Our final stop in China was Kunming. Despite being the capital city of the Yunnan provence there was little to do here except visit the pretty gardens (yawn). Thus, the only reason I could ascertain for the existence of this city was that it provides a jumping off (or landing) point for a crossing into Laos (our next plan) and a convenient stop on the way to the Stone Forest.
On the way to the border we made an over-night stop at the Stone Forest which, despite the name, sits in a landscape that is almost completely devoid of trees. What this actually is is an area of limestone (karst) rock formations that have, though various forms of weathering, been converted into a vista of rock pinnacles that stretch pretty much as far as the eye can see.
Arriving here we reluctantly coughed up yet another quite extortionate entry fee and spent the next 5 hours thoroughly enjoying ourselves trekking through, up and around the multitude of weird rock pillars, small crevices, tiny pathways, dark tunnels and deep gorges that lie at the heart of the park. Many of the more significant formations bear weird and fanciful names such 'Woman waiting for husband', 'Monk in repose', or 'Camel taking a crap' (I jest). Some of these are clearly what they claim to be like the 'Elephant' (see recent photo) and the 'Giant Turtle' and can be easily spotted. Some are vaguely similar to their appellation and can be recognised if you squint sideways in low light. Some, however, can only have been named by an observer in the depths of an opium induced trance and bear absolutely no resemblance to their name whatsoever, even if your name is Picasso. The one thing that all these rocks have in common (aside from their chemical composition, collective tendency to the pinicular and geographical location) is that none of them are labeled. Whilst this adds to the general air of exploration associated with the whole experience it makes navigating around the park using the highly stylised map distinctly challenging. Getting lost in this beautiful and evocative landscape is part of the point, however, and emerging from the depths of lightless coves to find yourself suddenly confronted with an apparently infinite vista of rock fingers collectively reaching for the sky is awe inspiring in the extreme.
This was perhaps one of the best places we visited in China and I left feeling slightly less resentful of the highway robbery exacted at the entrance.
On the way to the border we made an over-night stop at the Stone Forest which, despite the name, sits in a landscape that is almost completely devoid of trees. What this actually is is an area of limestone (karst) rock formations that have, though various forms of weathering, been converted into a vista of rock pinnacles that stretch pretty much as far as the eye can see.
Arriving here we reluctantly coughed up yet another quite extortionate entry fee and spent the next 5 hours thoroughly enjoying ourselves trekking through, up and around the multitude of weird rock pillars, small crevices, tiny pathways, dark tunnels and deep gorges that lie at the heart of the park. Many of the more significant formations bear weird and fanciful names such 'Woman waiting for husband', 'Monk in repose', or 'Camel taking a crap' (I jest). Some of these are clearly what they claim to be like the 'Elephant' (see recent photo) and the 'Giant Turtle' and can be easily spotted. Some are vaguely similar to their appellation and can be recognised if you squint sideways in low light. Some, however, can only have been named by an observer in the depths of an opium induced trance and bear absolutely no resemblance to their name whatsoever, even if your name is Picasso. The one thing that all these rocks have in common (aside from their chemical composition, collective tendency to the pinicular and geographical location) is that none of them are labeled. Whilst this adds to the general air of exploration associated with the whole experience it makes navigating around the park using the highly stylised map distinctly challenging. Getting lost in this beautiful and evocative landscape is part of the point, however, and emerging from the depths of lightless coves to find yourself suddenly confronted with an apparently infinite vista of rock fingers collectively reaching for the sky is awe inspiring in the extreme.
This was perhaps one of the best places we visited in China and I left feeling slightly less resentful of the highway robbery exacted at the entrance.
posted by Al at 10:53 pm
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