable car. There are lots of other expenses. We estimate we spent about $800 USD for a family of four for 3 days, not including hotel, but including the tour guide. 
• There is not a big Western presence here. Don't expect anyone to speak English or any Western food in Wulingyuan. 
• There are restrooms everywhere (only squatty potties for the most part) but no soap or toilet paper. Come prepared!
• In ZJJ National Park, there is a McDonald's on Tianzi Mountain (not to be confused with Tianmen Mountain in ZJJ city) but otherwise there is only Chinese street food. I was quite concerned about food safety. In Yuanjiajie, there are some very basic, outdoor sit down restaurants. Consider bringing your own food if you are not down with these options. 

Stay tuned for days two and three!

Hong Kong with kids and friends (Part Two- Lamma Island)

On our second day in Hong Kong, we finally fulfilled another goal- hiking in Hong Kong! We followed these instructions and took a ferry to Lamma Island to try the 'Family Trail.' My friend wasn't feeling so well, they were mostly carrying their toddler, and it was really hot at 2pm when we were doing the uphill part, so they may never go hiking with me again, but hopefully they still had fun.

This outing is great in that you take the ferry to one side (Yung Shue Wan), hike for about 1-1.5 hours), finish at an area with a bunch of seafood restaurants (Sok Kwu Wan), have a great lunch/dinner, and take the ferry from that side of the island. I mean, really, that is my kind of hike. You could do it the other way around, too. 

It starts out with an easy walk through the town, where you can stock up on snacks and drinks, and buy a hat or two. It's a cute little town! You keep walking down an easy path and arrive at a lovely beach pretty soon (maybe 20 minutes?). 

The beach is well equipped with nice changing areas/bathrooms and some shady spots. The water was so refreshing!

After an hour at the beach, we headed up the mountain, hugging the shore. This is where it got more intense. It was HOT and quite steep, but luckily, at the top of the mountain, there was a guy selling frozen pineapple and drinks. The view was exquisite. I don't think the uphill part was more than 20-30 minutes, but I could be wrong. 

Then you start going downhill to Sok Kwu Wan village and end up there for lunch. 

I really loved Lamma Island and would like to do this hike again in cooler weather. HK just has so much to offer.