Lijiang

On the way to the Kunming airport we visited Stone Forest. The forest was composed of limestone pillars eroded by wind and rain.

At the park we saw some dancing by some of the ethnic minorities from the area.

We traveled by air to Lijiang which is near the Tibetan border. We visited some of the ethnic villages there. On the wall of one of the Baisha villages was a fresco which copied ancient pictographs from the area. Notice the marriage ceremony. The couple is kneeling in from of the priest.

The plum trees were in blossom.

This is the Lijiang Old Town - cobled streets, old wooden buildings. The Naxi minority live here.

Black Dragon Pool

There was a batique factory in Lijiang. These ladies are sewing up the designs before the fabric is put in the dye.

We attended a tea ceremony. They also demonstrated a wedding. The girl in red is the bride.

We had a wild boat ride over to a fishing village on an island in a large lake.

Elephant Trunk Hill Park

We spent one night in Yanzhuo and the next afternoon went by bus back to Guilin. We stopped at Elephant Hill Park before we went to the airport and took a flight to Kunming. We had been seeing so many things and I was tired so I stayed on the bus and read while Bob climbed to the top at Elephant Hill Park.

The Reed Flute Caves

These caves were spectacular. The lighting was very well done. They culminated in a huge room that would hold 500 people. What I liked was that there were not narrow passageways. I usually hate going in caves.

Yangzhuo

The boat docked at Yangzhuo and we walked to our hotel past many, many shops and aggressive salespersons. There were also some entrepreneurs who wanted to shine my shoes.

After checking in at the hotel we went on a tour of the countryside and visited a farmer's home - complete with the coffin ready for the grandfather when he dies. The grandfather is very happy that they can afford a coffin. In the country they still do burials - not like the cities where there is only cremation.

We saw many types of vegetables growing in the fields. There were lots of mandarin orange orchards.

The street in front of our hotel was fairly busy. I love the way the girls in high heels and short skirts ride scooters.

This is a machine that makes soymilk.

Tie your water buffalo to one of the above. They are not curling rocks.

There was a newspaper story saying that the government was going to give grants so the farmers could buy more household appliances, but the writer thought that the only thing they would buy was a television set.

Mandarin Orange Trees

Above is a sample of the tombstones we saw along the way. I would have liked to organize a cemetery recording group, but our guides wouldn't let us stop long enough. Besides it is hard to transcribe Chinese.

Fishermen have used cormorants for catching fish for a couple of thousand years. They tie a string around the birds neck so it can't swallow and take it out fishing. They put a lamp on the front of the raft and go out at night with several birds on leashes. When the bird has caught a few fish the fisherman pulls it up on the raft and holds it upside down over a basket and out comes the fish. We went out one night and followed a raft and watched them fish.

Hong Kong/Guilin/LiJiang River Cruise

Our last day in Hong Kong was Sunday. We attended Church, checked out of the Hotel and were bussed back across the border to ShenZhen. We went directly to the airport and on to Guilin where we spent the night.

Taxis unloading in front of the Church.

The next morning we went by boat down the Lijiang River. It was a hazy day as can be seen in the pictures. Along the way men on bamboo rafts came out to the boat and tied up along the side of the boat and peddled their wares to the tourists on the boats.

Monday - Laundry Day

This fisherman was selling fresh fish

We were served dinner on the boat, but if we wanted fish we had to pay extra.

The mountains (hills) along the river were very odd looking.

Water Buffalo