Flashback to Iguazu: Brazil vs. Argentina

We were in Brazil for our friends' wedding over Christmas and were lucky enough to have 3 full days to explore both the Brazilian and Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls.

The scenery here is absolutely stunning! Even with all the people and the tourist infrastructure, it felt like we had stepped back in time somehow. If a dinosaur casually strolled into view, not only would I not be surprised, but *I* am the one who would feel out of place!

Iguazu Falls from the Brazilian side

When we were originally planning our trip, it looked like we would only be able to spend 24 hours in Iguazu. So we asked a bunch of people who had been to both sides which they would choose if they only had 24 hours. To a man (or woman!) they gave us the diplomatic answer that "both sides are nice".

While this proved to be perfectly true, I found it really frustrating at the time, as it didn't help us make our decision! Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor and the rest of the internet also made it hard to choose.

Flashback to Hua Shan

Mount Hua Shan, with its famous Plank Path, is billed as one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. And I've been itching to climb it since I first heard about it 10 years ago!

However, since that time, a few things have changed,

1. There are now stairways all over the place with railings
2. They give you harnesses at the start of the plank
3. I had taken up rock-climbing in the intervening years

So the entire experience wasn't as scary as it would have been even a few years ago. But even without the element of danger, Hua Shan was my favourite experience in China, edging past some tough competition from the Great Wall and Tiger Leaping Gorge!

The Plank Path may be safer these days, but it's still a looooong way down!

Looking down on West Peak from the trail to the South Peak

Information about hiking Hua Shan (in English) was a little difficult to come by when we were researching our trip. This blog post on tynan.com was the most informative at the time, and it answered a lot of my questions about the Plank Path.

In addition, here's what I'd share with anyone who asked me about Hua Shan. No one actually has, of course, but that's never stopped me from preemptively chiming in about anything...