A Great Outing!

A great time was had by all! We all arrived back at the University tired after our fabulous trip to Qing Yun Shan.

The Most Beautiful One

After hiking for quite a while, we were all rewarded by arriving at this beautiful waterfall (Zui piao liang de na ge! = The most beautiful one!)

Having Fun

It was a great experience accompanying the students. It was nice to hang out with these fine young individuals. We sang songs and played games on the bus. Here are some students having fun on some bamboo rafts.

Waterfalls

In Mandarin, a waterfall is called "pu bu". Here are some photos of the scenery and a couple of the "pu bu" in this area.

Albert and Me

On of my sophomore students (whose English name is Albert) also joined us for the trip. Albert has been working hard at teaching me useful Chinese sentences and phrases. Here is a photo of Albert and me.

Qing Yun Shan

On October 25th, I was invited to accompany one of my classes of Juniors to Qing Yun Shan. This is a gorgeous nature reserve located about 2 hours South West of Fuzhou. The area has a number of beautiful waterfalls and is known as an "oxygen bar" because of the fresh mountain air.

Points of Interest

Although full of tourists at this time of the year, Guilin has a lovely feel to it once you are away from the main streets. Here are a few photos of some special areas of this city.

Clocks

I am not sure who's idea it was to show people in Guilin what time it is in Vancouver(center clock)? I got a kick out of seeing these clocks which are beside The Liberation Bridge, however!!

Families

One of the really impressive things about China is the importance placed on family! It is lovely to see family members of all ages sharing weekends and special times together. Here is a cute picture of a young girl who was out with her family. Also included is this photo of some elderly gentlemen relaxing over a game in a shady section of the park.

Lanterns

The park has a number of lanterns nestled into the flower beds along the walkways. Here are a couple of photos of these lanterns. These are very similar to the lanterns on display during The Taiwanese Lantern Festival in Cumberland each year.

Pagoda

A small pagoda sits on top of one of the higher hills in the park. It offers a wonderful, panoramic view of Guilin. Nearby are located a number of tombs.

Seven Star Cave

One of the main attractions is Seven Star Cave. The mountains around Guilin are mostly limestone. As a result, caves and underground streams are very common. Seven Star Cave is a huge cave that was discovered many years ago. They have a well developed path through the cave. Coloured lights are used to illuminate many of the unique formations. Names have been given to many of the formations. A lot of imagination is needed to see some of the shapes. I have included pictures of some of the easier to interpret shapes.

Camel Hill

In one corner of the park is a large hill. It is called Camel Hill. If you look closely and use a little imagination, you will see why.

Guilin

The final day of my vacation was spent in Guilin. Not far from my hotel was one of the "must see" attractions in Guilin - Seven Star Scenic Area. Seven-Star Scenic Area is a large park set not far from the centre of the city. To enter the park I walked across The Liberation Bridge and then across the Flower Bridge. The park has many attractions and has been beautifully laid out with lots of nice paths to stroll along, and many different attractions for both the old and the young to enjoy.