The situation on the road didn't bode well for what we intended to do on day four of our guizhou trip; too foggy and this would greatly reduce the visibility for the spectacular scenery we had been looking forward to.
Intended itinerary was to first take a cruise along Wanfeng Lake but there was a car accident which jammed up the two-way, one-lane road. Hence, the decision was to check out the Western Peak section of the Wanfeng Forest Scenic Area instead.
Wanfeng means ten-thousand peaks but with the above visibility, we couldn't see anything at all! It's a pity as there were quite a number of highlights along the electric shuttle ride and all we could do was to marvel at the breathtaking sights in the form of photographs that were put up at each viewing platform. :(
Fog cleared up slightly and these were one of the few photographs taken that showed a bit more without the fog even though they hardly represent the actual beauty of the place on a clear day.
Township - on one hand, i am envious of the people staying here with the fresh air and the beauty surrounding them. On the other hand, the climate was a bit too cold for my weak body.
See that big gaping hole in the center, upper of the photograph? I am curious as to what it was since there appeared to be a flight of steps going into a cavern. There are caves in guizhou and the most famous had to be Dragon Palace Cave which we didn't manage to visit given a lack of time.
Like the dinosaur mascot, i consistently looked up and prayed for the fog to disperse so that our visit would not be wasted. I think i am not pious enough as the situation didn't improve.
View on the ground, where the town is. With the numerous karst formations, it felt somewhat like Guilin although contrary to popular belief; there were a lot more karst hills in Guizhou.
Lunch where i had my best meal ever in Guizhou; the 簸箕宴. I don't know the direct translation for the Chinese words but it's literally meal on a rattan / bamboo basket tray; i was absolutely stuffed after lunch!
View from the second level of the restaurant; the fog had somewhat dispersed although the scenery didn't captivate us as we were on the lower level of the scenic area, without the bird's eye effect.
Rooftop garden above the restaurant and i found a cage with adorable cats and kittens! I didn't think too much about why they were there until a friend mentioned that they might be food ingredients given that eating cat meat is a possibility in China.
Eastern Peak section of the Wanfeng Forest Scenic Area - the coach drove past and we didn't stop as our next stop would be to take a cruise at the Wanfeng Lake!
Dad with the lake in the background. Strangely, the rocks appeared similarly to those found in the stone forest at Yunnan. If you look closely at the water line, the white section represents the highest water level of the lake which means the rocks on the surface then would be submerged during the rainy season.
To be honest, the cruise didn't generate much interest for both my dad and i; at least not on the same level as the President Cruise along Li River (漓江) that we took in Guilin.
Time-lapse of the cruise for your viewing pleasure; the section shows the cruise navigating at this mini three gorges which was kind of nice.
Arrival at the Eastern Peak! Even though there's a western peak and an eastern peak; the scenery at western peak, where we were in the foggy morning, was said to be much better.
Despite being a lesser cousin, we took whatever that's available since we can't fight nature's will. In the morning, i actually heard customers from another tour blaming the tour guide for the fog; totally uncalled for.
Dad again - the stalls were part of the small eastern peak section and aside from salted vegetables and dried products; there were bunches of bananas! The area had in fact a number of banana plantations and i didn't expect it since i have always thought bananas were more a tropical fruit species.
Back in our hotel (Argyle Grand) at Xinyi city.
With about two hours to go before dinner; my dad and i explored the hill park right opposite the hotel. Nothing much except for the pretty large number of statues, of notable figures in China, dotting the park.
Selfie before the buffet dinner; part of the compulsory additional tours. Dad doesn't get the concept of buffet and continued to indulge in stomach filler like rice and noodles! For me, i continuously attacked the meats and the seafood.
Exploring the surrounding again since we needed to digest the buffet dinner! As mentioned in Day Three, Singapore should have circular pedestrian bridges!!!
Checking out a local supermarket and taking a picture of the haidilao prepacked broths so that my sister can confirm if pricing is cheaper. Turned out it's about the same as Singapore; however, i should have bought as they have flavours unavailable in Singapore!
Bought the strawberries at 20 RMB (about S$4.00) for 500 grams; small yet super sweet. Of course i had to share the photo with my mom as she likes to try out such things when she is overseas; at the same time, it's also to let her know what she had missed out by not joining us for this trip!
I am out again; alone this time!
Reason; needed to rush to watson to buy shampoo as i was running out of it and my sensitive scalp can't use the ones provided by the hotel. Lights were on but the store had already closed for the day! :( No choice but to ration my shampoo! Thanks to my dad who used it, thinking it was shower gel. Haha
=====
