Monkeys, Avatar Mountains, and Longest Glass Bridge in the World
The Mountains (used as an inspiration for Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar)
Zhangjiajie in Hunnan Province was on my bucket list long before I even thought about working in Shanghai. This is the only place in the world where you may be able to find Quartz Sandstone Pillars (as many as 3000 of them), that jut up to the sky. Some of them are more than 600 feet tall and are simply one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world. This served as an inspiration for the movie Avatar which was one of the biggest box office successes in Hollywood history. I went during low season because of the mobs of people that go during peak season so I was constantly struggling with photos away from the sun, but managed to get some very good ones in the different scenic points we went to throughout the day.
The Monkeys
As everyone knows I love photographing monkeys wherever I go. This was no different in the national park as hundreds of Rhesus Macaques make this their home. As they are used to tourists coming in, they are somewhat tame compared to other primate species you may encounter. The only downside is, that you better watch your food and your belongings as the tame look of these animals can be deceiving. They often love to take food and drinks from people and if you are not careful, they may also take your personal belongings.
Longest Glass Bridge in the World
Opened a few years ago, this is certainly one of the bigger tourist attractions in this area. Unfortunately they do not allow cameras on the bridge so people must only bring their mobile phones for photos. It is the longest and highest glass bridge in the world and was closed down a few weeks after it had opened because of the large influx of visitors. As of now, they only allow a certain amount of people on there a day (obviously to avoid overcrowding). The drop is almost a thousand feet and walking along it for some could be purely terrifying.
Around Town
The town we stayed in was built for tourists into the national park but that did not take away from its stunning beauty of small streets and the small town feel which is something that is hard to find in China. The people still go about their daily lives of walking down the street enjoying the many foods they have to offer, fishing, and putting on different shows.
