To escape from the stickiness and the madness of the Shanghai subway, the excursion to Suzhou turns out to be a particularly interesting destination. Buses leave from Shanghai at regular intervals and the journey lasts about 1h30.
The discovery of the different gardens and alleyways must be done on foot. We begin with the northernmost garden which has a beautiful wooden pagoda. The zen atmosphere, provided by the big Buddha at the entrance of the garden, relaxes us and clears the images of the morning crush in the shanghaian subway out of our minds. Turtles and wildly over fed red fish swim into the tiny lake at the bottom of the garden. They vainly hope someone throws a few biscuit crumbs which won't come because it's a diet day today!
A few minutes later, we embark on a wooden junk in order to enjoy the canals the city is renowned for. We glide over the water and we infiltrate into the narrow canals. The boatman beats time. Weeping willows line the banks before we cross some rickety houses bathed by the canal water.
We walk on southward. We visit the historical center of the town and another peaceful garden. A relaxing and enriching day before taking a return bus to reimmerse ourselves in the Shanghai excitement.
Keyword - serenity -
Monday 20 August 2007
Among gardens and canals in the Venice of the East
By dorian on Monday 20 August 2007, 21:08 - RTW-China
Friday 17 August 2007
Poetic inspiration on the yellow mountains
By dorian on Friday 17 August 2007, 20:59 - RTW-China
17 hours by train from Guilin to Tunxi, beside the yellow mountains. We only have 3 berth tickets and we thought we could travel together inside the sleeping car. But the inspectors watch out at the entrance of the restaurant car, this one makes the link between the sleeping cars and the normal carriages. And inspectors prevent everybody from going from a kind of carriage to another one. We drop our idea. One of us will travel into a normal carriage trying to find a seat among the crowd and Pierre, the unlucky one, will do it.
We arrive at 5 am and take the station nearest hotel. Outside, minivans commute from the city to the park entrance of the yellow mountains, 1h30 from here. A lot of Chinese tourists arrive by train and directly carry on with the coach journey. When the last seat is engaged, the driver moves off.
At the park entrance, buses leave to reach the both ways (east or west) that lead to the top. Each of them has a cable car which allows to skip the morning and exhausting stairs stage. We opt for the west trail and for going up by cable car despite the impressive 3-hour wait. The yellow mountains massif is the most famous and the most visited in China and we experience that among the turnstile-accumulated crowd. Around 12 o'clock, we take off towards the summits of the massif.
The poets in the pursuit of their lost muse or the painters harnessing the impressions of the secret alchemy between the lifeless rock and pine trees draw their inspiration from these mountains and then spread their works of art throughtout China. At some time of the year, a stratus bed bathes the peaks and complements the symphony of the massif.
The staircases pace the place up and go towards the most majestic peaks. The peculiar shape of the pine trees and their tiered branches pop out and gush out from the rocky heaps. The opposition between the round and smooth lines of the stone and the knotty branches of the trees draw the notes of a symphony. Our eyes mark the rhythm and the cameras immortalize a few great moments. I haven't taken any easel, brushes and gouache tubes but my memory will keep the impressions of this savoury blend of colours.
Like a good movie, you cannot summarize it, you must see it and live it in. Forget the extraordinary wait for the cable car, Clear away the exhaustion of a whole night spent in a overcrowded train, the yellow mountains don't only raise the senses of painters and poets and bring serenity and happiness to anyone who paces them up.
Friday 10 August 2007
The stone colossuses of the Wulingyuan
By dorian on Friday 10 August 2007, 14:03 - RTW-China
Absolutely unknown by the Western tour operators, the jagged massif of the Wulingyuan is certainly one of the most beautiful in China. Personnaly, it's the one I like the best. With great pleasure, I come back to this place with my family.
We arrive in Zhangjiajie city by the nighttrain and a local travel agent drives us to Zhangjiajie village, one hour from here. This village is located near the south entrance of the Wulingyuan national park and is still the best spot to begin the stroll and to rest after a day spending in the park. We buy a 2-day valid ticket and in order to avoid the magnetic cards trafficking, the entrance turnstiles are equipped with fingerprints readers. Nothing to forget about the exorbitant price of the ticket: 245 yuans (24,5 €) ! 8 € more than 2 years ago!
We go through the entrance and on the left side, monkeys families expect we throw some sweets.
200m after the entrance, a map shows the different paths which ornate the park. We turn right, cross a bridge and walk forward on a paving stone trail that runs away into a thick nature. A few games (short hurdles and stone mushrooms) decorate the way.
Approaching the summit, our steps slow down then stop at a breathtaking viewpoint. The ascension inside the undergrowth didn't portend such a splendour while our eyes open up in front of this nature-bequeathed marvel. Balustrade-leant elbows, our eyes scan the scene. Stone colossuses face us. The Gods relax playing a game on this giant chess board. These natural obelisks, tall as the Eiffel tower for some of them, harmoniously flaked and gorgeously topped by a tuft of pine trees beautifully vie with themselves.
A mist halo intensifies the mysticism of the place. Several viewpoints were built along the way; but none of them gives us a rational explanation of this granite columns field. Our spirit can't however analyse any more. He's overwhelmed by this flood of light and splendour bringing by our eyes.
Several hours went by, the ascension efforts are completely forgotten. We walk down to the valley to sail among the towers. Strips of green forests cling to the spurs of the stony titans, attempt a vain ascension to its steep walls and bump into its breathtaking verticality. Among the columns, wayfaring ants move about. We wander about into these wildly big petrified fields.
The eyes glued skyward, we go back to the park entrance.
The next day, we go again through the park to reach a lift hanged on one of these granite obelisks wall. A last fill-up of feelings before leaving the park.
In the evening I take Armelle to the airport. She got promoted up to backpacker apprentice. The rhythm was a little bit sustained and I was happy to share a part of my trip with her. And she followed without turning a hair.
A sample of the traveller life I have enjoyed for 2 months.
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