July 14, 2026 – We did it!

Figuring out how to see the Glass Bridges at Gulong Gorge was a challenge.  The thought of spending roughly $400 on a highly promoted excursion just did not sit well with us.  We did a little AI research and garnered the courage to do it ourselves . . . a DIY excursion. 

We did it, yes, we did!  We took metros to the train station, booked a high-speed train to Qinyang and snagged an online DiDi (UBER) to the area called the Gulongxia Scenic Area.  We left the hotel at 7:30 am and walked in the park before 11 am.  When we reached the ticket counter and asked for tickets only for the gorge and the glass bridges, (fact: international tourists over the age of 60 cannot do the thrill rides.  Say what???), he advised us that the reaching the glass bridges requires a steep one-hour climb on 600 steps.  Then he said, most people spend an hour at the top and then another hour is necessary for making the return down the mountain.  Whoa!  We did not count on that.  Stan asked me, “In this heat?”  It was a supremely hot day with outrageous humidity.  We discussed and debated.  We tossed it back and forth. The man at the ticket counter was patient as we went through the motions of deciding.  We finally threw in the towel, and declared, we made the trip here, let’s just do it.

We did it, and it was not nearly as bad as it could have been.  Most of the hike up the “mountain” was under trees and shaded.  But it was not easy. It was uphill all the way. Our shirts were wet with sweat. These days in Southeast Asia, the temperature and humidity is staggering; Stan carries a facecloth to blot his sweaty face and neck.

This place was like a super-duper Disneyland.  In addition to the glass bridges, which lured us in, there was a manmade rafting course, a cliff-side roller coaster, a go-kart kind of fast car that speeds down curvy lanes down the mountain, and a kiddie park.  Had we known, we might not have made the trip, but I have to say, we really liked the walking out on the glass bridges. 

The park is flung upon green jungled, steep hillsides of a deep gorge. The budget for landscaping this money-making place must have been in the millions because it was perfectly done to resemble a thriving jungle with realistic looking and sounding dinosaurs and reptiles here and there.  What 7-year old wouldn’t love shouting, “whoa!” and naming each one? 

Stan and I enjoyed the thrilling glass bridges.  After all, we worked hard, climbing over 600 steps uphill to get there. The bridges and the circular sky-walk here hold the world’s record for the largest high-altitude glass sight-seeing venue.   

And we did this roundtrip with lunch for less than $100.  But, please understand, it wasn’t the savings that ticked our fancy.  It was a sense of accomplishment; a mere fact that we did it.  At this age, we often question ourselves.  Are we too old? Can we figure out how to do this?  Will our bodies hold up physically?  Will we get in the middle of the path and not be able to go no further???  This was a confidence builder.  It was a confirmation that, YES, WE CAN

Beef parts & noodles (again!) and grilled spicey and rubbery squid.

We are getting done with Chinese food.