Back Down Huangshan

Despite our conscious decision to not set an alarm clock, we were roused early the next morning by a Tour Group Operator guiding his tour group to the Optimal Sunrise Viewing Location, complete with Serious Voice Amplifying Equipment.
Representative Tour Group; you get the picture

This Early Bird group took the route right under our window. It was pouring, so we went back to sleep until the children woke us up. Such is life at the top of a beautiful mountain. But onward to more educational topics!

"So," you are wondering to yourself, "How on earth do they get all that stuff UP the mountain to service a hotel, even a hotel that bills itself as 5-star hotel, but has a serious lack of the sort of thing one generally associates with a 5-star hotel, like high quality sheets, towels and hair/body cleaning supplies?"

One very large load at a time. These men made me quite ashamed of myself for kvetching (however quietly and mostly to myself) about having to carry my small backpack up the mountain. Talk about serious physical labor. ALL of the supplies for the hotel, including clean sheets, towels, food, the water we drank, everything except the very air that we breathed is brought up the mountain by men carrying it.
 
Jeff had noted on the way up that some of the steps we were walking had large holes going through them. Putting on his rather larger-than-the-average-bears-thinking cap, he deduced that the (enormous, heavy, concrete) steps had probably been stung up on poles and carried up the mountain, much like our laundry. Think about that the next time you are grumbling to yourself at your desk about how much you dislike your job. The thing that really struck me about these guys is how thin they were; wiry and muscular, of course, but also, very, very thin. Each and every one of them. I can't even imagine how many calories they consume and burn every day working these loads up and down the mountain.

We did not consider the sedan an option. Wait, maybe HOPE would have liked to be carted up and down, but we didn't buy her that cute walking stick for nothing.
We shuffled our way down to the cable car, grabbed a taxi down the mountain, and headed off to Hongcun and Xidi. More tomorrow!

Comments

[Debbie Hanson]

Not to be nosey...well, yes I guess I am being nosey....but how much did this "5" star hotel in the sky cost? Not in RMBs, but US dollars! :-) I'm curious if you had to pay a lot more because everything had to be carried up.

[Ellen]

I don't remember exactly, but I do remember it was "expensive." I can ask Jeff.

[Ellen]

Answer Man Says! : About $55 a night for a two (twin) bed room. Includes private bath, television and obligatory Tour Guide with Loud Voice Amplification Device to Wake Residents at Sunrise.