Blogs from Yuanyang, Yunnan, China, Asia - page 2

When you research the Yuanyang rice terraces it comes across as a magical fairy land with out of this world sunrises and sunsets that reflect off the mirrored surfaces of the flooded terraces. They have photos to prove it too. What nobody seems to mention is that these perfect conditions aren’t exactly common and that much of the time the place is shrouded in thick fog. We spent 5 nights in the area and on day 2 we lucked out with an incredible sunrise and sunset. We’re so glad that we went out and took photos when we did. We had no idea how lucky we were as the rest of the time we spent huddled around a fire or hiding in our rooms with the electric blanket cranked up high and a good book in ... read more

The final stage of our South China adventures sent us flying into the vast Yun’an province of southern China. Everywhere we looked, it seemed that the motto for visiting Yun’an sounded such that, “However many days you have planned to spend in Yun’an, double it - you will not be sorry.” So we doubled it. And we weren’t sorry. Not even in the least. Kunming sits squarely on the Tibetan Plateau and on the edge of the world’s largest mountain range. The elevation of the city lies at 2,000 meters above sea level and the air felt wonderfully cool, crisp, and clean - a much appreciated reprise from the usual odors and haze typical of most Chinese cities. The residents pride themselves with their overall calm demeanor and almost everywhere one can see signs of a ... read more

ATTENTION : N'oubliez pas de cliquer sur le lien de la carte si elle ne s'affiche pas bien et de zoomer le cas échéant, et d'aller tout en bas du texte pour passer à la deuxième page de photos. Nous effectuons le trajet entre les 2 villes en bus, et descendons d'une division par rapport à celui de la veille: là, c'est du vieux, sans film mais aussi sans trop de Klaxons. On ne peut pas dire que ça pue dans le car, les mauvaises odeurs étant cachées par les clopes de nos compagnons de route. Le bus - ou plutôt grand van- est plus petit mais des gens s'y s'entassent au fur et à mesure en utilisant l'allée centrale. La route aussi baisse d'une division : petite route-chemin de montagne en lacets avec la place ... read more

I was not in the best of moods. Here we were, rattling along a rough cobble stone road with the damp mist bearing down on us obscuring every inch of what should have been gorgeous scenery. All that greeted our eyes were trees shrouded grey in the mist and glistening moist cobbles that seemingly stretched uphill without end. Considering we were cycling through an area famous for its spectacular rice terraces that stretch up to 1800m high, the foul mood wasn’t without reason. Misguided and illuminated Nestled high in the Ailao mountain range of South Western Yunnan in China, Yuanyang County remains a little left of the tourist trail. Upon crossing into China at the Heko border from Vietnam we knew we had to view the paddy terraces that had been deemed “supposedly the most spectacular ... read more

Having visited a market in a nearby village I decided to have a look at the one in Yuanyang itself. The nearby one had been a visual feast, a kaleidoscopic array of colours worn by the local tribespeople who come down from the mountain villages to buy, sell, barter and socialise; to my delight I found more of the same in Yuangyang town itself. Click this link for advice on independent travel in Yunnan Province ... read more