BIRTHDAY PRESENT
On my 25th birthday, I received one of the best birthday gifts. Out of nowhere, the owner of the company I previously worked with asked me if I wanted to go to China. Well, it wasn't actually out of nowhere. I knew he and some of the managers already planned on going to China for a supplier visit. But I didn't expect I would get the chance to go with them.
I counted the days until our trip. I was so excited because it was my first trip out of the country. Although China's not in my list of dream destinations. But still, it's China!
On the day of our flight, I finally got the chance to be inside the beautiful Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International Airport. My first thought in seeing the structure was that maybe it wasn't finished yet because I was used to seeing exposed wooden beams in unfinished houses. But I realized that it was just strange seeing a big building made out of wooden beams that were curved. The furnitures and the fixtures of the airport even matched its roof. The airprot was indeed beautiful.
Our first flight took us to Hong Kong and we had to wait for a few hours before taking our next flight to Shanghai. We wanted to go out of the airport but there not enough time. We just strolled around and I ordered ramen.
It was already evening when we arrived in Shanghai and we were all eager to rest. When we arrived at our hotel, it didn't take long for me to go to sleep right away. The next day, I was able to take in more of my surroundings. There was this futuristic building in front of our hotel that looked like two giant trains with a bridge connecting them. We went there in the evening and I was able to get a better view of it. It was a complex building with office spaces and restaurants.
GETTING TO THE YELLOW MOUNTAIN
After staying for two nights in Shanghai, we needed to travel to Huangshan to visit our supplier. Huangshan is located in Anhui Province in eastern China and we had to take a speed train to get there. It was my firs time riding a train and it felt like we were going really slow but in reality, we were going at 250 km/h! We arrived at Huangshan and the place was just wide and clean. I kind of half expected to see an industrial city full of factories. But no, it felt like a rural area with wide streets and well-tended trees.
After a few days of doing what we came for in Huangshan, our host was very kind to bring us to the most popular place in the city--Mt Huangshan. This was the highlight of the trip! Mt. Huangshan or the Yellow Mountains is a famous tourist destination in the mountainous part of China. It's located 50 km north of Huangshan City. To get to the mountains, we had to ride a bus and a cable car. It was also my first time riding a cable car. That's why this trip was so memorable to me! The cable car ride alone was so exciting because of the view. I was a bit scared but the fear would instantly be replaced with awe when I just took in the beauty of the scenery around and below me.
UP IN THE 'YELLOW' MOUNTAINS
The cable car brought us to where we would start our trek. Good thing I brought my jacket because it was cold up there. We were accompanied by a guide and she led the way to the different peaks and attractions in the mountains. The trail was mostly concrete stairs that went up and down around the mountains.
Everywhere you looked, there were stunning landscapes of granite mountains, seas of clouds, deep valleys, and majestic pine trees. 'Huangshan' literally means yellow mountain. The mountain didn't get its name from its color. In 747 AD, the place was renamed after the Emperor Huang Di (or the Yellow Emperor) after he spent years living and learning about medicine in the mountains. (Source).
The altitude and the stairs were starting to affect me. I remember taking off my jacket because I was already feeling hot. There was this overlooking spot with chains of locks on the railings. I think they were for couples who wanted 'lock-in' their love up in the mountains. The view of the valley was just breathtaking.
We stopped for lunch at this hotel on top of the mountains where clouds were just outside. I remember being told to eat everything on my lunch plate because it was so difficult to bring food up there. We actually saw a few people manually lifting heavy bags of food from the cable car station, up and down the stairs, and to the hotel. I had a hearty lunch that day.
GOING HOME
We were supposed to go back to Hong Kong and stay there for a day before going home. But at that time, a very strong typhoon hit the Philippines and was headed towards Hong Kong. Our flight was canceled because of the bad weather. We spent a day in Shanghai while waiting for our travel agency to book us another flight. We got word that we could go home via Korea. I got the chance to be at the Incheon airport before finally going home to the Philippines.
My first international trip was better than I expected. I may have spent a lot of money buying souviners at Incheon but considering the cost of the flights and the accommodations were shouldered by our host and our company, I was very lucky. I really enjoyed my time at Mt. Huangshan. I don't know if I'll be able to go back. If that was to be first and last, it was more than enough.
And that's it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and going through my photos. I hope I was able to aptly describe my experience in Mt. Huangshan. I'm coming up with a unique idea for my next post, so be sure to check it out!
