Can't See the Forest for the Karsts
Trip Start
Jul 28, 2007
1
28
35
Trip End
Ongoing
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Shilin, Yunnan Province, China
Friday, March 12, 2010
I didn't have very high hopes for Shilin, which had been described to me as a Chinese tourist trap on crack. But it was a beautiful day, warm and clear, and I felt like seeing something I hadn't seen before, so Lisa put me in touch with a driver who agreed to take me the 120km out there and back.
When I got to Shilin, it was as I had been told. What was clearly once a stunningly beautiful natural wonderland was now a quasi-natural, human-controlled, kitch jamboree. Paved paths, bathrooms every hundred feet, security cameras, Han guides dressed in minority clothing, novelty shops throughout the park, and hordes of tour groups and extended families suffocated the central regions of the park. However, what I didn't realize until I got to wandering was that there was a spectacular peripheral area, reserved specifically for those not wearing city shoes, where one could stroll undisturbed through meadows of karsts and ask oneself philosophical questions, such as, where did planet Earth come from, and, why am I here?
I got wonderfully lost today, wandering for hours alone in the periphery of the stone forest--there were not many other people not wearing city shoes--and it was one of the most soothing and rewarding travel days I have ever had. It was seventy degrees, the air was clear, the sun was shining, I was surrounded by amazing rock creations, and I was in China and had managed to beat the crowd. Now that is a day worth writing home about!
Comments
Glad you went there and I could follow. A little different from the "Saechsiche Schweiz " but just as beautiful.
Glad you found a place to ponder escaping the tourists and the crowds.
Best way to REALLY enjoy yourself and you just might find the answers to
life's important secrets.
Eine wirklich beeindruckende Landschaft, du bist zu beneiden :)