When I travel I always have a mental checklist of certain items I like to take with me. These tend to include the usual must haves of passport, money and phone, but my digital camera and a disposable camera make the list. I'm very much into documenting my travels, whether for personal reasons to look back on or for use in blog posts and social media. Having travelled China for a fair few months now I've been taking my digital camera with me every step of the way. Most recently I travelled to Xi'an, the old capital, and from there climbed Huashan Mountain. Interestingly before I left for the trip I'd gone over my mental checklist and once my digital camera had cropped up I was hesitant. In recent days I'd started to view it more of a chain around my neck than anything else. And thus began my long weekend of being present.
Being present is a term known by most and used by few. It's the idea that you, in your present situation, live in that moment. Not that you live only for the present, but that you abolish any distraction that you may have be it social media, photography for anyone other than yourself or general use of your phone. If you're present you pay attention only to the things around you at the time. If you're at a concert you listen to the music. If you're out with friends you interact solely with them and anyone else you may meet. If you're up a mountain you take in the views and the experience for what it is, not what it could look like to your friends back home on Instagram. It's putting away your selfie stick, your apps, your phone, your iPad, your Gameboy, whatever you have with you to distract you from being alive in that moment.
In travel being present is more important than ever. Having the temptation to show your Facebook friends that you're travelling China rather than being stuck at home binging on ice-cream and waking up early to go to a dead-end job is a massive feat. However overcoming this will make your experiences a million times better. When speaking about your travels with others you won't be able to scroll your profile to show them the picture of the Northern Lights, but you'll be able to describe it to them in vivid detail. You'll be able to tell them how it made you feel, how it changed you as a person rather than showing them how many strangers thought your picture was cool.
When I went up Huashan Mountain I had my phone and a disposable camera. The phone was prescribed to my friend who had lost their own a few weeks before and wanted to take pictures to show her family. I used the disposable camera, of which the photos I intended to keep for myself and have never seen the light of social media. In a place with such unique beauty as the mountain you scarcely even want to take a photo. You're standing against a perilous drop, a short iron gate putting you between safe ground and the slope of a cliff. You can see such unimaginable expansive beauty in front of you; steep mountains jutting from vertical forestry amid the clouds. Personally I've never seen anything like it. On our ascent we took a cable car which sent us up to the sky. At the precipice of the first mountain we think we're there but then over the top we realise we couldn't be further. The cable car jolts downwards revealing an immense valley and another, larger mountain directly in front of us which shortly afterwards the car begins to climb. We're near vertical. The views are breathtaking. The people in the car with us all have their phones out and are taking plenty of photos, selfies and landscape shots, probably a few videos. I cannot imagine in that moment taking a photo. When you have a feast for your eyes why would you dare obstruct it with anything. Not when it's one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen.
If you're interested in travelling to Huashan Mountain yourself the easiest and cheapest way to get there is by bus from Xi'an. You'll need to buy a ticket from the bus station for about 9Y. To get there when you leave the train station walk through the city wall and turn left, you'll see plenty of buses in one area. The trip will take you roughly two hours so leave early. There is also the option to take a high speed train although for a steeper price. Once you arrive at Huashan, which is the last stop for the bus, you will be ushered into a restaurant where tour guides will try to sell you tickets, food, gloves, overpriced maps and anything else you don't need. Ignore them and leave unless you have someone who speaks Chinese to help you navigate their cons. Step outside, flag a taxi and ask to be taken to the Tourist Center, asking for the cable car will get you the same result. This shouldn't be a problem because so many tourists visit that the drivers know a little English. At the center you can buy your ticket to the mountain, cable car tickets and bus tickets. This will begin to add up and become very expensive, but worth it. Any information you need you can ask at your hostel or hotel.
You have a few options for Huashan Mountain. You can take the longest cable car up to the very top (this is the one I took and it offered some insane views), climb the mountain from the bottom however you'll need plenty of time, or take the shorter cable car and climb part of the mountain. When I say climb the mountain you don't need any grappling hooks or harnesses. The walk is accessible to anyone who is fairly fit and mainly consists of steep steps. At the top there are four peaks, North, South, East and West. They are all in easy walking distance. If you decide to go take plenty of water, snacks and good shoes. On the mountain it will be about four degrees lower than the temperature on the ground. You can easily do the mountain in one day if you choose the cable car routes. If you have and questions or need any advice throw me an e-mail or a comment.
If you're interested in travelling to Huashan Mountain yourself the easiest and cheapest way to get there is by bus from Xi'an. You'll need to buy a ticket from the bus station for about 9Y. To get there when you leave the train station walk through the city wall and turn left, you'll see plenty of buses in one area. The trip will take you roughly two hours so leave early. There is also the option to take a high speed train although for a steeper price. Once you arrive at Huashan, which is the last stop for the bus, you will be ushered into a restaurant where tour guides will try to sell you tickets, food, gloves, overpriced maps and anything else you don't need. Ignore them and leave unless you have someone who speaks Chinese to help you navigate their cons. Step outside, flag a taxi and ask to be taken to the Tourist Center, asking for the cable car will get you the same result. This shouldn't be a problem because so many tourists visit that the drivers know a little English. At the center you can buy your ticket to the mountain, cable car tickets and bus tickets. This will begin to add up and become very expensive, but worth it. Any information you need you can ask at your hostel or hotel.
You have a few options for Huashan Mountain. You can take the longest cable car up to the very top (this is the one I took and it offered some insane views), climb the mountain from the bottom however you'll need plenty of time, or take the shorter cable car and climb part of the mountain. When I say climb the mountain you don't need any grappling hooks or harnesses. The walk is accessible to anyone who is fairly fit and mainly consists of steep steps. At the top there are four peaks, North, South, East and West. They are all in easy walking distance. If you decide to go take plenty of water, snacks and good shoes. On the mountain it will be about four degrees lower than the temperature on the ground. You can easily do the mountain in one day if you choose the cable car routes. If you have and questions or need any advice throw me an e-mail or a comment.
Personally I think experiences make you rich. The happiest people are the ones who have wealth; a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of memories. Taking images for a blog, using social media, messaging friends in an already social environment dilutes these experiences. You'll remember them, but you'll struggle to remember how they made you feel, what you were thinking about in that moment. Don't taint your experiences, your memories or your life by not truly living it. Clear your mind and take everything in. Be present.
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Looking to do the notorious 'Plank Walk in the Sky', (also named the 'Walk of Death') during your trip to Huashan Mountain? Check out my detailed blog post on the topic. Ever seen those pictures of a mountain pass where you only have planks of wood to walk on and iron chains to hold onto? Yeah, that's the one I mean.
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