If you have been to China, you know that it’s almost crowded everywhere. Since Yellow Mountain is one of the favorites of Chinese people, you can be assured that it is crowded everyday, rain or shine. But, you still want to ask this question: how do I avoid the crowds … as much as possible? As a Chinese, as somebody who has been to Yellow Mountain before, I also asked myself the same exact question.
Here is my answer —- There is no way to avoid crowds, but there are ways to avoid large crowds!
Rule No.1 Do not join tour groups. Yes you know the reasons.
Rule No.2 Try climb up the mountain from the front side (慈光阁), and try not to use the cable cars. Most tour groups go from the back side (云谷寺). And to save time and energy, they always use the cable cars.
Rule No.3 Visit the West Sea Canyon (西海大峡谷), where the tour groups do not go. Be assured that it is really worth going, even if you have to give up some other sites of interest!
Rule No.4 Stay on the mountain, and enjoy the early morning and late afternoon (before tour groups come up, and after they are gone). Plus, you may be lucky to catch a breathtaking sunrise or sunset!
Rule No.5 Discover your own Yellow Mountain. I mean, do not just look for those iconic sites, where are always packed with people. For example, there is always a long line in front of the Welcome Pine Tree for photos. In fact, there are so many things to see in Yellow Mountain! Please do not ignore them!
We stayed two nights on the mountain. If you are interested in our itinerary, please check out this overview post and Day 2 and Day 3 in details.
Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, is truly my favorite place to visit in China. It is not far from my hometown, Hangzhou. The first time I visited Yellow Mountain, I was about 10 years old. At that time, there was no cable car, so we climbed up on foot. The second time was in 2016 summer, when I took D there. Although most people are using the cable car to climb up and even come down, we chose the tougher way.
Chinese people say: you do not need to visit any other mountain after you come back from Yellow Mountain. Maybe that’s why I have not been to other famous mountains in China 🙂
Yellow Mountain is known for “Four Specialties”: unique pine-trees, strange rocks, cloud sea, and hot springs.
Welcome Pine Tree (迎客松)Flying Rock (飞来石)Monkey watching the cloud sea (猴子观海)
However, my favorite part is the newly opened West Sea Canyon (西海大峡谷). I will talk about it more in the next blog, but here is a photo:
West Sea Canyon (西海大峡谷)
In this blog, I would like to share some tips.
How many days in Yellow Mountain?
Depends on how much you want to see, and whether you plan to use the cable car (which significantly saves time). We climbed up from the front (慈光阁) side of Yellow Mountain, which is the more difficult side. In order to see sunrise and sunset, we stayed in Yellow Mountain for two nights.
* Day 2 was tough. Probably better to have stayed at 白云宾馆 or 光明顶.
* Tiandu Peak was closed due to weather. Lotus Peak was closed till 2019.
* In my opinion, it’s worth to spend a day in West Sea Canyon, if the loop is fully accessible. West Sea Canyon is like a fairyland, and is very quiet. Tour groups do not go there, because they do not have much time. We really enjoyed the peaceful hiking there.
Transportation
Bus from Hangzhou: Buses depart from Hangzhou West Bus Station. Attention! The destination should be Tangkou (汤口), from where one can take shuttles to Yellow Mountain. Private cars are not allowed to drive to Yellow Mountain.
Shuttles from Tangkou (汤口) to Yellow Mountain: There are two shuttle stations inTangkou (汤口): East (东岭) and West (寨西). When you buy tickets there, you need to specify whether you are going to the front (慈光阁) or back (云谷寺) side of Yellow Mountain. One-way ticket costs about $3, and the ride takes about 25 minutes. Shuttles run every 20 minutes. We used the East Shuttle Station (东岭) to go to the front side (慈光阁) of Yellow Mountain. The station is quite small. In comparison, the West (寨西) Shuttle Station is huge, and it’s close to Tangkou (汤口) Bus Station, which harbors inter-city buses.
