Eric Ye

Hi, this is Eric speaking.

It’s been a fantastic sixth day in China. Our hotel in Anyang, the Huanshuiwan International Hotel was an amazing facility. Even the shades were automated. After resting up from the excursion in Old Anyang, Johnson brought us to the Linzhou Taihang Grand Canyon (太行大峡谷), an AAAAA tourist spot, and boy was it breath-taking. The scenery and amenities were mind-blowing.

The Entrance to the Park

For the first order of business, we went to the bathrooms, and even the bathrooms were ranked AAA. The bathrooms could have used some air fresheners, but everything had a glossy sheen (bathroom images not included).

After the bathroom, some people bought local merchandise, including straw hats. Papa Sheehan demonstrated his haggling prowess cutting down the foreigner price from ￥16 to ￥10.

Connor, feeling smug about his new hat purchase

Arriving at the reception area

Map of the park

After taking a tram up to the base of the mountain and encountering a hulking overhang, we entered a gorgeous gorge with a cool draft, verdant abundance, and clear creeks.

Of the many pretty sights, my favorite in the canyon was the pool that collects the Flying Dragon Summit Waterfall (飞龙峰瀑布). The collecting pool was a beautiful mix of clear water tinged with yellow and a deep jade green. Several members even took commemorative selfies with the Professor at this scenic spot.

The crew crosses the Flying Dragon Pool

The Flying Dragon Pool at the Foot of the Flying Dragon Summit Waterfall

The source of the Flying Dragon Waterfall

After walking past a rickety bridge, we arrived at our lunch destination.

After gorging on a delightful lunch (replete with a variety of mountain foods including fungus), we left the gorge on an open-air tram that took us to the top of the gorge.

Matt, fighting on in the tram

The top of the gorge had many an attraction, from splendid views of the canyon valley to a plexiglass skybridge that showed a view of the canyon floor.

A panorama of the Taihang Grand Canyon from a viewing platform

A plexiglass skybridge that peers onto the canyon floor

As we wound down the canyon on foot, we witnessed a swath of mountain structures, including the the eponymous Taihang peak.

To GEA China 2019, although Taihang mountain may be far away, it will always be near and dear to our hearts

The class on another mountainous ledge