Datong, Shaanxi Province, China

Hanging Monastry, Datong

After a busy week in the office, Kara and Ellen (from work) had the opportunity to head north to the small city of Datong, Shaanxi province.  Datong isn't really on the tourist radar and Kara was perhaps the only foreigner there that day! 

It was a warm Beijing spring day when we boarded an overnight train to Datong. The train took 6 hours and after a very restless sleep we arrived into Datong at 6am. From the railway station our first stop was the Hanging Monastery, Hunyuan County.

You want me to walk on that?

The Hanging Monastery leans snuggly against Hengshan mountain. It was built in 491AD, surviving more than 1400years! We think it is per luck that it remains today. However it seems some thought went into its design. The monks first built the monastery onto the cliff face to protect it from floods. They also built it under the mountain peaks to protect it from snow and within the mountains to protect from sun light. 

Looking out from inside the Monastry

As our bus, full of burping, snoring and farting males, made the two hour journey from Datong  we got quite a surprise as the mountains come into view. The mountain peaks were covered with new snow, quite unusual for that time of the year! Ek.  The Monastery itself looked smaller than we anticipated but after climbing up the hillside it was certainly big enough.

View down to the river

Not feeling exactly supported by this wood

This looks super old! 

What an awesome door handle! 

Walking the small wooden and rickety paths in the Monastery were quite scary, not only were we standing on ancient wood that is thousands of years old, we were hanging literally off the cliff face!

Ancient Budda within the Monastery

After spending some time at the Monastery we attempted to head back into the city. Unfortunately upon leaving we were bombarded by several aggressive taxi drivers. With my limited Chinese I really had no idea between what was being said between Ellen and the taxi drivers. But could pick up that it was 'no good'. Ellen said she also had no idea really what they were saying because they were speaking a different dialect. At the most inappropriate time we both caught the giggles. The general jist was that there were no buses. They could take us to the next bus stop of course (for more than it would cost for the entire bus fare). Why they yelling that at us, I have no idea?

Protected and sacred Budda

Awesome carving on the pillars

At the bus stop again it was very clear that it wasn't really a place frequented by foreigners. Locals openly stared, pointed and brought there friends over to watch the white girl (yes, in the big hat). Our bus (again filled with only males) drove through the country side and we passed village after village made of stone, clay and straw. Ellen explained that in rural China male children are still the preference and there is an extreme disproportion in gender.

Pray temple, Groto Caves

Carvings in the cave

A side view of the Grottoes

Several hours later we were back in Datong, we had a small local noodle lunch with some boiled peanuts before heading out of the city again!

Our next stop was the Yangang Grottoes. Home to over 51,000 Budda relics the temple cave like grottoes are considered "a masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art"(UNESCO). The caves were developed in 465AD till 494AD, further private caves were developed until 525AD. 

Kara by a giant Budda

Some of the caves were huge with massive carved Budda hidden deep inside. Although the caves have been subjected to a large amount of weathering (sand storms, wind and rain damage) over the decades it is now considered a heritage site and effort is being made to protect the area.

Back in Datong, we wandered the local food markets, particularly eye goggling the usual selection of fruits, we ended up just buying ourselves some ice cream. At 9.30pm we caught the late train back to Beijing. It was a long, hot day- but we had a lot of fun exploring some of Chinese historical sites!

Tot siens,
John and Kara

Another fascinating ancient pole mask

Love these random elephant columns

Mount Hua Shan, Weinan, China

Mount Hua Shan

A Chinese saying is "There is one route, and one route only to the summit of Hua Shan", meaning that sometimes the only way to achieve something is the difficult way. Had we bitten off more than we could chew!? 

Entrance into the Daoist Temple

The air was calm and lingered with a wet morning freshness as the number 1 bus stopped at the edge of Huayin City. The sun had just risen over the still dusky and hazy mountain tops and all around us people called in our direction, seeking our undivided attention. 


Only three hours earlier when it was so dark that it felt like it was still the middle of the night we had quietly walked through Xian's empty streets to the bus station. We were tired, heavy-eyed and it was cold but we managed to sleep most of the 120 kilometer journey into the Qin mountains and we knew a coffee would be enough to get us going! 

