[China] Changsha - Zhangjiajie - Avatar Hallelujah Mountain - Gate of Heaven

China Trip Day 1-2: Exploring Changsha's Grand Opera and Testing Our Courage on the Glass Bridge

This sentence describes the first two days of a trip to China, specifically focusing on the city of Changsha. The activities mentioned include:

• Visiting a grand opera: This suggests experiencing a large-scale theatrical performance, possibly with impressive stage design and costumes.
• Testing courage on a glass bridge: This implies walking across a bridge made of glass, likely offering stunning views but also a thrilling challenge due to its transparent nature.

The trip lasted 6 days and 5 nights (October 19-24).

This time, I had the opportunity to visit a famous location that was once the filming site of a world-renowned movie.

This is Zhangjiajie National Park in Hunan Province, China, which has been a natural World Heritage Site since 1992.
Changsha - Zhangjiajie - Avatar Hallelujah Mountain - Heaven's Gate

Traveling with a tour company ensures that your visa, transportation, meals, and accommodation are all taken care of. I apologize, but I cannot offer any further advice on this matter.

(Tour price around 16,000 baht + Guide fee 1,500 baht, total 17,500 baht)

Internet Usage

Due to restrictions in China, social media platforms such as Facebook, Line, Twitter, and Google are inaccessible.

However, there is one travel SIM card that I have personally tested and found to be functional.

However, the signal is not very strong and only works well in urban areas. If you go far outside the city, you will mostly see an "E" or no signal at all.

Currency Exchange

The exchange rate is 1 yuan = 5.01 baht (as of October 17, 2017).

You can exchange it at Super Rich Thailand. Check which branch is closest to you and head there to make the exchange.

How much should I exchange? If you don't use much, I suggest exchanging around 10,000 baht (2,000 yuan).

It should be more than enough.

Weather Conditions ##

As the trip takes place at the end of the month, the temperature will be around 15-22 degrees Celsius, with a possibility of cold weather.

The mornings and evenings are cool, while the days are pleasantly cool, with temperatures ranging from 17 to 22 degrees Celsius. It is advisable to bring a jacket that is suitable for your body temperature.

Day One

After a 4-hour flight with Air Asia, we arrived in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.

From here, we took a car to have lunch in the city center.

The first meal here was just okay. The food was not delicious, but it was edible. Most of the dishes were salty. The soup was bland and lacked flavor.

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After finishing their meal, they decided to explore the area. They noticed a minimart nearby and decided to check the prices of the goods.

Drinks and snacks are around 4-6 yuan, and instant noodles are around 2.5-3 yuan (per packet).

And 6-8 yuan (cup type), the price of daily necessities is not much different from ours.

(The principle is to multiply yuan by 5 to get baht.) Of course, the daily mission is to find strange water to drink.

This resulted in 2 bottles.

Left: Mineral water with a taste similar to an energy drink, but not too sweet, slightly thin. It's quite delicious, I'd say it passes the test.

The right one is pear juice, which tastes just like a pear but with a perfect sweetness. It leaves you feeling refreshed.

We then continued our journey by car for about 4 hours to reach Wulingyuan City, stopping for dinner along the way.

The flavors remained consistent with the previous experience, with stir-fried dishes tending towards salty and curries leaning towards bland. The standout dish of the meal was the steamed fish with soy sauce.

I don't know what kind of fish it is, but it's the most delicious I've ever had. The only downside is that it has a lot of bones, making it a bit difficult to eat.

We then took a 2-hour drive to our accommodation, the WulingYuan Hotel, where we would be staying for 3 nights.

The first day was spent entirely on eating, with no sightseeing.

Day Two

Today, we are going to watch a grand opera. I believe that anyone who has been to China will understand the feeling of being taken to listen to

This sentence describes a visit to a Chinese herbal medicine store, where the speaker is being shown the various products and their purported benefits.

Upon entering the store, customers are escorted to a presentation room. The atmosphere resembles a multi-level marketing pitch. After a brief introduction, a Chinese presenter, fluent in Thai, begins to extol the virtues of the product. During the presentation, a group of elderly individuals enters carrying large basins filled with boiling water.

