A bit surprised that all trains were actually booked out, we decided to give Spring Airlines a chance and flew from Shanghai to Xi’an. We didn’t stay in the city, though, but instead made our way straight to Huashan, in chase of another item on our bucket list: The much-hyped most dangerous path in the world.

The small town of Huashan has a cozy, relaxed feeling about it we immediately liked. After a good night’s rest, we went past the large temple that forms the entry of the climb up to the mountain. The mountain itself consists of 5 peaks, logically labeled north, west, south, east and center. Most tourists take the cablecar to get to the south peak and take the climb from there, but we decided to act tough and walked all the way from the bottom.

After a couple thousand steps through a beautiful valley, we reached the south peak, which was full of tourists. Some of them wearing heels and looking like it was their first time on a mountain made us doubt the actual danger of this path a bit – and we were proven right. While the landscape is breathtakingly beautiful and features really funny signs…

Wait – what?

…the path itself is not really dangerous. Do I say that coz we’re particularly tough? Nope. (Although, compared to most people walking up there, we probably are.) I say that coz it’s a pure tourist attraction, and accordingly safe. Yes, there are some steep falls, but they’re all cordoned off. And yes, there are some climbs, but you gotta wear safety gear to use them.

Climbing…

And the ominous plank walk? Well – it seems it’s actually made for tourists. Goes nowhere. And you have to wait in line to get your safety gear and walk it. There were so many people waiting we didn’t even bother. The famed “tea house” at the end of the trek (the West peak) is in reality a temple converted into a tourist shop. And there’s a coffee shop that sells espresso for a staggering USD 10.-. That’s it – no tea.

Is it the most dangerous path in the world? Heck no. That’s an urban legend. Is it gorgeous and pretty tough? You bet. 11’000 steps in total. We were drippin’ with sweat – and loved it!

Watch our little video to see if you would have liked it, too:

A visit to Xi’An is not complete without seeing the famous Terracotta Army. An hour’s bus ride outside the city, the location consists of multiple dig sites with an estimated total of 8’000 warriors, beautifully crafted out of clay and created to protect the emperor in this tomb. The craftsmanship is truly impressive, the artists even bothered to make the faces look individual.

But…there’s the tourists. Oh so many of them. Even though we apparently caught a good time (off-season and mid-week), the place was still flooded. The tourists by far outnumbered the warriors, and the entire area was flooded with loud and obnoxious tour groups following a speaker-yelling guide with a little flag.

It’s impressive, yes. Mainly due to it’s sheer size. But there are just too many people, and the actual warriors are too far away – you can’t get close enough to really examine them. Shame, we felt. But still – quite a way to be buried.