Horse, dragon, lion statue

Huayin City is an access point for adventurous climbers attempting to scale the deadly Mount Hua Shan. 


Mt Hua Shan, one of China's five sacred mountains is notoriously known as not only the most dangerous mountain in China but one of the most dangerous in the world. Famed for its natural vista of steep and narrow paths, precipitous crags and a high mountain range, we were enthralled with the idea of getting off the beaten track to see this treacherous yet majestic mountain for ourselves.

Walking through the ancient Daoist temple

We walked through the little city, stopping to purchase a cold coffee and to wonder why the vendors along the road were selling white gloves. We shrugged and continued on our way. 


We were looking for the West gate which was, according to our unclear printed directions, through a Daoist temple. 

Mt Hua Shan has been a place of imperial religious importance since at least the 2nd century BC, when a small temple was established at its base. Since then, royal pilgrims, monks and nuns have inhabited the mountain and the surrounding area, protecting it from loggers and poachers. The Daoists believed that in the mountain lives the god of the underworld. The temple at the foot of the mountain, that we were looking for, was often used for spirit mediums to contact the god and his underlings. 

Up we go an easy start 

The temple was very beautiful, rock gardens fell into deep pools of water. Inside the ponds large carp looked up at us and the air was thick with the smell of inssence wafting out of the old wooden temples. Behind the temple we began to follow a large concrete path; it was well formed and care had been taken to pave it. 

This is pretty easy we thought as it slowly moved in the slightest uphill direction walking along a river bank. 

Climbing past love locks 

West gate ticket office

Along the way we passed families, with young bouncing children and old feeble grandparents, with them even great grandparents chugged along in tow. They carried bags of food, cans of red bull and wore white gloves. After about twenty minutes on the path we reached what we assumed was the ticket office. 
From here it was an estimated 5 hours to reach the North Peak and from the North Peak to the South Peak would be an additional 3 hours, so there was quite a bit of climbing to go. Enthusiastic we knew we could cut at least 25% off this time and so off we raced into the bush! 

Thirty minutes after passing through the ticket office, we started to see large painted signs, carved into the rock face indicating where we were. 

This could be the Hairy Girl Cave

First was the oddly shaped Fish Stone then Stone Gate, Shaluo Terrace and then the Hairy Girl Cave. As we walked we saw locals drinking from the gutter waterways but with no way to communicate that it's probably not safe water to drink we continued on. 
Further up on the path we saw children urinating into the same waterways and we felt thankful we had been brought up to know not to drink random mountain water.

Climbing, climbing!

Walking past a small tea shop

This is how the Chinese climb (red bull for everyone)

We climbed and we climbed. We passed women in their high heel shoes and groups of men smoking, drinking red bull, hiking in their business suits, jackets and all. 

View of the mountain range 

We climbed past young couples carrying all their water in plastic bags and gawked at all people wearing white gloves that they must have bought for the occasion at the bottom of the mountain! 

After about two hours we stopped for a break at the Mind Changing Stone (Huixin Stone). Maybe it was working today because with the onslaught of climbers behind us we decided not to stay for a break after all! 


As soon as we climbed around the corner the path narrowed substantially and we realized it was here that people most likely chose to turn back. For in front of us, no, above us, was the Thousand-Foot Precipice.

It starts off steeply.... 

Are you serious? Looking back

Not exactly an easy walk!

Ok we could instantly imagine how people die here. Although a lot of the paths we had just traversed had been reinforced (probably due to a recent influx of tourists), this was something else! No official statistics are kept but some say that the number of fatalities which occur on the mountain may be as much as about 100 falls a year. Looking at this hand cut 1000 foot high stairway that people were ascending was unreal. No harnesses, no belays but sure there was a chain you could hold onto. Well off we went, optimistically we just didn't look down. 

Taking a well deserved rest 

The 370 steps aren’t your typical well-structured steps. Some steps are so narrow that you have to walk up sideways, twisting and turning your body as you go along. How you would ever have the confidence to go down again was something we would have to figure out later.

Having reached the top and taking a break to wipe our sweaty hands on or pants we realised we weren't far from the peak. But to get there was more stairs! 

Another intense climb and within thirty minutes we had arrived at the North Peak (1,614 meters high). 

