Yunnan May 2012 (Day 7)

This is the last post on Yunnan! YAY! I'm getting tired posting pictures on Yunnan and I'm pretty sure you guys are sick of them too. So, this shall put an end to it!

When I mentioned that the weather was very hot in Yunnan, not many people believed me. They thought I was exaggerating wearing all those sunglasses, hat, taking cover under a shawl and wearing long sleeved shirt BUT the truth is, it was really really that HOT!

We couldn't take pictures without squirming and feeling sunburnt all over exposed skin. So, knowing that we were going to visit many parks on Day 7 and that there will be a lot of walking under the hot sun, I came prepared!

That morning, we set off from our Kunming hotel to the first attraction, Jiuxiang which is located at the outskirts of Kunming. This place is famous for their natural cave formations and used as a filming site for many of China's movies and drama.

Then, we took a short boat ride to tour the area.

This is only the beginning of the trekking! 

We had to climb up and down so many steps! 300 over of DOWN steps almost killed me! And I remembered my legs trembling as I continued walking.

Mum hired two guys who carried her throughout the journey on a sedan! She heard from her friends who had been to Yunnan that this part of the journey was the most energy-draining and that she was afraid her legs couldn't take it. So, with just 200RMB, she got someone to carry her around. LOL

I also tried the sedan at the last stretch of the journey as I refused to climb up those steep stairs. So I paid 50RMB for that. Wonder how it feels like? Well, one of the two guys will give an introduction of the sights as we walked along. Then in between, they will pant really loudly for you to hear and explained how they only earned 20RMB for each trip and they had to support their family. They will continue telling you how a previous tourist gave them a big tip! You get the hint? haha

This place is also used for the filming of Journey to the West airing on Channel 8 now!

 A waterfall within a cave is actually a rare sight.

This is the Shui Lian Dong of Sun Wukong.

AND WE MADE IT!

No, you are not seeing the same person in these two pics LOL!

White rabbit sighting at the exit of Jiuxiang.

Off to a nice restaurant for lunch...

Just when the our stomachs started digesting our lunch and we were feeling sleepy, we were brought to the next location- The famous Shilin.

These rocks are natural formations and they are distributed in all shapes and sizes around the area. Some of these rocks resemble certain animals. I can only see one thing over there and that is the crowd of the local tourists swarming the iconic Shilin to take pictures. 

Here comes the farmer LOL...

We were no longer in the mood to take pictures as the weather was really hot! Just take for the sake of taking since we had photobreak. In my opinion, even though these two attractions were famous and a must-see, I feel that they have become too commercialised in the sense that the government has changed much of the place. Either add in some neon lights or grasses or whatever. It no longer feels and looks natural unlike in Lijiang or in Shangri-la where most have been left untouched.

Now when I looked at these pictures, the rocks actually looked quite nice. 

Gorgeous bougainvillea! SO PINK that you don't see many green leaves!

Oh hi!

Wanted to take a pic in their costume but was too hot and lazy to change.

Free performance and some of us even joined them in their dancing.

FINALLY!

The place was too packed so we just found any spot and quickly took a pic each.

Bro and his lame T-shirt which I can't stop teasing him about! LOL

We were so glad that the day was over and when we reached our hotel, we quickly made appointments for full body massage! It was sooooooooooooo shiok! The local ladies had really strong arms and when they kneaded and pressed, I felt 'jelly' all over. And it was cheap too!

This marks the end of my Yunnan travelogue. I was glad that I booked this trip and learned a lot about the different cultures. I got to climb up to the peak of a snow mountain and see snow for the first time. I got some pretty pictures taken and this made me realise how terrible my current camera was. So, for people who really wants to experience a more 'colourful' and culturally-rich part of China, try Yunnan and you will like it.If you actually prefer a more subtle and poetic part of China (like me), you may want to try Beijing and Jiangnan (can see my previous posts on them in 2009). :)