Here is our itinerary:
Hangzhou West Bus Station –>
Tangkou Bus Station — >
picked up by hotel staff to go to hotel –>
walk to East Shuttle Station –>
front side (慈光阁) of Yellow Mountain –>
Yellow Mountain –>
back side (云谷寺) of Yellow Mountain –>
shuttle bus to West Shuttle Station –>
walk to Tangkou Bus Station –>
Hangzhou West Bus Station
Hotels and Restaurants
[Day 1] In Tangkou (汤口): 黄山自游人客栈, close to the East Shuttle Station. ~ $20 per night. Basic and clean. They have a very nice and popular restaurant. We had dinner there: spicy pepper fish (泡椒鱼) and mountain veggie, both are delicious. Actually we intended to order some local specialties, but were warned that we probably wouldn’t like. We also had breakfast the next day: noodle soup, and it’s really good. We then ordered a fried rice to take to Yellow Mountain (as our lunch). The hotel offers free pick-up from Tangkou Bus Station, so just give them a call when you arrive. It’s a very short ride. The owner of the hotel is nice. He sat down with us after dinner to discuss about our plan! They also have wooden hiking pole free to borrow.
[Day 2] In Hunagshan: Paiyunlou (排云楼), three star hotel. $125 per night. It is located on one end of West Sea Canyon (西海大峡谷). It is very close to Danxia Peak (丹霞峰) and Paiyun Pavilion (排云亭), two good locations for sunrise and sunset. Seems like many tour groups like to stay there, probably due to the good location. The room is good size, but quite wet, very wet. Interestingly ,winter coats are available for use. Breakfast is provided, but better to get there early to have good selections.
[Day 3] In Huangshan: Shilin Hotel (狮林大酒店), four star hotel. $140 per night. Photographers’ pick. It is very close to Lion Peak (狮子峰) and Qingliangtai (清凉台), great for sunrise. In the lobby, there are a lot of photographs on the show. The hotel is newer, thus the room is clean, bright and dry. The restaurant is good as well. We had great dinner and breakfast there.
Tickets
Tickets to Yellow Mountain can be purchased from hotels, to skip the lines. Or, you can get tickets at the gate.
Preparation
You should definitely buy a disposable raincoat (no more than 5 Chinese yuan a piece)! It rains a lot in Yellow Mountain. Umbrellas just won’t do.
Hiking poles are very helpful, but not necessary.
Water and snacks. In the mountain, there are not that many places selling stuffs.
Yellowstone is probably the most famous national park in the USA. I visited it in the early summer in 2014. Every time I think about Yellowstone, I tell myself that I will definitely go there again. Why?
I want to stay inside of the park. Two reasons: (1) I want to be waken up by the sound of forest, not by alarm; (2) I do not want to spend at least two hours a day on the road going in and out of the park. The lodging inside of Yellowstone is so popular that it has to be secured several months in advance. I would love to stay in the Lake Lodge! Last time when we passed the Lake, I really wanted to just sit there for some time…
Yellowstone Lake
I want to look for those secret spots for amazing photos. Or, just have more time to take photos… Meanwhile, I also want to have more time for my eyes to enjoy. Yellowstone’s beauty is everywhere; it varies in different parts of the park; it changes over time within a day.
Yellowstone Cistern Spring in Norris Geyser BasinBeartooth HighwayFlatlands and River
I want to meet with more animals. Yellowstone is home for many species. I was lucky to see a white mountain goat in somebody’s binoculars (wish I could take a photo). And … I was excited to come across with a bear family, while I was thinking I would never see a bear in Yellowstone…
We have been living in Espoo for almost three months. Now I know a little bit more about those shopping centers, especially how to take the baby to shopping!
First of all, traveling with a baby in pram/stroller is free on buses (and other HSL public transportation). So, just board the bus through the middle door. Those large shopping centers are well served by public transportation 🙂
Secondly, look for the door open button to make life easier:
Door Open Button
Now while you are inside of the shopping center, look for the nursing room when it’s necessary. Be confident that there is a nursing room! Just ask for directions. Here I will show you the nursing rooms in these shopping centers: ISO Omena, Sello, AINOA/Stockmann, IKEA Espoo, and Kamppi (Helsinki).
ISO Omena probably has the best nursing room. It is located on the first floor, close to the children’s clothing shops, right beside the children’s playground. Push the button to open the door, and you will see a very big room. There are stroller parking, lockers, table and chairs (for bigger kids), a big sofa (for breastfeeding), and kids’ restrooms. The nursing room is always occupied, almost constantly being used. In fact, the playground outside is also one of the best, and is very popular!
