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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.

You can’t beat travelling in China for fascination and frustration in equal measure. Ideally I’d have packed a slimline, lightweight laptop to record and publish on the go, but my current antiquated heap of electronics is too bulky to lug around the provinces. Thus, we catch a few fleeting moments here and there and give vent to some highlights.

First off was the flight to Guangzhou courtesy of Xiamen Airlines, my pick of the domestic carriers for its acceptable in-flight refreshments and more leg room than most. And the airline is not to blame for the comedy sketch that ensues within a nanosecond of contact with the destination runway: dozens of passengers ignoring instructions to remain seated and belted as they compete to recover luggage from the overheads while making calls on phones that should be switched off. One guy was trying to disembark before the stewards had strapped themselves in for landing.

Guangzhou was a quick stop to visit some relatives of KY’s, wander round one of the old town areas, get caught in a deluge, and hit the station in time for the overnight to Changsha.

Overnight trains can be fun. Or not. Our carriage seemed to be a relic of the 60′s (a condition with which I can increasingly empathise) and provided less room on the top bunk of a six-berth hard sleeper than I remember. There are several ways to clamber up and down, none of which could be described as elegant unless executed by a diminutive gymnast.

Wake-up calls come early on trains in China, in this case shortly after five in the morning. This is followed by a wholly undignified race to the toilet at the end of the carriage. While not wanting any part of this stampede, it is partly understandable – being the last person to visit the facilities the morning after stomachs have been shaken up by a night’s rocking and rolling is not for the faint-hearted.  

Changsha was very hot and humid, and typically hectic and bustling for a provincial capital. We took in a couple of local sites in the afternoon that included the most rigorous security checks imaginable for entry into a museum (Beijing’s Olympic killjoys organisers would have been proud), then made ready for the next morning’s bus to Zhangjiajie. More to follow.