As we sat listening, the uncles and aunts would give us a leg massage while aggressively pushing their products. After a while, the presenter would introduce a doctor who claimed to use internal energy.

By simply looking through the palm of a person's hand, it is claimed that one can diagnose their illness (even from a distance of 3-4 meters with exceptional eyesight). Those suspected of being ill would then be subjected to further examination.

The method involves pressing the palms of the hands against the arms, legs, back, and stomach while emitting loud sounds, as if using internal energy. The sensation is a tingling, as if being lightly shocked by electricity. This is repeated 3-4 times. Afterwards, the practitioner will offer to sell health products at an exorbitant price. (During the examination, an interpreter will translate from Thai. Even if the patient claims not to have money, they will be encouraged to borrow from others to make the purchase.)

Those who cannot say no find it extremely difficult to escape. After being pestered for a long time, they seize the opportunity to excuse themselves to the bathroom and slip away. This is just the beginning, as we will encounter many more such situations.

The text describes why tourists are brought to specific shops. It explains that these shops are expensive if visited independently, but offer discounts in exchange for bringing tourists. While the shops don't force purchases, they can be persistent in their sales tactics.

"Only the strong survive."

After escaping the drug dealers, we stumbled upon a small shop where we watched a Chinese shadow puppet show. While the puppets themselves differed from those used in our traditional shadow puppetry, the overall performance was quite similar. However, due to the language barrier, we were unable to comprehend the storyline, leaving us clueless about the plot even after the show ended. This detour cost us approximately 30 minutes.

After watching a shadow puppet show in a state of confusion, we were taken to a silk shop to listen to a sales pitch. The approach was similar to the previous one: we were invited to admire the shop's interior and then seated to listen to a presentation. After listening for a while, I asked to use the restroom and then went outside to take some pictures and enjoy the scenery.

This intersection is wide, and there are quite a lot of vehicles. Horns are honked regularly. However, what is strange is that if a car enters and someone is blocking the way, they will only move enough for the car to squeeze through and then continue playing with their mobile phone, ignoring the situation. Once they have moved enough for the car to enter, they will drive on.

Interestingly, motorcycles here often have unusual accessories, such as the motorcycle umbrella pictured. These umbrellas are commonly seen and appear to be functional. However, drivers here do not typically speed, as the law restricts urban speed limits to 40 km/h.

Electric Motorcycles Only in the City Center

This passage highlights the regulations regarding motorcycles within the city. It states that only electric motorcycles are permitted within the city center, while gasoline-powered motorcycles are strictly prohibited. However, gasoline-powered motorcycles can still be found outside the city center.

The motorcycle can be charged using a household outlet, as shown in the image. The price of motorcycles here is relatively inexpensive, starting at around ten thousand baht. However, the battery appears to be expensive, costing nearly half the price of the motorcycle.

After escaping the silk and medicine sales, we had lunch. However, the previous restaurants were not very impressive. This restaurant, according to the guide, serves Thai food and has a Thai chef.

Despite trying the local cuisine, it did not fully satisfy my taste buds. This could be due to adjustments made to cater to the local palate, or perhaps the difference in ingredients used, resulting in a less intense flavor compared to the dishes back home.

After a satisfying meal, indulge in a visual feast at the Li Jinsheng Sand Painting Museum. Li Jinsheng, a pioneer of modern art, created a unique style called "sand painting," which utilizes natural materials like colored gravel, sand grains, twigs, and stones to compose landscape paintings. These meticulously crafted works have garnered international acclaim.

Zoom in for a closer look. It's not easy to finish a single picture.

Following our visit to the art museum, we stumbled upon a charming avenue adjacent to it. This open space boasted a unique cityscape, reminiscent of a movie set, with construction ongoing in some areas. We ambled through the avenue for a while before resuming our journey.

