• Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA
  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra and rest of Australia

Sue's Fabulous Travels

~ around China and other countries

Sue's Fabulous Travels

Tag Archives: Yunnan Province

Stone Forest (Shilin 石林) – Kunming – Yunnan Province – PRC – September 2018

29 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels inside China

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

China PRC, Kunming, Shilin 石林, Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Stone Forest, travelling with friends, travels in China, Yunnan Province

Beautiful limestone formations in southern China!fullsizeoutput_4c1

Whilst holidaying in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in China, I arranged a tour guide to take my friend Jon and myself to Shilin (Stone Forest).  I hadn’t visited there when I lived in China (2011 to 2014) so it was on my list of places to visit when I returned.

As with anywhere in China you are ‘never’ going to be the only people sightseeing…so I always try and arrive right on opening time to try and miss the masses (rarely works!!).fullsizeoutput_4c2fullsizeoutput_4dbBut visiting all the fabulous places in China is definitely worth the effort and the Stone Forest was worth it.  So what is the Stone Forest, well it’s a set of limestone formations located in an area about 500 km2 – we certainly did not walk this distance and after about two and a half hours of walking in the heat and pushing past/being pushed by hundreds of people we were well and truly over it but did get to see some beautiful formations.fullsizeoutput_4d8fullsizeoutput_4cd

fullsizeoutput_4d8
P1010739

fullsizeoutput_4d9fullsizeoutput_4d7When we first arrived, our tour guide walked us over a little bridge to enter the forest…I always love reflections of a bridge on the water!fullsizeoutput_4dcI also love the reflections of the stones on the water…fullsizeoutput_4c3fullsizeoutput_4cb

P1010688
fullsizeoutput_4cb

fullsizeoutput_4caAnd I am not sure if these men were sitting in their boat for us tourists to take photos; they were gone after about twenty minutes…but it was a great photo opportunity anyway.P1010684During our walk, our guide who told us he had visited this site tens and tens of times was able to show us natural stones in the shapes of animals…this one is very easy to identify…fullsizeoutput_4c9We also saw minority people along the way; some sewing, some singing and dancing as well as playing musical instruments while others were selling their wares which of course we bought.fullsizeoutput_4cffullsizeoutput_4d1fullsizeoutput_4c6Another place ticked off my ‘things to do in China’ list.P1010748fullsizeoutput_4d6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luoxiagou (Falling Clouds Ditch) & Dongchuan Redland – Yunnan Province – PRC – September 2018

19 Wednesday Dec 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels inside China

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

Dongchuan Redland, Falling Clouds Ditch, Luoxiagou, prc, travelling with friends, Yunnan Province

The colourful terraces of China

fullsizeoutput_4b1In September this year my friend Jon and I travelled from Sichuan Province to Yunnan Province by bullet train and intended traveling around the province for about seven days.  Jon had never been to Yunnan so I wanted to show him around but decided not to re-visit places I had been to.  We didn’t want to stay very long in the capital so I arranged a tour guide and driver to take us to Dongchuan Redland which is about a four hour drive northeast of Kunming and has an altitude of around  1800 – 2600 metres. fullsizeoutput_4a9fullsizeoutput_4a6When we reached Dongchuan we stopped many times at Luoxiagou [Falling Cloud Ditch] to take photos of the beautiful landscape.  Luoxiagou is surrounded by mountains and is adorned with traditional local villages and colourful fields – absolutely stunning!fullsizeoutput_4a7fullsizeoutput_4abfullsizeoutput_4b0fullsizeoutput_4a8We arrived later in the afternoon which is said to be the best time for photography.
fullsizeoutput_4affullsizeoutput_4acfullsizeoutput_4aefullsizeoutput_4b4It was then time to drive to our hotel which was chosen by our tour guide.  This meant I had no idea what was in store apart from our guide was told we wanted four or five star!  But in China this could mean ‘China 4 star hard bed’ and not ‘Western 4 star comfy bed’…

We travelled down a very steep mountain which only allowed one car on the road at one time.  Lucky for us no other vehicles were on the road.  We then arrived at the most beautiful grounds surrounding a gorgeous hotel.  The first thing we did after we were shown our rooms was to take a walk around the gardens.  Lovely little bridges over small running streams, beautiful shrubs and trees, paved pathways and lush green grass.fullsizeoutput_4a2fullsizeoutput_4a1fullsizeoutput_49cfullsizeoutput_49aWe were the only guests at the hotel along with our driver and guide and the staff asked us to select our fresh vegetables and meat [for Jon] from a large selection in the kitchen.  Of course eggplant was selected for me and a local meat and vegetable dish for Jon.  I enjoyed a lovely pot of Chinese tea whilst Jon tasted the local beer.  Then it was time for bed.  My room was lovely with a nice ensuite…bed pretty comfy…yay!!fullsizeoutput_499The next morning, we enjoyed a pot of tea in the dining room after which we departed for Dongchuan Redland.  The Redland has high temperatures and abundant rainfall which makes the iron in the earth oxidised and together with different crops and unpredictable light it brings about fabulous coloured [and spectacular] scenery. fullsizeoutput_4b6fullsizeoutput_4b5fullsizeoutput_4c0Autumn in China (September to November) is a great time to visit and photograph the red fields or red earth.  Whilst I could see the red earth, our guide told us that it was a little late in the season to see the bright red colour.  He did say that the farmers turn over the fields for new crops including highland barley and wheat which add more colour to the landscape.

We also saw a few healthy cows on the hillside with a spectacular backdrop of coloured terraces.IMG_3372fullsizeoutput_4b9fullsizeoutput_4b7We stopped off at a lovely local restaurant for lunch.  Great views from here also and there was a walkway really high up across part of the river; there was no way [ever] I was walking on it…Jon did!

fullsizeoutput_4a3
fullsizeoutput_4a4

IMG_3386IMG_3373Then it was time to drive four hours back to Kunming for an overnight stay before we departed for another road trip to see the Yuanyang Terraces but more on that later!

 

Recent Posts

  • Visiting Orange – New South Wales – Australia – October 2020
  • Coolangatta – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – December 2020
  • Main Beach – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – October 2020
  • Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2020
  • Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020

Recent Comments

Americaoncoffee on Visiting Orange – New So…
Little Miss Travelle… on Visiting Orange – New So…
JohnRH on Visiting Orange – New So…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…

Archives

  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney
  • Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Follow Sue's Fabulous Travels on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,251 other followers

Recent Posts

  • Visiting Orange – New South Wales – Australia – October 2020
  • Coolangatta – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – December 2020
  • Main Beach – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – October 2020
  • Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2020
  • Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020

Recent Comments

Americaoncoffee on Visiting Orange – New So…
Little Miss Travelle… on Visiting Orange – New So…
JohnRH on Visiting Orange – New So…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…

Archives

  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney
  • Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • Visiting Orange – New South Wales – Australia – October 2020
  • Coolangatta – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – December 2020
  • Main Beach – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – October 2020
  • Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2020
  • Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020

Recent Comments

Americaoncoffee on Visiting Orange – New So…
Little Miss Travelle… on Visiting Orange – New So…
JohnRH on Visiting Orange – New So…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on Coolangatta – Gold Coast…

Archives

  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney
  • Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×