Western hills


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August 13th 2018
Published: September 12th 2018
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The western hills is certainly a place that must not be missed while visiting Kunming.



To get there, I caught the cable car that transported me all the way up to the hills. The short trip is quite scenic, travelling over the (dianchihu), it is an emerald coloured lake and the views over the city are quite good.



I am particularly attracted by the parks having some fine temples up in the mountains, but there is always this bloody entrance fees that are absurdly expensive.



Paid all the entrance fees, I started the climb to the beautiful (lingxu) pavilion, which is about 2,500 meters above sea level and with great views over the dianchi lake.



Today the heat was bearable, the gentle breeze dried away all my sudor and giving that sensation of pleasure and relax that you have when you just made it to the top of a summit in summer.



This is actually the best spot to rest a bit after the long ascend to the pavilion, you could have the place for yourself if coming a bit earlier, in the morning, but as you begin the descend down

to the (longmen) Dragon Gate, all the magical ambiance vanishes away as tourists groups appear and you constantly feel someone pushing you from behind, as the path is very narrow, and the sensation is not very comfortable.


Devout people worshipping their gods inside the small and colourful shrines, the incense was gleaming, releasing its abundant scent, golden Buddha statues shining even inside the dark room of the temple, the beauty of the place was just indescribable.



These temples dated back to the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) but, in the years, they have been restored several times, they are Taoist related temples; I personally like the (doumu) hall, which is a long, narrow hall with several deities , lined one after the other, and, in the middle of them, there is the golden statues of the (doumu) goddess. It is a Taoist goddess, she is also called the (tianhou), which means the Queen of the Heaven. It is a marvelous golden statue and the goddess has got nine arms, three heads and three eyes. The hall is finely decorated with flowers, dragon motif and, in the middle, there is the symbol of Taoism.



If

you like to visit some temple perched on the mountain slope and stay in Kunming for a few days this is a quite good place to check out.


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13th September 2018

Views
What a lovely view, and those Taoist temples on the cliff look amazing. The emerald lake looks nuclear green in parts though :) Is zongi sweet sticky rice with red beans? I think I've had a similar thing in South East Asia called bachang.
15th September 2018

Views
Hello guys, yes the lake has been heavily polluted in the last a few years, once it was possible to swim in but now not anymore...That is right and zongzi is delicious food, the owner of the house where I stayed made it for me to take away.. Thanks for your comments and keep well bye bye.
13th September 2018

Left and lonesome when all I had was one yuan
What fabulous memories this blog brings Marcos. On my first trip to China my wish when we flew from Beijing to Kunming to do our Shangri-la Tour was to visit the porcelain arhats on the mount of the Western hills of Kunming. So David took us there first and then through the Longmen tunnels along the cliffs of Dianchi Lake, then across the cable car to the minorities Village. T'was then I was "Left and lonesome when all I had was one yuan", being the title of my blog of the same name. A pivotal experience that led to my enduring love of China. Thanks for bringing it all back. Gotta love Yunnan!
15th September 2018

Left and lonesome when all I had was one yuan
Hey Dave, I am glad to hear that and I would like to read that blog if you can tell me which page do I have to look for would be better, you have so many blogs and I might lose hours looking for that one. I am happy I brought you back some nice memories of Yunnan. It is a lovely place in China, no doubt.. Thanks for your comment very kind bye bye
14th September 2018

Spectacular views
Looks like a great place to hike and amazing photos.
15th September 2018

Spectacular views
Hello, yes indeed a great place to be for a while... Thanks Sir for your comment, appreciate. bye bye

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