Sello is another popular shopping center in Espoo. The nursing room is also on the first floor, and in the children’s area (see photos). This nursing room is not big, although it’s quite popular. You can do everything you need to, but the room itself is not as fancy as the one in ISO Omena. For example, there’s no sofa.
AINOA/Stockmann is in Tapiola. It’s supposed to have two nursing rooms, but we could only find the one in AINOA side. It’s a bit tricky to find the nursing room. The tip is to find the children’s playground, which is beside the second floor of H&M. The playground, or rather the rest area, is huge and fabulous! We saw fathers were taking care of kids (while mothers were shopping?). Then, follow the signs to the nursing room, on the fourth floor. The room is warmly decorated. Although there is no sofa either, the chairs there are very comfortable for breastfeeding.
Then, IKEA Espoo. After you enter the building, take a right. And you will see the information desk and the small playground. The nursing room is on the opposite side of the playground. The room is not big, but it’s lovely and very IKEA (my feeling). The red box on the wall is a changing station (diapers available). The pretty IKEA chair is perfect for breastfeeding! There’s no kids’ restroom.
Nursing room in IKEA
Lastly, the Kamppi center in Helsinki. We have used the nursing room there several times, because we often transfer at Kamppi bus terminal. The nursing room is on the third floor, where you find children’s clothing shops. Different from nursing rooms in other shopping centers, the nursing room in Kamppi is located inside of a store! So look for the sign on the window, go into the store, and you can find the nursing room. It is a small room, but “luxurily” decorated. There are diapers, towels, and even baby cream/lotion. Outside of the nursing room, there are two love seats and breastfeeding pillows! How thoughtful!
I am not afraid of taking my baby to shopping any more, because I know I can care for him just like at home.
Since our baby does not have a KELA card, we had to look for a private hospital for his vaccination. We found Mehilainen located in Toolo (Bus/Tram stop Apolonkatu).
Mehilainen in Toolo
Children’s healthcare is on the second floor. The waiting area is nicely decorated. There are sofa, stroller parking, lockers, and many toys.
Mehilainen waiting area stroller parkingMehilainen waiting area lockersMehilainen registration
Firstly, we went to the registration so that they can put in all the information. The ID number is required. Then, they told us the room number where we would go later. We just needed to wait in the hallway, and the nurse would come find us. There is another waiting area if you walk down the hallway – it’s on your right side. There is one chair that I really like! While feeding, the baby is less likely to be distracted.
Mehilainen nursing chair
Meeting the nurse
Soon the nurse came out, and invited us into the room. She also has a lot of toys. Our baby immediately liked her. She checked the strength of neck, and measured weight and height. Since it’s our first visit, we chatted a lot about how we were taking care of our baby. Then she went out to see if the doctor was ready.
Mehilainen nurse room
Meeting the doctor
We moved to another room to see the doctor. Basically we discussed about the vaccination plan. Since we don’t have a plan to go out of Europe this year, we decided to just follow the Finnish program. The doctor then further checked his heart, eye, etc.
Vaccination
Lastly, we went back to the nurse for vaccination: PCV13, Infanrix Hib Polio, and Rota. The first two are injections. Rota is oral. After the vaccination, we were asked to wait for ~15 min to see if there was allergy.
About the payment
We just found out yesterday when we did the second Rota. For the two visits, the total bill is over 500 euro! That explains why it’s so easy to make an appointment – no waiting line at all.
The doctor gave a bill right away, but the nurse’s bill would come in mail. The bills can be paid at the registration, or through IBAN (additional fees may be required).
Kela Card needed for service at the public neuvola
When we moved from France to Finland, our baby was only six weeks old. When we realized that it’s time for vaccination, he was almost ten weeks. In Finland, the vaccination program includes a Rotavirus vaccine at two months. Therefore, I went to the close-by health station to figure out how to get the vaccine. I was told to call a number, later I realized the number was for making an appointment at the public neuvola. After I made the phone call, actually several calls, I found a big issue – our son can not use the public neuvola without the KELA card! It seems that they also called the KELA office to find out my husband’s situation to determine whether our son has the right to use the public neuvola. And the answer was, unfortunately, NO.
