Up the mountain The plan was to go camping outside of Guiyang – I have no idea where exactly and what amenities the campsite would afford, if any. Mandy picked me up at my hotel and we headed to a noodle joint for lunch. On the menu… well…. I’m not quite sure of the specifics,Read more
The hotel breakfast was not bad. A large assortment of items set up as a buffet. Just not as great as the previous hotel. The goal for today is to check out the local open-air market, then head up Tianamen Mountain (4,982 ft elevation), which is south of the city and accessible by cable carRead more
Rain and fog is predicted for the next several days, so the prospects of getting some amazing photos are looking pretty slim. The hotel’s breakfast buffet is amazing. Pork Buns, eggs, sweets… too many things for me to sample them all. Some nice coffee too. This is a view of one of the walls inRead more
Last Morning in Lijiang Old Town One of the beautiful daily sights in the old town is how locals and visitors will gather up in the square and folk dance to region folk music. Everyone is welcome to join, and there are plenty of seats for spectators. It’s really fun to watch. Read more
A beautiful morning in Lijiang old town. This is the view from the hotel. Looking down on the courtyard of the hotel. This is where the owners play cards all night and keep me awake. The street in front of the hotel. Heading into old town This canal comes from theRead more
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山 The dominant feature of the Lijiang Valley, is actually a massif (range) of which the highest peak reaches 18,360 ft. Although easily seen from all corners of the city of Lijiang, I had no idea how massive it really was until we hired a driver to take us to it.Read more
The mountain’s highest peak is 14,598 feet (4,449.5 meters) above the sea level, named for the red dear the range represents, it is regarded a s holy mountain for the local Tibetans. Geologically ,the mountains is known for having diverse microclimates along its range. From the grasslands we visited earlier through wooded hills, plateaus harboring ranches,Read more
Shangrila breakfastat the hotel: pork noodles, pickles, milk, rice porridge, stuffed buns and an egg. The valley west of the city is sparsely populated and pretty flat. Primarily grassland, it is used primarily for agriculture. In spring crops of flowering plant light up the valley with color. At this time it was pretty barren.Read more
Sunshine in Longshen The next morning the clouds begin to lift and for the first time I’m experiencing direct sunlight and full blue skies in China. It’s getting hot, and I’m getting a bad cold. We head down the walkway that leads to the main road we entered theRead more
Passing through Guilin I really didn’t get to see much of the city. Jing and I left Chengdu late in the evening and didn’t even realize our hotel was right across from the river until we checked out the next morning. We check out and catch a bus line that takes us to the mountainsRead more