The romance of Zhangjiajie

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step. – Confucius

It’s easy to get jaded in a place like Manila. Like clockwork, you get sucked into the mechanical nature of your existence. You wake up in the morning then go to sleep at night, having covered the same amount of steps (or miles) and the same workaday trajectory that punctures you to the core of your existence. You realize later that a whole year has passed and you wonder if you’ve actually accomplished anything besides the act of living. Which is why it’s important to travel because it serves as a breakaway from your regular routine. And to travel to a place like Zhangjiajie, it’s not only uplifting but life-changing as well.

It was 5 a.m. Manila time as our plane departed for the start of our Best of Avatar Tour, an immersive survey of Zhangjiajie’s most famous hotspots. “With this partnership, we want to leverage on Cathay Pacific and Dragonair’s extensive network to China to offer travelers not just new and meaningful experiences to these destinations, but also flexibility and choice when it comes to planning their trip,” shares Cathay Pacific marketing manager Ryan Uy. “We are pleased to work with Century Holiday, a globally-recognized travel partner, in unveiling the undiscovered, yet equally-beautiful sides of China.”

Our trip was to last for five days, covering everything from the Tianzi Mountain (popularized by the movie Avatar) to the Yellow Dragon Cave. “The featured packages allow customers to visit two or three cities in a single trip (with an option to stay in Hong Kong a couple of nights on the way back to the Philippines). This is truly a great product matched by the award-winning service of Cathay Pacific and Dragonair.”

Following a stopover at the Hong Kong International Airport where we got to experience the sleek and modern Cathay Pacific Lounge, we landed at the Changsha airport a little before lunchtime. As the capital and largest city of Hunan province in south-central China, the city welcomed us with beautiful skies, 16-degree weather (a reprieve from Manila’s summer heat), and a girl who would end up being our tour guide (and entertainer) for the next few days. “Welcome to Changsha!” she said. Long was her name, and long was her patience as she allowed us to take pictures every step of the way. “You guys are very lucky. The sun is out today!” she said, greeting us at the airport. Apparently, it had been raining prior to our arrival. And maybe this was a sign of beautiful things to come.

We took a coach to a restaurant where we got our first taste of Hunan province’s finest cuisine — a tasting menu that included a julienne of dragon fruit and corn, steamed fish in a delicious Tao Si sauce, and Chairman Mao’s red-braised pork belly (reportedly, this was the man’s favorite dish). There was even chou doufu, a form of fermented black tofu that, like our local durian, smelled like hell but supposedly tasted like heaven. A favorite of mine I would experience later was the deliciously sautéed barbecue chicken and kiwi fruit juice made only in the Changsha region.

After a sumptuous meal, we took a five-hour coach ride to our hotel that was to be our home base for the next two days. Located in the Wulingyuan scenic district, it was a springboard for Day Two of our “Best of Avatar Tour” as we made a 10-minute walk to a park entrance the next day, our entrance to the Tianzi Mountain. For 248 yuan, you can purchase a three-day pass to all the sights found within.

We began with a 30-minute coach ride to the Bailong or “Hundred Dragons” glass elevator, supposedly the world’s tallest glass elevator built on the side of a huge rock. The elevator had a height of about 1,070 feet — the exhilarating ascent only the tip of the iceberg. The elevator then opened into a viewing terrace where the most miraculous sandstone forest-mountains lie waiting for our viewing (and Instagram-ing) pleasure. Ah yes, the ones in the movie Avatar. You’ll seriously feel like you’re in a different world.

The Tianzi Mountain is one of four scenic zones in the Wulingyuan District, named after Xiang Dakun, a peasant who led a local farmers’ revolt and dubbed himself as Tianzi or “The Son of Heaven.” With an area of 25 square miles and a temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, the forest-mountains were molded out of quartz stones that hewed against each other over a span of thousands of years. Where the argument was not what to take but where to take it, we snapped away with our cameras and phones from various viewing decks (one of which even looked out onto where a performer would conduct a G.I. Joe-style sprint against the side of the mountain. (OH-EM-GEE). No wonder James Cameron was inspired by the place.

Walking along a mountain path where the only thing that prevented you from falling was a sturdy wooden fence, we reached the Zisheng Bridge, a natural rock formation formed by running water and huge gravitational collapse. Worked by the spirits, the rock formation was 40 meters long; on top of which rested a metallic rail where you could fasten a heart-shaped lock as a symbol of perpetuity. For 46 yuan, the lock would serve as your personal love letter and promise to your loved one, and to the mountain that took on a character of its own. We ended Day Two with a cable car ride (67 yuan), scaling the mountain’s incredible height.