Finnish ID needed even for private hospitals
They suggested me to look for private hospitals. I called one (Terveystalo) that is not very far from our home. I found another issue – they require ID number! Our son only had a Japanese passport at that time. We planned to apply for the residence permit (which has the ID number) for him in Finland. Somehow I thought that he did not need a residence permit, that we just needed to register him at the Population Register Centre (Maistraatti). I was WRONG! He needs a residence permit! Unlike in Paris, the queue is very long. The earliest appointment we could get is six weeks after. (So, if you want to apply for a residence permit in Finland, you’d better plan early!)
To get the Finnish ID without residence permit
Anyway, can we register our son, in other words, get the ID number without a residence permit? Yes, but they require a legalized birth certificate – Apostille stamped birth certificate. We did Apostille before, for the Japanese family book. Since the language is Japanese, it was done in Japan. And it’s very expensive! The Apostille itself costed about $300, not to say the shipping and waiting. Unfortunately, that family book was done before our son was born 🙁 Should we do the Apostille in the same way again? If so, we have to translate the French birth certificate into Japanese first… Long waiting, and another $300! Why don’t we get Apostille from France? Our friends in France helped us to ask the local office, and told us how to get the Apostille, for free! It was actually very simple. We just had to request the Apostille from the Hotel de Ville where we got the birth certificate. They won’t charge anything, and they would even mail the Apostille to us. Sounds terrific! So we did it. After just one week we got the letter from the French office. Without checking carefully, we immediately went to the Maistraatti in Helsinki. Who would know that the French office forgot to stamp the Apostille?! What a surprise! But… emmm… probably not that surprising considering who they are. They often make me speechless. Luckily, our friends in France also requested Apostille for us, and he got it right! So he mailed the correct copy to us. Another week passed by, and the Apostille stamped birth certificate was finally in my hand.
Got the Finnish ID without waiting for three weeks
Again, we immediately took the Apostille to the Maistraatti. This time, we could register our son (finally!). The problem was it would take about three weeks for us to get the ID number. In that case, our son would miss the first a few vaccinations. I wrote a short note explaining why we needed the ID number as quick as possible. The clerk said she would ask the manager. With hope, we left. While I was feeding my son in Kamppi Center, they called me! I was very excited. Yes! They processed my son’s application right away, so the registration paper (which has the ID number) was ready to be picked up! Yeah! After I got the ID number, I called the private hospital, but it’s already too late. OK, tomorrow then.
Not every private hospital has the vaccines for babies
The next day, I called the private hospital again, with the ID number at hand. I thought everything was ok now. However, the nurse answering my call was not sure whether they had the vaccine. After serval phone calls, they and I were clear that they could not do vaccination for little babies! I wish I found this out earlier.
So foreigners’ babies can not get vaccines in Finland? I don’t believe that. Obviously I was not alone. Somebody out there also came across with this issue before. Finally, I found Mehilainen. Their site in Toolo can do the vaccination! I will describe our visit in another post.
Conclusion
If your baby needs vaccines, make sure s/he has the ID number. If s/he does not have the KELA card, try Mehilainen.
Finland is known for its thousands of islands, which are ideal places to escape from modern city life. Finnish people, or finns, are known for their coolness. I don’t think they are cold. They are simply cool – do not bother others, and do not want to be bothered. Chinese people often say: The unique features of a local environment always give special characteristics to its inhabitants. I think finns are part of the Finnish nature.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to enjoy a typical Finnish weekend.
Around 8:50 am, two friends (one of which is Finn) and we met at the Kinvenlahti pier (in Espoo). The 9 am ferry was already there. We purchased the tickets (5 euro each), and boarded the ferry. The ferry has two floors. The top floor is open air. The bottom floor is inside. The ferry stops at many islands. Our target was Gasgrund! It took about 90 min. Although 90 min sounds a bit long, it’s actually a pleasant journey. After all, we came out to enjoy our time. This particular ferry does not have coffee, but some other ferries do. I do not know how many islands we passed by, but almost every island has one or more houses. What a life it is to own a vacation house on an island! In some aspects, I feel I will enjoy Finnish life – I don’t mind to be isolated at all.
