These small buses will not go if they are not full. I waited from 8am in the morning till 11am and they still refused to go because it's winter and the people going to Hua Shan are few.

Ok, I am writing this to tell you guys that there is more than one way to get into Ermei Shan without going through the ticket booth, so whether it is a tourist trap or not, you decide alright?

If you take a bus from Xin Nan Men station in Chengdu to Ermei, you will stop at the town area, where I am not very sure. So when you alight from the bus, you will be swarmed by a dozen men on wanting to take you to Ermei Shan. Being tired and in a hurry to see the place (woke up late!), I talked to this guy and he offered to bring me to the cable car place where I can take a cable car to the temple (Wan Nian Ci) for 50RMB. So I said ok and then he told me if I pay a little more, he can bring me into Ermei Shan without going pass the ticket booth for 100RMB.

Being in an adventurous mood, I agreed and bargained and slashed the price to 70RMB, wondering if Im being conned. So off we went. True enough, along the twists and turns up Ermei Shan, we stopped and he started bringing me into one of the village. So the journey starts, with beautiful scenery of tea plantations and having a slight immersion on the village culture. The walk into and out of the tea plantations is beautiful. We ended up along the Deng Xiao Ping route in Ermei Shan and off I went climbing up to the temple.

You guys can try this alternative route if you are interested, cos I think you wont get to walk among tea plantations if you enter by the main entrance.

This nice little hostel is situated along Bei Xin Jie. Since it's winter, there is only a handful of travellers there. The room is nice and cozy, and very clean! The architecture of the place makes you feel that you are staying in a old chinese street, cos they still retain about 90% of the old building. Staff are friendly and everyone is willing to help. And they even teach me and my friend like 100 different types of dice games!

This is quite a new hostel which opened in October 2005, and plus the small number of travellers during winter period, I cannot comment on the running of the hostel. You guys can go and try!

This youth hostel must be one of the best I had stayed so far. Friendly staff, nice atmosphere (even in winter!), food is great, everything is very organised! Owned by a Singaporean and his Japanese wife, this is the hostel to stay! I totally enjoyed my stay there! Thank you Sim!