Caves, Zhangjiajie

Where there are mountains, there are caves. So it was no surprise that a visit to a cave was part of our itinerary.

 Before we made our way to the entrance of the cave, we were advised to go to the toilet first.  This was a small building built on the side of a hill and we had to climb up a flight of stairs to access it. The toilets were all squatting toilets. Unfortunately, the chest high doors had no locks so you can imagine having to hold onto the door while easing yourself.

 A short walk led us to where the cave was. We had to go down a steep flight of steps into the dark interior.

 Once inside, the wet and slippery steps cut into the floor had to be negotiated carefully.  In some parts, there were railings to hold onto so that we wouldn’t fall into a dark chasm. Quite a frightful experience, it was.

 The guide pointed out the clusters of stalactites and stalagmites in the cavernous chambers that we walked through. Some of the steps were steep as we descended further and further.  Spotlights highlighted some clusters.

 I was more than glad to get out of the cave, even though it was a steep ascent back to the mouth and into the daylight.

This particular cave is a huge one with many levels but it being a wet and rainy day, we were more than satisfied to visit the first level.