First bus at 6am get us to the base of the mountain by 7.30am, get our tickets and up the cable car sees us at the peak before 9am, not too bad for a 1600m ascent. It is a beautiful sight, but is rammed with tour groups who take the cable up in their thousands. They all come to see Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain), fabled as China's most picturesque and beautiful peak and painted by famous Chinese artists for centuries. We have a walk around the peak areas and then seemingly following me from Hua Shan 5 days before the mist comes in. At first it makes nice clouds and then it gets thick and you can't see anything about 50m in front of you. The most beautiful mountain with a £22 entry fee and £7 cable car fee is not really living up to it's name for me. Although for Juste, the mist makes the mountain mysterious and she enjoys the isolation of not being able to see, at least one of us is enjoying it. We walk around the summit area some more and on the other side of the mountain, the mist has lifted and you are treated to some stellar views. One section, accessible by narrow paths and steep steps far too narrow for the mass tour groups treats us to the best scenery we have seen yet and is phenomenal, the mist clouding over certain bits, but allowing you to see into the distance. This is beautiful and I can see why the peak could have it's name.
On the descent we walk at a good pace to make sure we don't miss the bus and end up being quite early back to the base. On the way down passing the sedan chair men, who for a fee will carry you like a VIP in a sedan chair up parts of the mountain, one at each end supporting your weight. I can only describe it as disgusting, it must be a cultural thing as Juste doesn't find it particularly appealing either. I wonder if people look up to the users as rich enough to be able to use the service and rising high over the other walkers.
Back to Huang Shan City and we take a night time walk around the old town, which has been dolled up for tourism and now the old looking buildings have a certain modern flair to them that says that have been built in the past few years and are definitely not old. Lots of people are lighting fires on the side of the river and around the City in general, just on the street pavements and waving incense sticks. It looks like some kind of religious ceremony or evening prayer and is an intriguing sight.
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