I DO not consider myself daring, especially when it comes to trying new activities or visiting unfamiliar places. So when my 2018 ended in cliffside walks and glass bridge adventures in the Hunan Province in China, I felt a little bit proud and accomplished.
The 30-minute journey starts with a cable car ride from downtown Zhangjiajie. From there, your compartment will glide through the cables, past fading apartment buildings, busy streets, and empty train tracks. At first I thought there was nothing scenic about this route: we were up in the sky but the view below was nowhere near impressive.
Up we went until the people on the ground looked no bigger than my fingers. The nondescript houses were eventually replaced by lagoons and lush greeneries teeming with life. For a few minutes, as we soared through lands covered in different shades of green, I felt like Dorothy on board a hot air balloon looking over Emerald City.
Stretching seven kilometer long, the cable car ride to Tianmen Mountain is considered one of the world’s longest. We were supposed to reach the foot of the Tianmen Cave, a natural hole in the mountain that stands about 131m high. We were aware that Tianmen means “Heaven’s Door” or “Stairway to Heaven” so we did not need to feign surprise when we were transported high above the sky.
It was a miracle that none of the cable car passengers felt queasy as the compartment zoomed through the air. The steep ascent, although flawless, felt noticeable. A simple glance below told us that we were hovering a thousand feet high.
Cold air bit my skin as soon as we disembarked from the compartment. From a distance, the gaping hole of the Tianmen Cave looked so inviting and familiar (it was featured in the terrifying Range Rover 2018 Dragon Challenge commercial). However, when we reached the mountain’s summit, we were told that Tianmen Cave was closed to the public during winter, so we proceeded to the 100-meter glass-bottomed skywalk called the Walk of Faith instead.
Measuring 60 meter-wide and 1.6 meter-long, the Walk of Faith gives unparalleled views of the cliffs below and the surrounding mountains, including the Tongtian Avenue (Avenue towards Heaven), a famous mountain road made up of 99 turns that snake around Tianmen Mountain. Thanks to the fog, the depth of the abyss was mostly concealed, so it was easier to concentrate and complete the short yet thrilling walk.
We failed to reach the foot of Tianmen Cave, but it still felt satisfying to say that in 2018, I have glimpsed Heaven’s Door in China.