MDufort

Baishuitai (bai-schway-tai) - meaning, "White Water Terraces" Before the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike, Richard (hiking guide) recommended that I take a bus to visit the "white water terraces" at Baishuitai. "It's very beautiful, and my family came from that same village many many years ago", he said. The place gets it's name from the natural terrace mantles which formed over many years by gradual precipitation of the calcium carbonate mineral found naturally in the spring's groundwater. From a distance, it looks like a massive paint spill. Up close, they look exactly like white rice terraces filled with sapphire blue spring water. The park itself was very clean and had a very relaxed feel. The view from above looking down into the valley was beautiful! The sunlight shining from the West made the green wheat fields come ... read more

Lijiang I'm SO glad I chose to add on two more weeks to my trip itinerary before booking my flights. Discovering a place like Lijiang is the exact reason for giving myself the extra time. It's surroundings are filled with places to explore and endless hiking opportunites, various minority cultures, and awe inspiring scenery. I will definitely be coming back to visit Lijiang again next time I travel to China. Lijiang Old Town is characterized by it's confusing labyrinth of cobbled streets, rickety-looking wooden buildings, and open waterways. The only downside to this place it it gets absolutely PACKED with Chinese tourists nearly year round. I read that nearly 12% of Yunnan's total tourist population comes to Lijiang. That's HUGE! The town's tiny alleyways are frequently jammed with Chinese visitors and as you walk through the ... read more

Kunming (the capital city of Yunnan province) Kunming was my first city in Yunnan. I took a 21 hour train from Loudi to get there. I was glad I had bought a Y450 "soft" sleeper ticket because the bed was much wider and the room came with a door. I really lucked out when I discovered that the other occupants of my cabin were 3 lovely Chinese girls. I joked with them in both Mandarin and English. They giggled when they saw the enormous amount of hair shown on my passport photo. The whole trip we noshed on Chinese snack foods (spicy tofu bites, sesame cookies, chicken wings, noodles, shatian pomelos, and mandarin oranges). I stayed at the Kunming Cloudland hostel for 4 nights. It's rooms were cozy and the shared bathrooms all got fresh flowers ... read more

Longji Rice Terraces(near Longsheng!) Here in Southern China they grow rice, A LOT OF RICE. The Chinese like to cultivate rice by flooding the fields because it helps helps with soil fertilization, deters both weeds and pests, and keeps pesky vermin away. So how exactly does one grow rice on a hill? You make terraces. A LOT OF TERRACES. The mountainous region around Longsheng is heavily striated with rice fields. The Longji Rice Terraces (aka the Dragon's Backbone) is by far the most spectacular showing of this farm engineering technique with terraces running from valley floor up 1,640 feet to the ridges. We were lucky to have a few hours with a clear view across the valley. Heavy fog banks and strong mists severely limit visibility usually in the winter and early-spring months. The next morning ... read more

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park This was one of my favorite places so far this trip. Zhangjiajie (pron. "jang-jah-jee") features hundreds of these bizarre sandstone towers formed during many years of weathering and erosion. The climate here is usually wet year round so the foliage is super dense and there are small streams running everywhere. The Chinese like to say it's more impressive than the Grand Canyon. Hmm, we'll see about that! In 1982, Zhangjiajie was declared China's first national forest park (much like our Yellowstone!). It must be a national showcase because it is VERY clean. The trails were cleaned up, the park enforced a "no-smoking" policy, they posted good trail signs (in English, Korean, and Japanese!), and the park also provided many other pleasantries for visitors. The one pleasantry that stands out in my mind ... read more