Day 28: Avatar Mountains

It's cold here, China, is cold! I was so surprised when I got off the train because I was getting so used to my new sweaty and balmy lifestyle. However, I felt that it was rather refreshing to step off the train and breathe in cold, crisp air; something I've missed dearly from home.

This place is incredible, from our hostile to the park itself. It's my first experience in a hostile, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. We all herded in, and the little Chinese lady at the front desk was so eager to help us. She quickly got us situated in rooms, told us how to get to the park, and how to work the buses, she is wonderful. Also, the hostile itself is pretty great too. We are on the fifth floor, and all up the stairwell are different drawings from the many people who have stayed here. It was incredible to see how diverse the group was; we saw posts from Singapore, all over the US, the UK, Italy, Australia, etc. It blew me away and just really enjoyed seeing some of the history.

We got to the park and bought our three day passes, after the clerks looked over our passports and fingerprinted all of us, of course. Our little group that had broken off from the wolf pack had decided to ride the gondola up the mountain and hike down. I can't even explain how perfect of a choice that was. The view from the gondola was breathtaking, I seriously felt as if I was floating on top of the world, looking down on these floating mountains. The fog around the mountains really helped with the erie effect as well.

We got to the top of the mountain, after our ten minute gondola ride, and hiked all around the grounds. Each point of interest had a little sign and look out to explain what the mountains were named and why. All That was going through my mind at the time was how much my parents would enjoy this place. It is beautiful, and the pictures don't give it any kind of justice.

There are also wild monkeys here, which we were instructed not to feed, so naturally some from our group did. They just grabbed the food from our hands and were so friendly, kind of wild right?

The avatar mountains are definitely a must see in china. It's such a beautiful and massive park with endless things to see. The air is cool and silent. I could sit up there for days and just read a book or stare off into the many wonders right in front if me. Words don't explain the beauty I've found here, but I love it so much and wouldn't mind frequently visiting.


Pictures:
1: covered Buddhas
2: locks of love
3: shorrrry
4: Avatar mountains
5: gondola
6: I made our mark on the hostile