好人. That was how the Zhangjiajie guide described me. Just because I treated him to a few meals. Haha. That was how innocently sweet the locals were. I was merely looking for some companionship during meals but they treated me like an Saint. Well, I guess tour guides are human too and professionals doing their jobs deserve to be respected. My guide come from a poor farming family in a rural area near Zhangjiajie who is in search of a better life. So he decided to be a tour guide in the bigger city to change his fate. Such courage and strive should be encouraged.
Since we got disappointed with the heavy fog at Tianzi mountain in the morning, my guide suggested we proceeded to the Grand Canyon of Zhangjiajie 大峡谷 in the afternoon. At first I was apprehensive due to the additional cost and the state of weather. Then he said he treated me like a friend rather than a customer so there will be no additional charge except for the entrance fee and transport. It sounded sincere and I am really curious about this place which he mentioned was his favourite attraction in Zhangjiajie.
The place was a 20 mins car ride away from Wulingyuan and only costed 150rmb for its entrance fee. First thing I saw as we went in was a long and narrow vertical gap between 2 mountain cliffs called 一线天. Then there were a series of stairways leading down between the cliffs. As we descend, some flights of stairs were so steep they looked almost vertical. Woo. Not funny since it was raining again and the ground was slippery wet.
Halfway down we arrived at a shaded area where there were a couple of slides made of stones. I saw my guide grinning so I guessed we had gotten to the fun part. For 20rmb, you will get a pair of gloves and thick canvas to slide down all the way to the bottom of the valley. The speed and the rush of adrenaline. Pretty cool.
Sliding down the cliffs..woooo..hoooo...
Good things are at the bottom...好料沉底
Once at the bottom of the valley, we were greeted with a long meandering river with greeneries abound and majestic mountains and cliffs as backdrop. We took to the wooden walkways built along the stream to discover waterfalls, colorful ponds and caves. Along the way, the colours of the river changed at least 5 different shades of green and blue on every bends and turns.
A walk in the clouds...
My guide said the locals don't swim in swimming pool. Instead in summer, they will just jump into the nearest rivers to cool off. How I envied that; suddenly man made swimming pool don't look appealing anymore. After an hour walk, we reached a small port where we got onto a boat which took us further down the river towards the exit. Pretty well planned route.
It brings out my happy...
A Tujia song about a young lady who saw a guy walked pass her house. Guy must be so handsome so the lady offered him a bowl of tea. Her mother asked her whom the tea was for. The shy lady actually broke the bowl in panic and scalded her leg. Poor thing.
At night, we caught the show Meili Xiangxi 魅力湘西 which was pretty good. But if you asked, I preferred show with storyline so 天门狐仙 was more entertaining. My guide accompanied me all day without additional charge. I guess if you are a 好人, you will meet more 好人. Throughout this china trip, I have met a number of 好人 and from them I got more than just friendship and companionship. I would say they made my trip ever more enriching and made China all the more charming to me. 魅力中国.
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