Sun on the mountains

A bit of flat path! Yay!

Tourists posing for a photo 

Our legs were like jelly, aching and cramping in the cool air and as we stumbled around we couldn't believe there were so many people here. They looked like they were out for a stroll, skirts, leather jackets? Then as a large group appeared from in front of us we realized there was another route. There was a cable car! Tourists by the bucketload poured in, waving around their selfie sticks. 

We sat down, still puffing and panting watching the people move around with energy we had long ago lost. The North Peak, also named Cloud Terrace Peak as steep cliffs surround the peak in all directions is just like a flat terrace in the clouds. Like a courtyard the peak provides room for people to stand around admiring the view. 

North Peak 

Chains and locks for love

Made it to the top of the North Peak

Heading up towards the south Peak

Tourists climbing up towards the South Peak

Standing on the Peak you should be able to see the other three big peaks (East, West and South) but today was a bit too hazy and actually we weren't sure what direction we should have been looking. In total Mt Hua Shan has five peaks with each having its own distinctive charms. Together, these five summits form the points of a flower shape. A very very strange flower shape. 

When we stopped we were in agony so we slowly kept moving around the North Peak terrace to stay warm. Next up was the South Peak, the highest point of Mt Hua Shan at a total of 2,149 metres. The 3 hour walk was longer than we anticipated and by the time we had fought the crowds and reached it we were physically drained. The clouds had rolled in and with the sun's disappearance it was cold. Cold enough to numb our fingers. There are two attractions on the South Peak: the temple dedicated to God and the deadly cliff walk. This is where things really took a scary turn! 

Waiting for our turn

The 'Cliff Side Sky Path' is considered Mt Hua Shan’s most notorious area. The so-called path is really just rotting wooden planks that are haphazardly attached to the cliffside. What makes this path so scary is the combination of knowing that if you fall, it will be to your death and the uncertainty regarding the quality of the anchors.

But we felt adventurous, this was a once in a lifetime thing, right? So we lined up waiting for our turn. After paying the 30 kuai (yuan) we were given a chest harness and two sets of carabiners each, which thankfully they did check quickly and attached to a thick wire for us. But we checked again just in case as the local Chinese man, without so much as an explanation yelled at us 'Zoba' which translates to 'you go now'. 


Looking at the thick wire that just plunged off the side of the cliff we giggled nervously. This had to be the scariest part as we descended from the cold cliff face onto a ladder of ice cold slanted iron rods. 

Holding it together, showing her brave face

Nope, this is way to scary! 

Hua Shan Mountains

Above us people screamed as they too saw the ladder and our shaking clammy numb hands didn't want to do their part. After descending the ladder we nervously unclipped our first carabiner (which had no safety lock) before clipping on the next anchor line. Followed by the next one. We reached the old wooden planks. The planks were only about 1 foot wide and so we slowly shuffled like a crab with a sore foot across the cliff.

John takes it like a champ

It's a log drop down

Once we got the hang of switching the carabiners from one line to the other it wasn't so bad and we begun to enjoy ourselves. 

Wait this passing business is dodgy

With two safety lines attached at all times the chances of you falling are pretty slim (unless you un-clip both at the same time like we saw some idiot do as he climbed over John WITH his girlfriend clinging to his back). We were constantly afraid of slipping and the possibility of falling to our death.

As we made our return journey back along the one way path other people began coming directly towards us, indicating they wanted to climb underneath. Ofcourse going underneath is a better option than being the one that slips off the edge because the 120 kilo man isn't as small as he thinks. 

No problems! It's not so bad! 

Wobbling along the path

But look at that drop (featuring Kara's and John's shoes)

We managed this but coming back to that iron ladder was a horror story. It was like a chimney blocked up with flailing body parts! Thankfully in the end, there were no casualties and when the adrenalin stopped pounding through our veins, we realised we were famished.

Returning back down

From the South Peak we slowly walked back down to the North Peak, weary and exhausted. 

The path was busy and people were pushing. We couldn't possibly walk down now and paid the high but undoubtably necessary price to take the cable car down, for we were sure that our tired achy legs wouldn't make it walking through that scary thousand foot precipice again. 

Tot siens,

John and Kara

A beautiful waterfall at the bottom of the East Gate entrance