One-Day Tour of Huangshan
On the evening of October 8, we drove back to Huangshan from the Wuyuan Huangling Scenic Area in Jiangxi, and stayed at the You Doufu Inn in Hongmei New Village, Tangkou Town. After checking the weather forecast, which predicted a clear day tomorrow, we decided to climb Huangshan as planned.
At six in the morning on October 9, we had breakfast at the inn for six yuan per person, consisting of porridge, steamed buns, eggs, and pickled vegetables. At half past six, the owner drove us to the New National Line Passenger Transport Center at the South Gate of Huangshan. Many people were already entering the center in succession. We lined up with the crowd, scanning safety codes and having our temperatures checked before entering. Following a pre-planned strategy, we decided to ascend via the front mountain and descend via the back mountain (a suggestion from Innkeeper Chen, which is a suitable route for the elderly and those with limited physical strength). We went to the boarding point for the Yuping Cable Car on the New National Line. This route had fewer people in the morning, as most tourists were ascending from the back mountain and needed to take the bus to the Cloud Valley Cable Car. (Round-trip bus fare per person: 38 yuan.) The bus left the center, went east through the streets of Tangkou Town, crossed a bridge, and headed north to the South Gate of Huangshan Scenic Area. Soon after entering the gate, the bus began to climb. The winding mountain road kept ascending, narrow and with sharp turns. All passengers wore seat belts, and exclamations of surprise were heard from time to time. Fortunately, only Huangshan-operated vehicles were on the road, otherwise it would have been very dangerous.
The Yuping Cable Car fare was 90 yuan per person for the ascent, and the Cloud Valley Cable Car fare was 85 yuan per person for the descent that evening. After taking the Yuping Cable Car up, it was not long before we reached the Welcoming Pine. Then we passed through Lotus Peak to Bright Summit, where we had lunch (brought from home). Under normal circumstances, we would have visited the North Sea Scenic Area after lunch and then descended via the Cloud Valley Cable Car. However, several of us were already exhausted when we reached Bright Summit, so we skipped the North Sea and went directly to the Cloud Valley Cable Car via the White Goose Hotel. Even so, it was already dark when we reached the foot of the mountain. The driver who picked us up and took us back to the inn said we were the last guests to return from the mountain that day.
