I headed back to Nanshan to try a different hiking route. On a side note the toilets at the start of the hike are probably the nicest and cleanest across in all my time in China. I decided to take the trail up that I had taken down the first time I was here. I did think that this route was easier, but going up I changed my mind. There were some pretty lanterns near the start of the trail to mark the new year. It was only a few steps to the first pavilion, which since Id just started, I didnt take a break at. Since it was the holiday, it was busier than the last time I was here. I hiked up and up the stairs were pretty steep and each set was quite long. I saw what I thought was the viewing platform up ahead. However, my pleasure soon turned to disappointment as I realised it wasnt the viewing platform. I took a quick breather there and then continued up the steps to the proper viewing platform. I took a longer break here and enjoyed the views. It was a little cloudy, but it didnt impede
the view too much. It was nice to see the skyscrapers of Shenzhen and the port in the foreground and the mountainous area of Hong Kong across the bay in the background.
More steps led me higher and I got some good views of the other side of Nanshan and the port over there and a small island. I continued on and passed another pavilion and a few benches and tables that I had seen last time. There seems to be more places to stop and rest, and picnic, on this route. I got to the part, where it goes flat and I was happy as I knew I was almost at the peak. I like this part as it is easy on the legs and lungs. I stopped at the picnic benches just before Qitan pavilion and had a rest there. I read for a bit and ate some snacks. I was surprised to see a couple of dogs there. I dont know if they belonged to someone or if they were wild, as I have never seen anyone walking their dogs up the mountain. Once rested, I headed to the pavilion and up the stairs to the
top so that I could take in the views. I loved the views in all directions. It was a little hazy, but I could still make out everything.
The signpost said that the navigation station was about 1,100 metres away, so I headed off in that direction. I was a bit gutted that the steps descended quite a bit, as I knew that it would mean going back up to reach the navigation station. At least it wasnt too steep going down. There wasnt too much to see either on this part of the hike as there were lots of tall trees on each side of the path. After about 400 metres, I came to Yishou pavilion. I didnt stop here as there were already quite a few people relaxing in the pavilion. After a few more steps, the trail became flat, which is quite unusual for China, as they seem to love putting steps on the trails. There wasnt too much, but I did get little glimpses of the bay below. There was also an unusual looking handrail around the path. It looked like it was meant to resemble wood, but the colour was off as it was
grey. I also passed some cute benches that had elephants carved into the ends of them, further up I across some rabbit ones, too. It was a nice little touch.
The final slog to the navigation station was up some steep steps. I was out of breath by the time I got there. The navigation station was all locked up, so you couldnt get in, but taking a walk around its perimeter, you got some great views of the city. There were two paths down, but one was closed off. At this point, my camera decided to die, my fault as I hadnt charged it for ages. I was gutted that I would have to use my phone to take the rest of my pictures as the quality isnt as good. The next couple of hundred meters was down and up a paved road. It lead to a picnic area, which had some good views over the other side of Shenzhen. There were also some carvings in the stone of what I think was a Chinese goddess. They were pretty. Just a little further on from here was a big square, Mingdeng Square, that was filled with
people.
Travelmates near