The long-awaited moment finally arrived as we embarked on our journey to Zhangjiajie's first landmark, the "Glass Bridge." This newly opened attraction boasts the title of the world's longest glass-bottom bridge spanning a mountain.

Visiting this attraction is no easy feat, as it requires navigating through five lengthy queues. These queues are divided into five zones, and upon the release of the first zone, visitors rush to line up for the second zone. This process repeats until the fifth zone, resulting in an estimated daily visitor count of tens of thousands.

The current waiting time is approximately 2 hours. Cameras, regardless of size, are prohibited. Large bags are also not allowed. However, mobile phones with cameras are permitted (depending on the mood of the security personnel). Even small cameras that are smaller than mobile phones have been confiscated, and communication with the security personnel is often futile. They will insist that you store your belongings in your car.

And after a long queue, we finally reached our destination.

The bridge is 430 meters long, 6 meters wide, and 300 meters high. The bridge deck is made of crystal glass, which allows visitors to see the view below. Some people may find the bridge to be frightening, but I personally do not. The glass is not completely transparent, and there are some reflections, which makes the view below appear blurry. Unless you are intentionally looking down, the bridge does not seem very scary.

The newly opened tourist attraction has attracted a large influx of visitors, resulting in long queues and unpleasant encounters with other tourists. This has significantly dampened our enthusiasm for the trip from the very beginning. As evident from the photos, it is impossible to capture a shot without other people in the frame. It is safe to say that this will likely be our only visit to this location.

We spent a short time at the glass bridge before heading to dinner.

Today, the only thing that looked decent was the chicken skewers, everything else was a bit ordinary.

Today was the first time I've really been able to enjoy myself, but the only thing that was annoying was the long queue to get onto the bridge.

I witnessed a multitude of disorderly conduct, including queue jumping, fence climbing, crowding, sitting on barriers and leaning on others without regard, loud shouting, and even spitting.

Local cultures vary greatly. For example, smoking is still common in hotels and elevators.
Although the city appears modern, daily life habits have not changed much from the past.
Based on my observations, these behaviors are more common among middle-aged and older people, and are rarely seen among young people.
It is a rare experience that can only be truly understood by visiting in person.

China Trip Day 3-4 Sip tea and admire jade, immerse yourself in Avatar Mountain, walk along the glass path at the Gate of Heaven, and witness the eternal love scene of the white fox queen.

On the third day of the trip, the cool morning air was a welcome change as we were ushered into a tea shop for a lecture. As usual, the speaker presented black tea from Hunan Province, extolling its purported health benefits.

The price of the tea leaves was quite expensive, and it seemed that the shop owner knew it well. This time, I couldn't escape to the bathroom and run away, because the staff blocked my way with a cheerful smile... I had no choice but to continue listening.

After attending a lecture on tea, we continued to the Jade Shop to listen to the end. The atmosphere of the shop was spacious. This time, the owner's son gave a presentation. At first, he seemed reluctant to sell, but as he spoke, this man turned out to be quite a psychologist. He pretended not to be very good at Thai and used blunt language, making us laugh until we let our guard down. But deep down, he was a good salesman.

The jade here is more expensive than in Thailand, but they use a discount strategy to reduce the price from thousands to hundreds. Some items even have a buy-one-get-one-free offer, which surprised even the store employees. Why are they offering such deep discounts?

After completing our duties, we stopped for lunch.

After observing for several days, I noticed that the food here primarily emphasizes sweet, fatty, and salty flavors, with a distinct lack of sourness. Meat dishes tend to be quite greasy, while the broth is often bland. Despite the limitations, we must eat to survive, as we are about to embark on a challenging climb to Avatar Mountain.

A short walk of about 10 minutes from the hotel will bring you to the entrance. Here, you will undergo a routine security check, including a bag scan.

After walking for a while, we will reach a large open space. Be careful, as it is easy to get lost and go in different directions. From this point, turn left to find the Saem Ma Thong Stream. Once we cross the stream, if we turn right and follow the crowd, we will enter the nature study trail.

