Besides eagerly anticipating the relaunch of the Stayfresh blogs (so I don’t feel bad about bombarding the Fatlace homepage with my nonsense), I’ve been meandering around China for the last week or so practicing my native tongue and bonding with distant relatives. The parentals took my sister and I to Zhang Jia Jie for a few days to escape the overwhelming heat of Changsha and witness some of the most breathtaking views our motherland has to offer.

Contemporary art aside, some of my favorite paintings are done by traditional Chinese artists featuring whimsical mountain peaks peeking over the clouds and flowing waterfalls. Little did I know, the mountains of Zhang Jia Jie have been the inspiration behind the majority of these paintings for hundreds of years. Most recently, it was the inspiration for the setting of everyone’s favorite movie to love, and love to hate – Avatar.

After passing the unsuspecting tower/ plaza that greets tourists at the bottom of the mountain and taking a 20minute bus ride to the second landing spot, we came across a dozen or so monkeys that welcomed us on our trek to the top.

Even though I’m arguably the fittest one of our entire family, climbing 6,000+ steps isn’t exactly my idea of fun nor the first thing on my itinerary while on vacation. So, we took the glass encased elevator up. Just a few seconds in, we were struck with a stunning view of the mountains that only gave a small preview of what was to come.

From the bottom up, the mountains look like giant stones with green shrubbery sprinkled throughout. I guess ginormous Chia Pets would be the only way to imagine it? But as you climb deeper and deeper into the mountains, each peak becomes increasingly distinct and stands alone on its own. Many of these mountains are named after characters in ancient Chinese folklore or kings of bygone dynasties because of their supposed resemblances.

Sadly, Zhang Jia Jie is only China’s first national park due to the lack of government resources. It’s truly a majestic and awe-inspiring destination, but by no means an easy place to get to. Even there, you fight for photo ops with what feels like thousands of others and endure the dirt and grime that accompanies any tourist destination in China. I highly recommend swinging by at least once in your lifetime if you have the opportunity; just be sure to pack a comfortable pair of cross trainers and your inner hippie.