Saturday 6th September - day 17
Xian
After talking about hua shan the past few days with a few backpackers who have been, we hear nothing but good things, so we decide to brave another hike. There's also a 0.3m plank path that winds around one of the peaks, it's one of the most dangerous things we've seen, but it's popular with tourists, and we both would like to give it ago. We Leave for the bus at 7.15 and make our way to the train station for the bus to hua shan mountain.
We take the 17, and pay 36rmb for the 2 hour journey. We were advised to take the number 1, however there's none we can see so we jump on this one. We get talking to another guy from Israel - Michael and when we eventually arrive (after being thrown out for a petrol stop which takes half a hour) we share a taxi to the ticket office which is 10rmb. From the ticket office we purchase the west cable car (180rmb) and entrance ticket (140rmb) and take the shuttle bus to the cable car entrance (40rmb). This all sounds very lazy but the cable car is 20 minuets long and cuts out a 5 hour step climb and the shuttle takes 20 minuets to reach the entrance and is the only transport allowed up the mountain. Plus it's already 11.30am and we only have today to explore the peaks.
Hua shan is 120km east of xian and is 8,563ft high. The mountain consists of 5 peaks, north, south, east, west and central and is said to resemble a lotus flower to locals. For centuries the mountain was a magnet for hermits, and ascetics in pursuit of immortality.
When we finally arrive at the cable car it's half 12, the 20 minute ride and the 180rmb paid is totally worth it. The view is unreal. I'm actually scared just in the car, the descents are so steep and you can't see where the line ends or the final station. The peaks are so steep, practically a full 90 degrees vertical, not in the shape of typical mountains, they are more like gigantic pillars. Once we arrive at the top we begin to explore the peaks. Many of the summits and stairways are lined with engraved padlocks and good fortune red ribbons.

We take some amazing photographs, including the sky ladder, which is a narrow path built onto the top of a peak which leads to a temple at the end. After east peak we head over to the south peak for the plank walk. There's a que for about 30 minutes but we decide to wait regardless of peering over the edge and seeing people looking like they are suspended in mid air on the cliff face.
Once we get down to it, we are given a harness with 2 clips on. We have to attach and detach the clips to the wire as we move along the plank, always keeping one clip on the wire at all times. There's also metal chain links we can hold onto. We begin making our way down some 'stairs' which are actually just metal pegs impaled randomly into the rock. Between the pegs you can see the 8,000 odd ft drop and I'm asking myself what the f*** am I doing. We googled the death rate of this walk before we left, which now defiantly wasn't a good idea. Not only are you contending with the stairs being quite far apart and having to dangle your whole body from one peg to reach the other, there's people going back up the same path so there's 2 way traffic along the 'stairway of death'.
Once we reach the bottom of the pegs, there's some foot holes carved into the rock we have to use to reach the planks. Thinking that no one would be stupid to overtake here, I find I'm wrong. Luckily those making their way around get the inside lane nearest the cliff, and those going back and overtaking, have to go around us from the outside. I see one guy climbing up the rock face and over people and another taking both clips off and just squeezing along the plank. (Only the Chinese) I'm now not surprised at the 100 odd deaths per year.
If one person was to fall down the stairs, they would literally take whoever was in front of you with you as well.
We reach the plank path and literally just a few skinny planks, hammered into the side with long nails. There's gaps everywhere and when there's a few people stood on each plank you can free the pressure in it. I'm s***ting myself and can't believe I'm going to have to come back the same way - and even worse. I'm going to be on the outside. We make it to the end after some steps upwards and it's just a tiny circular space - not even a good view out. We make our way back and as I'm overtaking a woman on the stairs going in the opposite direction, she try's to 'help' me with my clips and Unpegs them both - at the same time. For a fee seconds I'm held on by nothing, and I submerge the urge to launch her off the cliff. I grab the pegs back and re clip telling her not to touch them. Yas stops the video she was taking as I look like I'm about to die on the spot. So after a few heart stopping overtakes on the plank, we reach the peg stairs which lead up to the entrance. I've never been more happy to be back on solid ground. It was unbelievable and I'd recommend it to everyone, but I'd never be stupid enough to do it again.
We explore as much as we can before we make our way back down - this time to the northern cable car on the otherside. We manage to get back and on the shuttle bus for 6ish.
When we arrive back at the ticket place, we have trouble finding a bus back to xian and wonder if we have to get a taxi back to where we were dropped. However, a lot of the buses don't have a route exactly the opposite way so there's no knowing if the bus will go from there. We ask the guy where the number 1 is and he directs us to a small bus stop just right of the entrance gate and over the main road. We wait a while for the number 1, which clearly isn't the correct bus, it's tiny and full of locals. We end up getting threw off at the train station in menyuan.. Not xian. But we can apparently get an express train to xian for just 50 odd rmb so we get that instead of the bus. It only takes 40 mins and I'm thinking this was a lot easier than the 2 buses and a taxi this morning, and a lot quicker. We get the metro home and have a pathetic dinner in the hostel as most local places outside are closing at 10. We see some of the English guys from the dumpling party last night and have a few beers with them outside and up on the hostels roof terrace. We manage to convince them to go to hua shan tomorrow and do the plank walk.
It's 2am when we finally get to bed, we have to be up in 2 hours for the train, we've not packed or had a shower, our roomies are going to love us.