Our last full day in Kunming we booked a car to travel to the Stone Forest, or Shilin UNESCO Global Geopark, if you want the technical name of the park. Our driver had a translator-specific device that worked really well, and he took us to buy tickets, then showed us on the map where to go to avoid the crowds. We kind of understood it, and with that he let us loose in the park. After a short ride on the park mini-bus to the entrance, we walked under the big flower gate, and past the horse made of flowers for Chinese New Year, as it is year of the Horse.
We crossed a bridge and took in the pretty landscape with the cherry blossoms, walking along the asphalt-paved paths with the many other tourists, as this is a very popular spot for Chinese group tours.
Our driver had said to take the open air bus around the park, but we weren’t sure which one, and stopped to ask the driver of this colorful, flower covered one. He told us it was not the one we were looking for (using our translator app, which was not as good as our driver’s so we weren’t 100% sure we understood, so it goes).
The Stone Forest looks like a petrified forest, but it is not, simply rock formations formed over thousands of years. The term “Stone Forest” came from ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan, who lived in the 3rd century BC. Our driver had said there was a way to get away from the crowds, but we couldn’t understand exactly how to find it, so once we saw an off-asphalt path with no one near it, we took it, and wound up in the “Orchid Grove”, with narrow passageways going down 65 feet (it was a lot of stairs, as you can see) until we found ourselves alone, in the quiet of the gorge.
We’ve learned so far in our journey through China that, while there are 1.4 billion people, if we venture a little outside of the main areas, peace and quiet can still be found. We continued through the narrow passageways, mouths agape at the beauty of the rock formations and the blue sky an white clouds behind them, that eventually turned to grey.
We had a couple hours in the forest to enjoy but the time went by quicker than we expected; we eventually stumbled upon the correct bus stop to take us back to the entrance. We had to grab seats quickly, because one thing we have learned about the Chinese people in general, is that they will be in a hurry to board (whether a train or free bus or bathroom line, etc), even when there is more than enough room/time, and then, once off said train or bus, leisurely proceed. It reminds me of de-boarding an airplane. But I digress. The bus returned us near the entrance, where we had enough time for a coffee; and there were many coffee and tea stands to choose from. I really enjoyed the bonsai bougainvilleas that came in so many colors and sizes, that flanked the stands.
With that, we said good-bye to the Stone Forest, and back in the car for the return trip to Kunming. Later that evening for dinner, we ate the local favorite, “Crossing the Bridge Noodles.” The server brought us a big pot of steaming hot broth and a bunch of ingredients (including eggs, thinly sliced meats, veggies, mushrooms, cashews, lotus flowers, and noodles) that cook once added to the broth. It is a specialty of Yunnan Provence and one has to try when in Kunming.
We ate until we were stuffed, then took a final, leisurely walk at Green Lake Park; taking a rest near the lagoon, reflecting on our enjoyable time in Kunming.
before getting a good night’s rest.
We arrived at the train station the next morning, ready for the train trip to our next stop. That wraps up all the posts on Kunming, Jessica and I thought we did not do that much while there, but writing up these all these posts (and I didn’t even cover everything we did) makes me realize we did a lot. We are halfway through our China travels, more to come!
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