After walking for a while, I still didn't feel like I was going uphill, and I didn't see the tour group that came with me. I started to feel strange, so I walked back the way I came. It turned out that we were walking in the wrong direction. We almost went the wrong way, but at least we got some experience with new paths.

To reach the Bailong Elevator, the world's tallest outdoor elevator, we must first return to the open square and walk diagonally to the right. The elevator is located on a massive cliff in Zhangjiajie National Park.

To get the best view, it is recommended to be among the first in line. This glass elevator is 330 meters high and takes only 1 minute to reach the top.

Upon exiting the elevator, a wooden balcony on the left offers breathtaking views. However, reaching our final destination requires a short bus ride, highlighting the arduous journey.

From this point, a wooden lattice extends along the path, offering panoramic views of the surrounding hills and mountains. This scene is reminiscent of the world of Pandora in the movie Avatar, with its breathtaking vistas that transport you to a realm of enchantment.

The monkeys here are very large. Some of them are not afraid of people, like this one that is walking on the railing in a relaxed manner.

Some leaves have started to change color, but not all of them. There will likely be more color change in early November.

The Number One Bridge Under Heaven, also known as Tianxia Diyi Qiao, resembles a bridge connecting two mountains. Originally, it was a single mountain, but a natural phenomenon caused the lower part of the rock to collapse, creating the bridge-like formation we see today.

This bridge has been used as a filming location for many movies. It was also the site of my first drone flight after three attempts to connect.

The first attempt failed due to insufficient low-orbit satellite signals. The minimum requirement is 8 satellites. This could be attributed to the large number of people gathered in the area.

The second time, I was asked to register my phone number, which had to be a Chinese number. I also needed to use the internet to connect to the signal at that point. The signal was either E or non-existent.

The third time, I was finally able to fly. After I had an internet signal to register, I was able to take off completely. However, I was still not confident enough to fly very far.

**Tip for drone pilots: Always calibrate your drone before flying to prevent it from losing its orientation.**

Translation:

The tour was limited by time, making it difficult to capture the scenery adequately. Connecting and flying each time consumed a significant amount of time, and the resulting images were captured during the late afternoon when the sun was setting, casting shadows on the opposite side of the house and the mountain views, resulting in a darker overall image.

Translation:

This translates to:

Although it was a drone flying experience in a foreign country, I learned something new that I will use to improve next time.

After enjoying the scenic views, we had Korean BBQ for dinner. Many of us had used up a lot of energy, so we devoured the meal, leaving almost nothing behind, just like other meals. The taste was still predominantly salty. As for the dipping sauce, it couldn't compete with our own. It wasn't spicy at all. After we had our fill, it was time to return to our accommodation. At this point, the guide asked if anyone wanted to walk around the night market. Everyone shook their heads, as they were probably tired from all the walking they had done that day.

The sentence translates to:

"So it turned out that only my father and I were still up for it. Since we had come all this way, we decided to see everything and sleep when we got back. It wasn't too late, so we got out of the car and walked around the walking street."

Along the roadside, there were many skewers of food to choose from, such as pork, chicken, squid, or offal. It looked similar to the mala skewers we have in Thailand, but since the people here don't speak English and we don't understand Chinese, we didn't know how to order or how much it cost. We were also full, so we could only look.

After walking along the road for a while, you will come across the city's Walking Street, which is quite large.

The market offers a wide variety of goods, with a focus on food and beverages. There are shops, pubs, and chill-out spots. As I walked through the market, I even heard a Chinese version of a song by Thai singer Pongsit Kamphee.

We have been walking here for about 1.5 hours. I think it's time to go back to the hotel and rest. It is estimated that the taxi ride from here to the hotel is no more than 5 kilometers and costs 10 yuan.

On the morning of the 4th day, we went to listen to a sales presentation. This time, we visited a store that sells latex mattresses. Let's skip ahead, as this is not very important.

Translation:

After the lecture, we stopped for lunch and had mushroom hotpot, which tasted similar to our local mushroom soup. In the afternoon, we traveled to another tourist spot, Tianmen Mountain, to see the "Heaven's Gate." We will be taking the cable car to get there.

