To be clear this isn’t a “guided tour”, but transportation and excellent guidance and conversation by Bruce. Bruce picked me up in a timely manner from my
hotel in the morning with a smile on his face. We had a lovely chat about China, it’s people, customs, history and philosophy. He was very funny and his English was spot on. One of the best English speakers I’ve run into in China! We discussed what I wanted to see and do on the Mt. and when we arrived he bought the tickets for the cable cars and busses that I needed. I decided to go to the plank wall and was grateful it was open. All map signs on the wall have Chinese and English, however when you get to the plank wall “check in” desk there is no written English and the 2 guys checking passports do not speak any English. First I was told I couldn’t do the was because I was over 50. I argued I wasn’t OVER 50, but that I WAS 50....so they allowed me on. Then, I discovered that you can only go in pairs..meaning no solo climbers. Disappointed, I started to walk away but a very lively Chinese girl in line who spoke a little English helped me out and paired me with a solo guy in her group. In reality it seems they want groups of 4...not sure why, as you climb as like a group of 12!? Anyway, the wait ended up being about 2 hours and the climb took about 45 to 1 hour (from suit up to finish). It this point it was 4pm and due to the cable car closing I didn’t have time to finish the rest of the hike (but was successful in what I came to do). I went down the mountain the same way I came up (West Peak). When I got off the bus there was Bruce waiting for me at the bottom. He went out of his way to make sure I had a great trip by helping out some friends. By this action alone, I can tell that he is a compassionate, honest man with a good soul. He deserves abundant success. On the way back to Xi’an we had a wonderful conversation and shared favorite music. By far the best tour I’ve taken in China by the most compassionate man with stellar taste in music! Thank you Bruce!