Day Three proved to be the most challenging of all. We started off by making a trek to the Baofeng Lake, once a peaceful gorge where the locals had since built a 72-meter-tall reservoir. Square in shape and without a hint of pollution, a boat ride through this lake was like an exercise in meditation. You could soak up the sights and sounds of nature, made even more special by a serenade from one of the locals as you turn the corner to find a house on stilts. Souvenirs abound as you filter out into the Baofeng Waterfall, located by the entrance.

Next up, we took a coach ride to the Yellow Dragon Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was a test of limits. Don’t be fooled by the narrow passageway by the mouth of the cave. It actually spills out into an Araneta Coliseum-like expanse where age-old stalactites hang, stone blossoms, macrospores, and stalagmites sprout from the ground, illuminated by captivating neons. The cave features a 19.2-meter Sea-Suppressing needle that has apparently been insured for about 100 million yuan. One thing our tour guide said was that a stalagmite/stalactite grows about 0.06 meters every 100 years. You can just imagine how long these guys have been around, bettered only by what my friend Gibbs calls a system of “adaptive reuse.” To this day, only 30 percent of the cave has been explored. Prepare to be astounded by an underground river cruise at the end of your trek.

Following our long and winded exploration, we proceeded to the Ten-Mile Gallery whose length you can cover via a tramcar worth 52 yuan. It was here that we kicked up our heels and took a step back to get a worm’s eye view of the Tianzi Mountain. Put your imagination to the test trying to make out the “Old Man Collecting Medicine” peak and “The Three Sisters” peak, among others, that greet you through the ride. Also, expect to see some monkeys at the tail end of your journey.

Following a brief pit stop at the Golden Whip Stream where a 3.5-mile brook provides reprieve as you rest by the stream, we headed off to a performance of The Love Story of the Woodman and the Fairy Fox, a musical extravaganza orchestrated by Zhang Yimou, the director of The House of Flying Daggers. Being a theater aficionado myself, my jaw dropped at the fantastic sights and spectacles they incorporated into the show. For one, it’s like you’re watching a film. The setting goes from the foot of the hill to the peak of the mountain, to the houses arranged in a vantage point favoring the Tianmen Cave. Three hundred performers are said to be included in the show and tickets range from 300 yuan to 880 yuan for the VIP seats.

Alas, our lucky streak would only hold so long as we navigated through the sights of Zhangjiajie on Day Four with the challenge of heavy rain. Our cable car ride up the Tianmen Mountain (258 yuan), allowed for a scenic view of the area (no fog yet!). With an elevation of about 4,980 feet (the highest in Zhangjiajie), prepare to be amazed by the scenery, and a scare-tastic back and forth mountain lift where you can let your feet hang (and your heart pound). For those who want to take it a step further, check out the Skywalk, a man-made structure that juts out by the side of a cliff. Made of glass and similar to the one you’d see in the Grand Canyon, the Skywalk overlooks a height of about 1,400 meters and puts you through the ringer.

Our final stop was the Tianmen Cave or “The Heaven’s Gate,” considered to be a junction connecting our world to the heavens. You may need to walk up 999 steps to reach its summit. Alas, I only lasted till 462 since heavy rain started to cascade down the steps. The sight of the Tianmen Cave from pictures however gives you reason to go back a second time around, and maybe catch the Fairy Fox. With our shoes soaked and our hearts happy, we took a coach ride through the Heaven-linking Avenue, a mountain road with 99 turns. I have to admit, I was a bit daunted by this. But even with heavy rains, we made it to the base, having conquered my fear of heights and fashioned memories that would last me a lifetime.

My recent trip to Zhangjiajie, courtesy of a partnership between Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, and Century Holiday, took me to places far beyond my wildest dreams. These were places where human hands were relieved by the majesty of sights that could have only been sculpted by the hands of the celestials. The gods were at work here. Tired as we were and overwhelmed past the point of articulation, the sights, the sounds, and the once-in-a-lifetime experience made every step, every moment, and every drop of sweat well worth it. Till we meet again, Zhangjiajie.

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To book of The Best of Avatar Tour, you may check out The Cathay Pacific Philippines website at www.cathaypacific.ph.