En route to our only destination for the day, Huashan Mountain, we came to a standstill about an hour into our ride. Our driver, affectionately known as Tony (in the striped shirts and man-pris), waits impatiently for traffic to start moving.Unfortunately, we were stopped on the highway for nearly two hours, with no idea as to what keeping us from moving. We finally got moving, but for reasons still unk
nown, the entire highway was closed off. We were forced to take rural roads through poor neighborhoods and farmland. In all, it took us almost five hours to get to the mountains.After a quick lunch, we began our journey up to the mountain. A shuttle bus took us to the base, and once we were there, we had to choose between climbing the stairs up to a much lower part of the mountains or take the cable car all the way to the top. It was a tough choice.
Huashan Mountain is staggering at more than 7,000 ft. The ride on the cable car up through the mountains was 
enough cause our tour guide to start shouting "I hate my job! I hate my job!" Which was not comforting in the slightest to me as I was having my own meltdown. I eventually got over my fears, our guide, however, was shaken enough to get on the next cable car back down the mountain.
The views from the top were spectacular. There were stairs and paths built into the mountains--there were even restaurants and hotels! We slowly journeyed up to the very top of the south peak.
Along the chain-link guard rails we hundreds of locks and red ribbons. It is popular among couples to buy locks inscribed with their names, attach the lock to the chain, and throw the key down the side of the mountain as a symbol of commitment. The red ribbons stood for good luck.
It was a sunny day, and by the time we reached the top of the mountain, we were soaked with sweat. We took a long break at the top, enjoying a cool breeze and even cooler drinks.
Having thoroughly taken in the magnificent views, we began our journey down the mountain a la a second ride down on the cable car. We ate a late dinner at a nearby restaurant and started our long ride home.
It was a quiet ride, but thankfully the highway had reopened, and much of the ride was spent sleeping. It had been an exhausting day and we need a good night's rest before our day in Xi'an and a long day of traveling ahead of us.
enough cause our tour guide to start shouting "I hate my job! I hate my job!" Which was not comforting in the slightest to me as I was having my own meltdown. I eventually got over my fears, our guide, however, was shaken enough to get on the next cable car back down the mountain.The views from the top were spectacular. There were stairs and paths built into the mountains--there were even restaurants and hotels! We slowly journeyed up to the very top of the south peak.
Along the chain-link guard rails we hundreds of locks and red ribbons. It is popular among couples to buy locks inscribed with their names, attach the lock to the chain, and throw the key down the side of the mountain as a symbol of commitment. The red ribbons stood for good luck.
It was a sunny day, and by the time we reached the top of the mountain, we were soaked with sweat. We took a long break at the top, enjoying a cool breeze and even cooler drinks.
Having thoroughly taken in the magnificent views, we began our journey down the mountain a la a second ride down on the cable car. We ate a late dinner at a nearby restaurant and started our long ride home.
It was a quiet ride, but thankfully the highway had reopened, and much of the ride was spent sleeping. It had been an exhausting day and we need a good night's rest before our day in Xi'an and a long day of traveling ahead of us.
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