It’s called Cui Huashan and it’s about an hour south of the city, as I sat thinking about the beautiful trees, fresh air, and relaxing atmosphere my teas gone cold…hmmm I hope it’s not going to be one of those days. So I pick myself up, look down at my tea shake my head and grab my day pack. Now to be honest I did a little research into where I was going before waking myself up at the early hour of 8:30.
At Dian Shi Ta I get out of the bus and quickly find the bus 905, it’s a single floored bus that looks just like every other city bus at the same stop. I hop on, pay my 4RMB, and settle in to watch the scenery change from big buildings and wide streets, to country stores and rural roads, it takes about 45 minutes and drops me off on the main street of a small town at the base of the Qingling Mountain range.
There are two reasons for this town, the college and Cui Huashan, so looking around all I see are things for college students and things for travelers, at every turn there are the motorized pedi-cabs calling out to me to hop in and they will ride right to the gate of Cui Huashan for 4RMB per person. This little town itself isn’t anything that I want to walk around in but I don’t feel like jumping into yet another vehicle and so I begin to walk.
It’s a straight shot up the road to the entrance gate, about a 30 minute walk in all, but after about 10 minutes the city noises fall away, the paved road turned to gravel and I find myself out of the city limits, with intermittent country restaurants and inns on the left and the foothills on the right I sigh…less than an hour and a half ago I was in the center of Xi’an, with it’s noises and congestion. Glimpsing the last of the morning fog burning off the mountain sides, listening to the babbling stream, the birds singing, and smelling the fresh air I realize that this is exactly what I needed.
The tickets at regular price are 70RMB or if you have a student card it’s 45RMB. I pay my money and walk in, there waiting are little open-air cars that for 11RMB take me on a 10 minute ride to Heaven Pool. It would have been possible to walk it in about 45 minutes but this road is quite steep, and after walking the past 30 minutes I need a break…hey what can I say I’m lazy.
Walking on the path I come across several places of interest, Windy Peak, Frozen Cave, and the Bat Cave, all of these are pretty much as their described and all provide a varying atmosphere on my way to the lake. While making my way through the Frozen Cave I had the exceptional luck of having the ice cold water drop from the rocks above right down the back of my shirt, causing me to squeal like a stuck pig which in turn caused no less then three small children to start crying out of fear…yes, parents were thrilled and I was shivering, I quickly moved on to the lake.
The trail comes out next to the only hotel on the lake, the rooms here are 250RMB for a single and I really I am only looking for a day trip so I walk on. To the right I walk along the road and come to the swimming area, they also have the clear plastic bubbles they put you in and then laugh as you attempt to walk on the water. It’s an interesting experience and one that will provide hours of hysterics for family and friends through the home video that will inevitably be shot.
Back towards the hotel there are power boats, jet skis, row boats and paddle boats all that cost about 30RMB for various amounts of time, the rule is the slower the mode of transportation the more time you get so for 30RMB on the paddle boat you get 30 minutes. I paddle out to the middle of the lake and I am about as far away from another person as I have been in a long time, the breeze picks up and without my noticing blows my little boat to the far side of the lake, I have about 15 minutes to paddle a kilometer…so much for the rest and relaxation.
The day was over and I was a new man, even with a sun burnt face, skinned knee, and wet shirt I was happy. Arriving back into the city center on the 600 bus I no longer minded the crowds or the noise, I had gotten some of that “fresh air” the others had talked about and it was wonderful, I felt great. Beautiful scenery, not that expensive, and actually getting out of the city, this could be a new leaf, I might get out more often, exercise a little more, a new me. Maybe even wake up earlier from now on…well let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
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