Escape to Warmer Weather
Guess where Xin is right now?
What's that you say? You can't?
Well as the title of the piece suggests Xin has made a hasty exit from windy and cold Shanghai to the warmer climates of Yunnan in the south of China.
Literally translated Yunnan means "Cloud South", if you want a more poetic translation it would probably be Southern Cloud. The area lives up to its more poetic name. It's beautiful here. Here the landscape is backed by mountains and shrouded by the most crisp and beautiful green I have ever seen... (it makes me proud to be a Mungo-ite :p)
It's very hilly here so I've spent a lot of time clambering up and down mountains.
For example yesterday I visited the Western Mountain just outside of Kunming (the capital of Yunnan. They have the most AMAZING temples I have ever seen there. Sarah, if you're reading this you seriously missed out!!! These temples top anything I've seen in Beijing or other parts of China. I saw three in one day in one area but they were all so different. One had been fairly recently renovated and it had the most intricate statues on the walls inside - there were over 50 statues on the walls depicting various deities crossing a river. Another was in the process of being renovated and it was fascinating to watch the workmen finish columns and screens in the traditional way not to mention getting to see a temple that's not glitzy and glammed up and crammed with tourists. The most amazing temple though was the one at the Dragon Gate - it is literally carved out of the sheer cliff face. Some monk spent 14 years just carving these little grottos and statues in the grottos to make the most incredible temple ever. Too bad it was crammed with loud and obnoxious tourists and my poor little achey legs are still complaining about the steep climbs.
The day before that I visited the Stone Forest a little way out of Kunming. The most notable thing about the Stone Forest is that they have the best toilet I've ever been to in my entire life. No it's not just because I hate the other squat toilets in China which don't even have doors on the cubicles (yuck) - this toilet had a TV in every single cubicle as well as little shower heads you can clean your bottom with after you've finished as well as minature toilets for children to use!!! I've been so spoilt by one usage of this toilet that I can't go back to squat toilets - it's terrible! :p But apart from this one amazing toilet that I've rambled on about the Stone Forest is made up of amazing Karst rock formations. All you people who are used to klutzy-Xin will be amazing to hear that I completed a super precarious climb right to the top of the stone forest to get a fantastic view over the canopy.
I should also mention that I spent last night at Anning which is famous for its hot springs. We stayed at the Japanese style hot spring hotel thingie and it was justifiably luxurious and relaxing. I got in plenty of R&R not only relaxing in the private outdoor hot spring attached to my hotel room but also in the milk water hot tub and the hot tub filled with rose essence and rose petals. Mmmm.... Xin is a happy camper.
For those of you interested I am currently in Dali trying to figure out what to do next because as usual Johnny has given no thought to our itinenary after dragging me here... grr... and I will have to do all the research because apparently reading about gremlins on planes (that is the headline for the news article he is reading) is more important than figuring out what to do next in our short time here. Grr... I'm signing out to do some research...
What's that you say? You can't?
Well as the title of the piece suggests Xin has made a hasty exit from windy and cold Shanghai to the warmer climates of Yunnan in the south of China.
Literally translated Yunnan means "Cloud South", if you want a more poetic translation it would probably be Southern Cloud. The area lives up to its more poetic name. It's beautiful here. Here the landscape is backed by mountains and shrouded by the most crisp and beautiful green I have ever seen... (it makes me proud to be a Mungo-ite :p)
It's very hilly here so I've spent a lot of time clambering up and down mountains.
For example yesterday I visited the Western Mountain just outside of Kunming (the capital of Yunnan. They have the most AMAZING temples I have ever seen there. Sarah, if you're reading this you seriously missed out!!! These temples top anything I've seen in Beijing or other parts of China. I saw three in one day in one area but they were all so different. One had been fairly recently renovated and it had the most intricate statues on the walls inside - there were over 50 statues on the walls depicting various deities crossing a river. Another was in the process of being renovated and it was fascinating to watch the workmen finish columns and screens in the traditional way not to mention getting to see a temple that's not glitzy and glammed up and crammed with tourists. The most amazing temple though was the one at the Dragon Gate - it is literally carved out of the sheer cliff face. Some monk spent 14 years just carving these little grottos and statues in the grottos to make the most incredible temple ever. Too bad it was crammed with loud and obnoxious tourists and my poor little achey legs are still complaining about the steep climbs.
The day before that I visited the Stone Forest a little way out of Kunming. The most notable thing about the Stone Forest is that they have the best toilet I've ever been to in my entire life. No it's not just because I hate the other squat toilets in China which don't even have doors on the cubicles (yuck) - this toilet had a TV in every single cubicle as well as little shower heads you can clean your bottom with after you've finished as well as minature toilets for children to use!!! I've been so spoilt by one usage of this toilet that I can't go back to squat toilets - it's terrible! :p But apart from this one amazing toilet that I've rambled on about the Stone Forest is made up of amazing Karst rock formations. All you people who are used to klutzy-Xin will be amazing to hear that I completed a super precarious climb right to the top of the stone forest to get a fantastic view over the canopy.
I should also mention that I spent last night at Anning which is famous for its hot springs. We stayed at the Japanese style hot spring hotel thingie and it was justifiably luxurious and relaxing. I got in plenty of R&R not only relaxing in the private outdoor hot spring attached to my hotel room but also in the milk water hot tub and the hot tub filled with rose essence and rose petals. Mmmm.... Xin is a happy camper.
For those of you interested I am currently in Dali trying to figure out what to do next because as usual Johnny has given no thought to our itinenary after dragging me here... grr... and I will have to do all the research because apparently reading about gremlins on planes (that is the headline for the news article he is reading) is more important than figuring out what to do next in our short time here. Grr... I'm signing out to do some research...
posted by Xin @ 9:34 pm
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