If you read my Nanjing entry then you know that I was having a bit of bad luck. Well the streak continued on my first day in Huangshan, but fortunately I had a strong and wonderful finish to my trip to one of China's Yellow Mountains, Huangshan. To get things off on the right foot, I manage to nearly miss my stop in Huangshan. I was the only one left on the train when I showed my ticket to the staff member. I did not have to know Chinese to realize that she was telling me to get the heck of the train ASAP before it takes off. Shorts and shoes go on, backpack comes down from the overhead, daypack is on the shoulder, and I am off the train just as it is taking off. The good news is that I finally see mountains and do not see high rises. The bad news is that I was not able to print out the address for the hostel that I was staying in that night so I had no clue where to go. I collect myself and quickly realize that there is no one nearby that can even say "English" much less speak it. After reading a bit, I decide to hop a cab to the Huangshan Mountains (1.5 hours / $13). Another error. The trip was everything that I hoped it would be and more as the taxi driver decided to pick up her little girl (12) so she could practice her English (I assume). Things are looking up. I manage to convey to the little girl that I needed internet access which we found. At that point I learned that my hostel was less than 100 meters away from the very train station that had I just left. No problem, I'll stay on the mountains at one of the places listed in the guide book. Ah but no, they are all closed for repairs (damn Olympics). At this point, I think that I am getting scammed so I dump my taxi driver and decide to take off walking; big, big mistake. A fat, out of shape guy with a huge pack on his back and zero ability to read a map is not a good combination. An hour into it, I get picked up by a taxi driver who takes me up the hill about 7KM away. I am happy again. I will store my luggage; do a short day hike, and head back. Ah but no luggage storage available. Well OK, I will take the cable car up and then down (so I was told) and check things out. Three hundred Yuan ($33) and THREE WHOLE HOURS standing in line with a backpack on my back (see pictures), I am finally on top of the mountain. It was nice but hardly worth it. Frustrated, I decide to head back to town only to learn that I have to shell out another $8 to get down and then another $20 to get back; major budget busters. After a wonderful taxi ride home (see taxi cab Top 10), things finally take a turn for the positive and for good. The hostel was clean, the staff was helpful, and they had three beers that I had never heard of before; trifecta. After talking with the staff, I learned that they had a bus the next morning back to the mountains for $6. They also helped me plot my iteniary on where to hike and how long it would take. After a good meal, a trip to the grocery store for my hike the next day, and a really good sleep; I was off the next day. The hike up was basically 3 hours of climbing up stairs followed by three hours of going down and then up stairs. It (I) was not a pretty site. As usual, I was pretty much the only Westerner around so I was a big hit with my fellow hikers on the way up the mountain. After three hours of passing one another and then resting only to be past by the other, we eventually developed our own cheering section for one another. It may sound stupid, but moments like this one are why I travel. I finally make it to where the cable car lets people off (the wait would have been 3+ hours if I had taken the cable car). It's nice and there was a sense of accomplishment, but just hoh hum. Like everyone else, I eat, drink, rest and then take off for the summit. Another 2KM of stairs, but man when I got there, I "got it'. The West Side of the mountain is what makes the place magical. The peaks, the clouds, the scenary are breathtaking. The entire trip down was one jaw dropping moment after another. If you could somehow eliminate the massive amounts of Chinese tour groups as well as the accompanying microphones that the tour leaders use to yell out the top of their lungs, this place would be perfect. Unfortunately, serenity now has not hit China just yet. Where is Frank Costanza when you need him. The train to Guilin is booked for the next three days so off to Xiamen. Only 23 hours on a train, no problem.