Espoo ferryEspoo ferry inside
Soon we arrived at our destination – Gasgrund Island. Nothing extraordinary, but who asked for it? The point is: we are on an island; we are surrounded by trees and water. The wood storage is right in front of us, and the shelter is only 20 meter away. The shelter is well equipped for BBQ. Actually, it looked like somebody just used the fire place. So our friend just needed to add wood to it. While the wood was burning, we took the time to walk around the coast. So peaceful!
shelterfire place in shelter
After we came back from a short walk, we started to prepare food. Our friend is clearly professional! Look at her BBQ! We prepared chicken and asparagus, which are also tasty 🙂 The dessert was chocolate banana! It’s really delicious.
BBQBBQ dessert
Different from the BBQ in US, it’s much quieter and natural in Finland! I liked that the wood was used for BBQ. Before we left the island, our friend threw in a few more wood to keep the fire. Finns do not talk much, but they are very considerate. Everything is in good and unspoken order.
After we returned from the Big Island to Oahu, we picked up a rental car at the airport, and drove to our hostel. The driving was easy, but finding a free parking spot was not. After all, the hostel was located in the center of downtown. I circled around for quite a while, and finally got an on-street parking.
On the early morning of the next day, we checked out the hostel, and drove to Pearl Harbor. Before the visiter center opens (7 AM), there was already a long line waiting outside. People, including us, were trying to get tickets for the free tours to the USS Arizona Memorial. For us, we had to get morning tickets, because we had a flight to catch. Since one person can get several tickets, I was anxious while waiting. Unfortunately, when it’s our turn, the earliest tickets available were afternoon. We had to give up!
USS Arizona Memorial
So, we just walked around the Pearl Harbor Historic Site. To be honest, I found myself more interested in Hawaii Plumeria 🙂
USS Bowfin SubmarineHawaii Plumeria
Then, we headed to the airport. I really enjoyed our Hawaii Trip. I actually wish I skipped more sessions in the conference 😉
Hopefully I will visit Hawaii again, and spend more days there.
To me, Mauna Kea Observatories was the main reason to visit the Big Island. Simply because astronomy has been my thing since I was little. Before this trip, I had never been to a real observatory, and suddenly I had the opportunity to visit one of the best ones! So, driving to Mauna Kea Observatories was exciting. On the way, we saw some sheep … wild?
Mauna Kea Observatories Sheep
And, there were … volcanoes! A bunch of volcanoes!! Volcano-looking volcanoes – I mean, they are different from what we saw in the Volcanoes National Park. These volcanoes have a bowl-shaped dip at the top.
Colorful volcanoes have a bowl-shaped dip
After driving for a while, suddenly we were in clouds – and soon above the clouds. We could see more and more volcanoes. It’s a strange feeling – to be close to so many volcanoes. There were also dried lava visible in the far place.
Volcanoes (close) and dried lava (far)
The driving was not difficult, but we liked to drive in the center of the road. It’s a little bit scary when passing cars (only met a few). Finally we arrived at the top. It’s sunny and chilly. And the view was breathtaking!
VolcanoesWhere does this road go to
There are many telescopes. I only knew Keck.
Keck (one of the two)Keck and IRTF
Here are some other telescopes I don’t even know their names.
Other telescopesRadio Telescopes
To me, this place is heaven.
I regret that we didn’t spend one more day on the Big Island. I really want to go inside of those observatories, and see what I can see. I heard they have very good stargazing programs. In fact, on the way there is a complex for amateur astronomers. People there seemed to be waiting for the night. I wish I could join them!
Volcanoes National Park was our first stop after arriving at the Big Island. Since we had an early flight, we were quite early at the national park (open 24h), weren’t we? Anyhow, there weren’t many people in the park. It’s like a lost world. If we had more time (if I go to the Big Island again in the future), I would love to try wondering on that black land.
The lost landDried lava pattern
We drove towards the seaside, hoping to see lava flowing into the ocean. Unfortunately, it was not possible that day.
“River” of dried lava
However, we could see the the path of the flowing lava. Imagine that the black dried lava was boiling red and marching towards the ocean some days in the past…
Lava flowing into the ocean
Then we went to the Jagger museum to see Halema ‘uma’u Crater, one of the most active volcanoes on earth. It was easy to spot from far place, with high and big “smoke” (gas eruption).
Halema ‘uma’u Crater from far placeHalema ‘uma’u Crater Info
The overlook in Jagger museum offers a closer view (still one mile away). I heard that the view would be much more spectacular in the evening. But we had to go to see the Mauna Kea observatories, where we could see a lot of volcanoes (although not nearly as active).
