Decided to do put my vertigo to the test with a two day trip to the mountains near Xian. Hua Shan has 5 peaks, each like a stone needle jutting out of the valley. Looking at them from afar, they don't look like they are meant to be trodden by humans. However, got to the top of the peaks in a day by climbing a more or less continuous stone stairway cut in to the rock.
Picked up a slightly dodgy looking Italian pack packer called Fabrizio on the bus there, who became my climbing buddy and chocolate supply. Stayed the night at the East peak (discovering toilets even worse than the Guilin hospital ones) to watch the sun rise the next day.
