For the three days when I was walking in the Emei Shan, was keep thinking how can I describe my feelings about this experience. What could be the appropriate words?
Well, I was angry for several reasons. There was not enough information, in fact, there was none, about this mountain even though I paid 150 CNY (25 USD) to just hike. No brochure, no map, no guide, nothing. Also, all the information from every source was different. Hiking time; 15 hours – 10 hours – 7 hours, didn’t know trust which one. So we just wrote down all the places we could stay: monasteries and started walking.
I’ll keep it short. The first went pretty smooth, we only hiked about 7 hours. The second day, after 13 hours of hiking in the rain, we were about to froze to death at the top of 3,099m Buddhist mountain. The every source said we could stay at the nunnery at the top, but they looked at us like ‘what in the world are you talking about?‘. We found a place to stay with a help from the nunnery and bought the most expensive bed we’ve ever got.
It was the most difficult hike, and all the surrounding reasons didn’t make it easier. I was angry that we didn’t plan it well because of the lack of information, I was angry that I was so tired because of, again, the lack of the information. And because we were walking in the cloud, everything was wet and slippery.
Well, but the glorious moment came at last. The view was amazing at the top. No doubt. It was amazing. The Golden Summit with the blue sky, all the surrounding mountains afar, and the clouds. Also, the views along the way almost looked like a Chinese painting. Probably a lot of artists came here to pain, I guess.
It was difficult and memorable, but personally, I don’t want to go back again.
Hope your clothes are now dry!
What an absolutely stunning part of the world.
Thanks for the great pics and for sharing this.
Wow, these photos are fantastic! I’ll put this on my list of thing to do in Sichuan.
Sorry you were not in a good mood for the hike. At least you have great photos and stories to share.
It’s too bad you didn’t enjoy the hike. 7 hours – 13 hours…those are some long treks! I am excited to visit China in the future!
Wow, those are some photos! I especially love the details of the door and the carvings. 13 hours of hiking sounds a struggle but I’m impressed you got to such a remote location under your own steam. Kudos!
Thanks Lesley! It was really-really hard but I’m glad I did it. The scenery was great, and it was inspiring after all. 🙂
Those photos are amazing, Juno! I especially love the first one of the temple, and the one with the elephants – it looks like you’re in the clouds! Never heard of this place before, either. Surprised there’s a lack of information given what an obvious tourist draw it would be. It looks gorgeous!
Thanks Tom! It was really-really hard, but yeah I’m glad I went there. It was beautiful. The mist and the snow made some great scenery. Emeishan is hard but a lot of people visit because it is a Buddhist mountain. A lot of people pray on the way.
You had a wonderful time and beautiful photos at Emeishan. Our family is going to Chengdu on Oct. 19 2012. How I wish we can go there too. Are there other means of transportation? My companion is a 69 years old and he cannot hike that far. I wish you could help me go there.
I went to Emei Shan a couple of years ago. When I climbed to the top it was covered in fog, I could not see anything. Your pictures helped me to see what I was actually looking at. Emei Shan is one of my favorite places in China!
I just did this hike recently and found exactly the same thing. I liked it, but I has the dodgiest map ever and felt like I was playing Chinese orienteering. I almost felt like they just want you to take the bus and the cable car up and not actually do the hike.
Hey Juno, I truly enjoy reading your travel posts! I believe this is one of the most expensive tourist spot in China. Honestly speaking there is nothing much to see there except the peak (Jing Ding). I should have just take the bus to the peak and make it as a 1D1N trip 🙂