a rocky marvel

ok, i think it is about time i put a closure to my trip to yunnan in march.
this should be the last post on the places visited and the last highlight of my trip.

well, this place is non-other than the famous stone forest or known as shi lin in mandarin in kunming.

we woke up early and made an early headstart to the forest to avoid the crowd at the ticket counter. when we arrived it was still misty and cold for the morning.

this was the buggy we had to board to enter the stone forest. again, everything was environmentally friendly here.

the buggy brought us to this entrance and from here we had to walk.

all these here are limestones.
once inside the park, after the ticket check, we boarded another buggy again and were brought into the main forest area where the stones were bigger.

i am not sure if we could actually get down and explore these smaller forests that we passed by on the buggy. it would be wonderful if we could explore every area of the place but  i bet it would take more than one day to finish all.

this was what we saw as soon as we stepped out from the buggy and all the cameras started going to work.

this was the crowd in the main viewing area. you can rent local tribe customes and take as many photos as you want but that means you will only linger in this main open area.
whereas, my little partner, went into tha maze of stones that you see jutting out here. it was the most fun time we had in this entire exploration in this forest.

one of the unique formations that you see in the maze.

we were given only about 40 minutes to wander on our own and i took the opportunity to climb every nook and cranny i would manage.
and in the end, of course my camera was the only one that captured all those marvelous wonders.

goodbye kunming.
goodbye yunnan. thank you for the beautiful sights and wonders you offer. it has been a fun and unforgettable trip indeed.

yellow fever

it is definitely a yellow day yesterday, literally and figuratively.

first of all, yellow seemed to be the modus operandi for me and for thousands of those who joined the what was supposed to be a silent protest in the city centre.

i need to clarify that i am apolitical. i did not choose yellow because of the planned protest. i am more keen to prune myself and to project my taste for clothings and my mood. colour blocking is still quite strong in me and colours definitely have a strong presence in my wardrobe.

and so yesterday i was all decked in yellow from my bag to my shoes and my nails. the rest of the outfit was in black and grey- black shorts and black watch and a plain grey tee. yellow was the chosen colour because of that pair of reebok shoes. i just wanted to be funky and stand out. yah, i know, i seek attention. well, that is what one has to do in the sea of young faces. ;)

that yellow nail? well, that bottle of nail polish was the only one i had at home and the colour matches the shoes and bag to a T don't you think?

the bag, oh how i love my BV. it is the lightest bag one can get and the lamb skin is just so soft. and it also goes with the shoes. and voila,  you have that 3 yellow 'items' on me.

well, things turned out fine for me but unfortunately the protest in kl did not. i felt nausea watching some of the videos of the violent events that marred the good intention protest.

i am not against peaceful protest. sit and shout all you want but please, no harmful acts. it makes me ponder whether we malaysians are mature enough to protest in a rational and calm state. the pen is mightier than the sword in this case. my heart goes to those who are innocently injured but definitely not to those who created chaos and joined the protest just for the sake of protesting and not understanding the cause.

ok....and the yellow streak continued in the house last night when we got news that my sis was in the midst of contractions in australia and was already admitted to the hospital. i guess this yellow here represented the 'huat' (luck).

we were on facetime live from the hospital near midnight and my sis was taking in laughing gas to ease the pain. unfortunately, she was not laughing despite all the gulps of air she took in. why didn't it have that effect despite the name?? will we be laughing like hyena if we take in the gas??? i would really like to know.

so we were live for  almost one hour or more than that till her doctor came in to check on her and said no-no to being broadcast while she was on duty. hence, it was goodbye past midnight our time and 2 plus her time and i went to bed.

and this morning when i woke up, i am officially an aunt, my mom becomes a grandma and my grandfather becomes a great-grandfather.

poor sis was in pain for more than 12 hours. that boy is really a stubborn one. but he sure is a bundle of joy. he looks so handsome right? hahaha....he is pretty.

i guess they are in a celebratory mode over there and once visiting hours start, the relatives will be coming in. can't wait to see more photos from them. it will be baby this and baby that for this week.

pssst.....mom cried when she first saw the baby on facebook as soon as i switched on the computer in the morning.

