The Loogie Alarm Clock.

Sleeper trains. For a train named for sleeping, there weren't many "zzzz's" to catch. Maybe I would have slept better on an American sleeper train because the main reason for my unrestful night was the violent hocking of loogies. The guttural coughs, the repeated rasping and then the eventful spit is hard to endure walking through the street and asking to sleep through a series of loogie hocking is asking too much. Needless to say, the entire evening was quite the ordeal. I rocked the middle bunk, meaning I had just enough room to sit on my bunk and have my neck curve at a nice angle, sandwiched between 2 other beds. There were 6 to our tiny broom closet sized room; naturally, the two eldest people in our compartment were all the way on top. I was impressed "grandma and grandpa" could climb up the narrow latter and curl up on the board like beds. The bottom bunks were the hottest real estate because you can sit up without being squashed. The ladies on the bottom bunks invited Hannah and myself over while we ate our ramen dinner so we didn't have to hunch over, which was very kind. What I didn't appreciate was the fact that the top bunk dwellers had painstakingly stuffed tissues in the air vents so they wouldn't get too chilly sleeping near the air conditioner. However, that mean it was a bit of a scorcher for those on the middle rows. Good thing Zhangjiajie was worth it (and that there are only 4 more sleeper trains in my foreseeable future). 

This city is quite pretty, tucked away in gorgeous mountains. The national park hidden up here is also jaw dropping. It was a chilly wait in line to get our national park passes but after passing the finger print test and several passport scrutiny points (intense, right?) I made it inside. Victor, our hostel's front desk man, had drawn us a very clear "to do list" for the day that consisted of meandering pathways under the staggering mountains. Because of the weather, it would be pointless to climb to the tops because the startling drops would be hidden by the clouds. 

Thus, the afternoon was spent admiring gorgeous walkways interrupted by stone bridges and mossy stones gazing up at tall trees and even taller mountains. Pretty as that was, the real highlight were the hordes of monkeys we stumbled upon. Those little baby monkeys were so cute and loved to to grab banana chips right out of your hand. The bigger ones were more impatient and would just snag the entire bag of trail mix by climbing up your leg and taking off with it. While the day on the ground level was fun, we were anxious to get to climbing to see the mountain tops. Lucky for us, Monday's forecast was nothing but blue skies. 

What you can't see is the huge McDonald's just behind this impressive structure. 

Victor had outlined a deserted trail head which we found with little issue, and chatted between breaths about favorite childhood shows and ice cream flavors. After many steps, a visit to a very tall pagoda that housed huge salamanders that ended up being on cafe's menu, a McDonald's on top of the mountain (?!?), even more stairs, were got to the top. The views were stunning; the mountains seemed to completely drop off to reveal a valley where towering pinnacles were somehow suspended. Obviously the stalagmite-esqe shapes were mounted to the ground, but they seemed to be free form, floating just above the ground. I suppose that's where the inspiration for the Avatar film came from; regardless, the view was breathtaking. 

A poor replica of the real thing. 

We had spent the entire day climbing higher and higher, either on foot or on shuttle. By the way, those shuttle rides are always a good time. People try to chat with us and continue the conversation though my Chinese basically consists of saying "hello" and counting from 1-10 in what I'm sure is a horrendous accent. One man kept narrating bits of pieces for his friends at the front of bus, shouting "Americans!', "Teachers!" and other key phrases for the others to hear. Another man decided to pass the time singing while the shuttle hugged huge cliff faces and rounded sharp turns. Regrettably, I did not pack my headphones that day. 

You would not believe how many people cut in front of me before I got my turn on the platform. 

Because we had reached such a high elevation and sunset was quickly approaching, we needed a quick way down the enormous mountain. Climbing down was not an option due to lack of energy (and trail mix), and a shuttle would take too long. Thank goodness the national park had installed an elevator that shoots you down some 362 or something stories in about 6 seconds. It comes with a pricey ticket and a decent wait in line, but it was so worth it to see the mountain blur as your zip down at record speed. I think what I appreciated most (besides the floor to ceiling glass for a killer view) was the fact that the waiting area was decorated just like hotel lobby; it almost made you forget you'd be elevator-ing down a mountain instead of a few hotel floors. 

Tuckered out, we needed to board the bus home...which ended up being the most memorable adventure of the whole day. The concept of waiting in line is completely lost on Chinese tour groups wanting to board a bus. The "line" becomes a swarming crowd of people that push and shove, and yank and squish and shout, all to get on a bus. Needing to get home, we joined the pulsating mass of people. Things got intense when the bus pulled up; elbows were thrown, backpacks were pulled, and individuals were dragging friends onto the bus by random limbs. Situated in the middle of the swarm, at one point my feet couldn't touch the ground because I was lifted up by the mass of people pushing me. By some miracle, all 8 of us managed to squish onto the bus along with what seemed like 2,129 other people. All. On. One. Bus. Getting ready to settle in for the 20 or so minute ride, the bus suddenly stopped about 2 minutes later and everyone disembarked. All that shoving and shouting and screaming was for nothing! The bus to go home was down the mountain a bit further; people had seemingly risked their lives for a 1200 meter bus ride down hill. 

Here's to hoping the buses are never again that busy. Ever.