Eco-terrorism in Zhangjiajie
A quick rant about tourist behaviour in China. They’re nothing but a bunch of authorised eco-terrorists who bring disharmony and disrespect to areas of natural beauty. If the sign says DON’T FEED THE MONKEYS or NO SMOKING, then that’s what it means; if a litter bin is two feet to your left, why toss your garbage down the forested slopes of the picuresque valley on your right that you’ve just taken a picture of?
When it comes to environmental awareness and respect for a shared space, Chinese tourists are way behind the curve. Rant over.
The stark cliffs and peaks of both Zhangjiajie and Tianmen Shan don’t disappoint. Both provide awesome scenery and thrills (for the acrophobic, at least) in abundance. I was very impressed with the overall standard of facilities (tasteful and in keeping for the most part) and the work that must have gone into getting those facilities to their inaccessible locations.
Recommendation: always, ALWAYS choose the road less traveled when visiting national parks in China.
Thankfully, tour guides are not in the habit of risking one of their charges breaking a limb for which they or their companies may pay heavily. These flag-waving, megaphone happy ‘me first’ thugs and their entourages stick to the well beaten path, leaving the serious seekers of natural beauty the tranquility of nature as it should be enjoyed. Consequently, we’ve seen some breathtaking scenery without having views impeded by ignorant flag followers.