Yunnan is one of most touristic Chinese provinces, especially in summer when everywhere else in China is damn hot. This means that an army of Chinese people had our same idea: visit 石林 (shilin), the Stone Forest. The etymology of the character “林” is one of those that remind me why I like Chinese:
木=mu=tree; 木+木=林=lin= forest. Being we so damn smart – or at least this is what we think – instead of staying in a comfortable hotel in Kunming and arrive to the forest tomorrow morning when the sun is already shining over the stones, we get on the first bus to Shilin and arrive there about seven pm. The first people we meet are a farmer with his steer and an hotel manager that tries to pitch his hotel as the best in Yunnan. We run away and order dinner at the restaurant next door: mushrooms, local cheese (for what I know Yunnan people are the only Chinese that do decent cheese), giant tomatoes and boiled chicken. [Read more…]
West Lake, Hangzhou.
An example of business card you may get walking down Nanjing Road, Shanghai.