hope my sis can recover well and everyone will be hale and hearty over there. your work has just begun.

marvelling at snow-capped mountain and oh-so-blue water in da li

gosh, blogger has changed some of the layouts in its pages and i was all messed up as well. so the photo arrangements are all jumbled up too. usually, the first photo loaded will appear last. but now in its new look, the first photo loaded will appear first following in that order too.

so now all my photos are in reverse sequence. meaning, the places that i visited last appear first. anyway, it is the view that matters in this post.

venue- jade dragon snow capped mountain in dali.

this was the day i wore the thickest but the view was the most wonderful in the whole trip.
the air was crisp and there were even snowflakes in the air when we arrived at the foot of the mountain. it definitely did not feel like spring.

this is the river that runs down to the valley from the mountain. its water is really torquise in colour and i heard it is due to the mineral in the river....or is it because it is glacier water?

we actually went to visit the mountain first before coming down to view the river. we were driven around in electric carts provided by the park. no personal vehicle was allowed in to control the environment here and to preserve the place. but the crowd was still so huge and there were lots of pushing and shoving while queueing to get onto the cars.

this was just a little part of one of the queues we had to be in to visit the three hotspots along the river. our group skipped one because it was lunch already.

this small waterfall is man-made.

how serene eh?

a yak or mountain cow....i am not sure which. you can pay to get a ride on the cow and go to the middle of the river to have your photo taken. haha...i had seen it done on amazing race.

a close-up of the snowy peaks.

more snow....this was where we waited before taking the cable car to reach 3200m above sea level.

nope, of course we did not reach the peak. this was where we landed after a walk from the cable car station and everyone started snapping and posing.

dreams and hopes anyone?? pay to get a piece of wood and write down your wishes and dreams and hang it up. may all your dreams come true.

the cable car station.

i so enjoyed myself here in the natural surrounding. we did a short walk from the cable car station all the way to the photo spot of the mountain. i was glad we did the walk instead of taking another electric car. we passed through a wood and marvelled at our surroundings and i could not help ooing and aaaaing at god's creations. 

this is a must visit!

jewel of li jiang

i feel like writing a poetry verse just to describe the beauty and wonder i felt when visiting this ancient city- li jiang ancient city.
looking back at the photos still made me awed and speechless.
architecture and planning are things to marvel at here and the area is huge.

if only all the vendors and occupants of this area speak and dress in the olden ways, it would make the experience more authentic.

i had a good walk in this place....till my legs and feet could not take it anymore. we had 6 hours to wander and wander and....shop till you drop if you feel like it. shopping was not my thing, so wandering in the maze was the agenda of the day and seeing as much as i could. i walked from one end to the other end....proof? well, i saw the north and south gates.

unesco heritage recognition.

a still moving water wheel.

some eateries here along the canal

the main entrance. loved the colours of the plants on the wall. it was a bright and warm day. all jackets were packed and i was just off in a hoodie.

one of the many backpacker motels. it must be fun staying here in the quiant place with its courtyard and small rooms.

pulled ginger candy. oh so chewy and elastic and hot no doubt. oh, the candy is hard yeah when done.

er...is this the south gate? my chinese fails me.

a loom. weaved scarf is quite unique but i did not get one. don't like the rough threads.

tourists and locals sitting at the square in the city

an old construction....well, what is not old here

the main square

an uphill walk to a pagoda for a bird's eye view of the city.

and this is the view you get. beautiful eh?


entrance to the pagoda

wangu pavilion. we paid 15 renminbi for entrace. the place was really serene and quiet and it was a good place to escape from the hustle bustle down there in the city. since we had so much time to kill, this place provided a place to relax as well.
ok, this place is obviously not old.

jade dragon mountain again, visible from the hill.

trees which are more than 500 years old.

hi-hi ;)

another view of the roofs. just couldn't stop snapping

this is what i meant. ordered a beer, get a nice book, and while the time away.

one more of the roofs. you can see the patio you can sit at to enjoy the view of the city.

if my chinese does not fail me, the sign said lion hill. there is also another one in hk with similar namesake.

aaah.....i have fallen in love with li jiang and it is the ancient city i love.