part two -in hunan the heat is on: natural wonders

In Hunan, the Heat is On!

Stepping into Serendipity

A Talking Travel Destination Presentation

Part Two: Natural

Wonders

Part One: Shanghai

Part Three: Ancient Cities...and more

Flight from Shanghai to Changsha and then to Lang Shan, in Shaoyang County

The Hong Ji Hua Tian Hotel

The hotel dining room was set up to greet the invitees, who came from all over the world

Sign near the entrance to the Opening Ceremony

of the China-Hunan International Tourism

Festival

It was drizzling rain so we enjoyed our blue (or pink) rain coats and red hats. The hundreds of attendees included many locals and dignitaries

I had my eyes on these mascots but apparently they had eyes for me!

The opening talks and greetings from officials were translated on the big screens.

The performances with music, dance and drama relfected the culture of the many ethnic groups in Hunan

After the exciting performances, we had lunch at the hotel and then departed to explore Pepper Peak Scenic Area

A photo stop to take in the landscape

Pepper Peak is said to resemble a red pepper, albeit one that is 180 meters high and 100 meters around. The landforms are referred to as "Danxia" as they consist of red sandstone that resembles the limestone

karst landscapes of other areas of the country (eg Guilin)

Rebecca and Johnson, our tour guides

Candle Peak is 199 meters

high

The dramatic pathway between Candle Peak and Camel Peak

The Dragon Mouth is a 100 meter long fissure and slants at a 60 degree

angle. Just duck down and climb through!

Ninety Nine steps lead to the top of

Camel Peak

Yang Kuifa was a Robin Hood-like character who helped the local people but in doing so, he offended the authorities. He was forced to hide in the mountains and after his death, he was revered as a local deity.

This is the altar on top of Camel Peak.

The Danxia Linear Valley, created by water erosion, allows visitors to walk through the mountains

We began the next day by visiting the Fuyi River Scenic Area on the upper course of the Zijiang River.

The General Rock, resembling a General in battle robe, stands 75 meters tall. It's one of the Six Wonders of Langshan Mountain.

After the raft ride, we were greeted by one of the villagers and his dog.

Local Village Scenery

The entrance to the Tianyi Alley area: more awesome vistas (and a few more stairs)

The crack in the rock leads to Tianyi Alley, one of several alleys in the area. This one is .8 M wide at its widest point and .33 wide at its narrowest point.

One of the 'faulting fracture zones"

A quick snack along the way from a local

vendor: Rice and Eggs

We do a full circle tour of the area, back to the Danxia Steep Cliff

After the 2 hour+ hot, humid walk, (with plenty of stairs), it was refreshing to find an ice cold beer.

The hotel manager heard that we wanted to try local cuisine (instead of the same buffet every day) so he invited us to a lavish, feast for lunch. The food was amazing!

And right after lunch, we headed out again, this time to explore the Bajiaozhai Scenic Area

After a walk through stunning scenery, we came upon the Yuntai Temple, built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1279)

At 818 Meters, you can view the 8 peaks of the Langshan Mountain area. Sometimes the peaks can be seen rising through low clouds but it's quite a breathtaking site, even on an overcast day like this.

Please see Part Three: Ancient Cities and more...

Steve GillickTravel Writer, Speaker, Photographer

steve@talkingtravel.cawww.gillicksworld.ca