Kunming, Yunnan Province China: Stone Forest

Kunming is the capital of the Yunnan province of China, famous for its food and mountains. Can't say I recommend much in Kunming, other than this Stone Forest. If I were to redesign our trip, I'd add a couple more days to this leg and use Kunming as a jumping off point to do more exciting exploration of nature, a short flight outside of Kunming.

Love these Chinese-isms, propoganda-style

Karsts are the big stones you see throughout this blog post. Very dramatic!

Look out below!

Sign for the photo below

See the birds kissing each other?

See the elephant?

It was so striking to me how similar some people in Yunnan looked to the Burmese, who are just south of Yunnan province. And, the cougar in me said, "Roar!"

The elder in the family

The youngest generation of the family

Again, a Chinese family playing instruments and signing together in a park. I love it.

Glorious balancing rocks

The verbotten forest behind us

The Chinese sure like forbidding!

Verbotten didn't stop us.

I love these labels - mushroom karsts!

June 24, 2011

Yangshou, China: Boat and bike ride

Short boatride we took on Li River to go biking among the rice paddies.

Our bike deliverer

I can't tell you how peaceful this bikeride was on one of the few, quiet, unpopulated roads in Yangshuo, nestled among the rice paddies and mountains

Dried rice -- Click HERE for a video of our ride route through the paddies.

Dried rice, up close and personal

Griffin, a little less at ease with the sharp cormorant claws in his flesh

Boom, without the cormorant on his arm

Ken, completely at ease

Me, FREAKIN OUT!

Breathe, Colleen, breathe.

Alice, learned to turn the pole which made the cormorant's wings go up, to balance itself.

Cormorant fisherman, with plastic bamboo Li River boat.

How he tied twine to the cormorant's neck to make it fish for him, with the twine just tight enough that the cormorant could not swallow the fish.

Cormorant, a-fishin!

Master fisherman. Let's be clear, though, he's nothin without that bird. The cape is used during rain, as a raincoat.

Boatride home

River view of the Yangshuo Impression water light show. It is packed all summer. HUGE crowds

Boom, the apprentice captain

God, we needed that beer. Fresh fish, that we chose and they grilled. Then we chased the kids on the grass, before riding our boat back across the river to our hotel.

June 23, 2011