We got up early on the second day to get ahead of others and avoid the crowd. The weather wasn’t nice at all. It was rainy and cold. We only could find this paper-thin raincoat, which did nothing much to protect us from the wet weather. If you read part one, you would know my husband and I are both afraid of heights. He did a great job to ride the cable car and climb the mountain with us to our hotel on the first day. However, he started feeling sick because of the weather change on the next day.

We signed up a group tour. The arrangement for the second day was walking all the way down from our hotel to the Mercy Light Pavilion on the west side. There were a lot to see on the way, like the Bright Summit, Turtle Peak, Greeting-guest Pine, etc. The tour guide gathered us together and laid out three options. The challenging path which means you need to walk on the path built on the cliff, the not-so-challenging path or turn around and go down the mountain from the way we came. The last option was only because the weather was pretty bad.

All the girls and boys in their early twenties certainly chose the hard one. When the guide asked my mom, she hesitated for few seconds and decided to go for the second option. The tour guide was surprised that my mom didn’t choose to go back down. After all, she was 72 years old that year.

I looked at my husband. He was in dilemma. He knew I would have to go with my mom because I couldn’t let her out of my sight although she is the most capable one among us. It’s impossible for me to let him go down the mountain alone since he didn’t know the language. I could see he was debating and evaluating all the options. However, there was only one option. He had to come with us.

All set. We set out. My mom was the first. I was in the middle and followed by my husband. Despite her age, she walked very fast on the narrow path and countless wet stairs. I had to keep saying “Mom, slow down. Be careful. Hold the handrail”. We reached the bottom of the valley successfully. My husband was doing very well. It was definitely  challenging for him. The stone path was wet. The handrail was too low for his height. We laugh about it whenever we talk about the trip. It was a great experience for both of us. I just wish the weather could be better.

 

Looking back, we had a great trip with my lovely mom. I admire her so much. She managed this trip so well at the age of 72. She never fails to surprise me with her energy, bravery, wisdom and talent.

I think this is going to be my last trip to Huangshan in my life. Well, never say never. However, I have been there twice and most likely I would choose somewhere else for my next travel destination in China. It’s a big country, there are so much to see.