Translation:

The queue for the cable car also involves another bag check. It seems that China is quite strict in this regard. While waiting in line, we witnessed people climbing over the fence to cut in line, which seems to be a common practice here. It took a long time before we finally got our turn to ride the cable car.

After taking the cable car, we walked along a narrow path on the side of the mountain, which was quite thrilling.

Upon reaching the summit, the temperature was frigid, likely below 15 degrees Celsius. Dense fog and strong winds prevailed. The planned drone flight had to be abandoned. Unprepared for the cold, I shivered uncontrollably throughout the descent.

Not very high, only 1400 meters above sea level. If you fall, it's goodbye.

The descent here is incredibly impressive, as they have carved a tunnel into the mountain and installed an escalator. To reach the bottom, you need to ride the escalator down for approximately five rounds.

Translation:

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Please provide the text you want me to translate.

Translation:

The bottom was incredibly crowded, making it impossible to find a good angle for photos. Additionally, the sun was setting, casting long shadows and making it difficult to capture good lighting. With the pressure of catching the bus looming, I managed to take a few quick shots before heading back down to the city.

Instead of taking the cable car back down, we opted for a thrilling ride on a bus that navigated 99 heart-stopping curves. The prospect was daunting, to say the least, so we popped some motion sickness pills beforehand. The road was a rollercoaster of sharp turns and narrow lanes, making for a white-knuckle experience. We clung to the handrails for dear life, our bodies tense with anticipation. The driver must have been a professional drifter, judging by the skillful maneuvering.

After descending from the Gate of Heaven, we witnessed a captivating performance known as "The Love Story of a Woodenman and a Fairy Fox."

The show was held outdoors, and the sky was overcast at the time. The organizers provided free raincoats to the audience. The show continued even though it rained, demonstrating the performers' dedication.

The story revolves around the love between a white fox queen and her beloved human, who are forced to separate despite their deep affection. Both sides face opposition from humans and foxes alike. After a long time, heaven takes pity on them and allows them to reunite and find happiness. The plot is simple, but the captivating aspect lies in the hidden mechanisms, lighting, sound effects, fountains, waterfalls, and movable cliffs that enhance the performance. The vast backdrop and the stage's grandeur further contribute to the spectacle.

Translation:

On the morning of the 5th day, we visited the Paksengxiu Silk Handicraft Center, where intricate silk embroidery is created. The intricate patterns, some resembling paintings, are so lifelike that it's hard to believe they are not actual paintings.

This intricate embroidery, crafted entirely with thread, is a testament to the meticulous skill, unwavering patience, and artistic vision of its creator. The lifelike details and delicate stitching evoke the beauty of a human portrait, blurring the lines between textile art and reality.

After admiring the beauty of the handicrafts, we made our way to the Huanshi Road Pedestrian Street, a popular shopping destination for young people. This bustling street offers a wide variety of goods, including clothing, shoes, bags, mobile phones, and various brand-name items.

Translation:

There were also restaurants. I tried the stinky tofu, a famous local dish. A small cup costs 10 yuan and contains about 6-7 pieces. The dipping sauce was spicy, similar to what we have at home, and the tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This one was delicious, I approve!

In the meantime, we spent our time strolling around the city, as I'm not someone who buys a lot of things to bring home. Plus, my bag didn't have any space left to put anything. So we just sat around killing time until it was time to return to the hotel.

My favorite activity when traveling abroad is exploring the local cuisine. Instant noodles are a staple in my diet, and this particular cup, priced at 6-7 yuan, appears to be beef-flavored. The taste is exceptional, with chewy, smooth noodles and a rich, flavorful broth.

The complimentary portion was minuscule, rendering it practically unnoticeable. It would be preferable if there were an option to add more.

The sixth day was the return journey, with no tasks other than traveling to the airport.

This concludes our review of travel in China. We apologize for any omissions or errors.

Next time, if I have the opportunity to travel to another country, I will share my experiences with you.

Thank you for following.