Huashan Mountain

Being a country girl who loves the mountains, I've gotten antsy in flat Beijing. So when a friend suggested the tour to Huashan, I was all over it. We got to the mountain around 11 and were on our way up by noon. We took a minibus up a little bit, then queued for the cable car up the most difficult part. The cable car offered some nice views. From then, it was climbing up steps! The steps could be uneven, and the paths were pretty narrow (difficult for two people to pass each other). I didn't go all the way up, but my friends did and they liked it. There's a hotel at one of the peaks as well.

The only problem I had with the mountain were the crowds! There were *so* many people there, and the people at the mountain didn't seem to know how to handle it. On the way down, we queued for about 45 minutes to get on the cable car, and there was a lot of pushing and shoving in the meantime.

I recommend this mountain with the warning of crowds and time of year.