October 28, 2017
Bazhai: high, but worth a try.
Hi folks!
Herewith, more tales from the Danxia side. One more key mountain needed checking out – Bazhai. Here she is:
And up there – marked with the red arrow – is where we’re headed today:
October 26, 2017
Male topic.
Hi folks!
Ok. After yesterday’s brief female topic, today, logically… yes – you’ve read the title of this post.
No, this isn’t locker room talk. Nor is it about football, or fishing, or fast cars… Not even about beer or (computer) gaming. Nope, it’s about a particularly curiously shaped Danxia rock formation. Yes – it’s about 阳元石, or Male Rock!
Oh my Guangdong! So this will be another 18+ rated blogpost!
Flickr photostream
Instagram photostream
October 23, 2017
Up, down and around Danxia – all before noon.
The Danxia Range of rocky outcrops in Goangdong, China, is so insanely beautiful that it for sure deserves inclusion in my Top–100 Must-See Places in the World. Massive lumps of red rock with vertical sides some several hundred meters high, scattered over a territory stretching some 10×15 kilometers.
Our first glimpse of Danxia came early morning, when none of the redness is visible; actually, there was redness, but only of the sensational skies as the sun came up. Then the redness gets bizarrely transferred to the rocks, which we set off to get closer to…
If ever you fancy getting here yourself, be warned: checking out all the beautifulness here entails a lot of walking – and that includes a lot of ups and downs on steep steps. In a day you could be looking at some 15 to 20 kilometers. Then you need to take into account the extreme climatic conditions too. Not only can it be 28-35 degrees Centigrade, it also gets horrendously humid. But what else do you expect in the tropics?! Just make sure to wear breathable sporty kit for your trekking; regular cotton shorts and t-shirts just get soaked through (even breathable kit gets soaked too, but it’s much more bearable somehow).
October 22, 2017
Up at the crack of danxia.
Hi folks!
Herewith, I continue may tales from the Chinese side…
As per the template, this won’t be a simple photographic mini-series with explanations of the pics, but also a how-to guide for folks who might want to visit the place one day themselves, which, as is often the case, I heartily recommend.
Today I start with the Danxia landforms. Now, Danxia in Chinese means ‘red hills’; that is, any hills that happen to be red or reddish-colored. And in China there are dozens of different sets of red hills all over the southeast, southwest and northwest of the country. However, there is a specific Danxia Shan – Mount Danxia (confused?!). I wonder what came first – the egg or the chicken Danxia – the mount, or Danxia – the general term for red rock formations in China? The internet returns contradicting results. And locals don’t seem to know themselves. In short: one of China’s many mysteries.
Btw, Danxia is pronounced ‘Dansya’. Danxia isn’t an English term; it’s Chinese in the Latin alphabet – pinyin. There!
So, where do I begin my narrative? There are so many options – so much to show. Ok, let’s keep it simple and logical – let’s start with the break of dawn…
October 12, 2017
Rock teapot.
Howdy folks!
Now, you know I’ve a soft spot for cliffs…
…So you can imagine my rapture upon arriving at these here beauties – the Danxia rocks in China. But, ohhh was it hot – 35 degrees Centigrade and tropically humid. Harder to take than a sizzling sun in the desert!
This somewhat… odd shaped formation is called… Male Rock )).
The formation above is called… Teapot! The fable goes something like this: there were two sisters who brewed up some too-weak tea for some companions, then something happened to them. That’s all I recall. Anyway, the moral to the legend is, kids – never be mean when adding the loose-leaf tea to the teapot for guests…
This is just the appetizer folks. As per custom – a lot more to come…
October 6, 2017
Iguazu: no seasons – just a lot or no water.
Hi folks!
Herewith, my final post on Iguazu! All good things come to an end…
On our last day at Iguazu the sun came out to play – for the first time while we were there. This is quite normal, of course, but what was less normal was how the clear skies (no rain) that began the previous night led to the water levels falling by more than two meters! Haven’t seen that often. Have a look for yourself:
October 4, 2017
Argentina-Brazil: 1:1.
Iguazu aficionados argue over which views of the Falls are best – those from Argentina or those from Brazil. Well don’t listen to them, for the views are completely different animals! Cascading white curtains from one side, and tremendously powerful torrents from the other. Two entirely different impressions. However! It is true that on the Argentinian side there are a lot more possibilities for walking + gawping at the falls.
To get to the main waterfall – Devil’s Throat! – it’s a most pleasant stroll along an elevated footpath that goes around a kilometer out across the water (and which is also visible on satellite maps):
October 3, 2017
Iguazu bird habitation.
Herewith, one of my regular ‘columns’ on this here blog of mine – (in)habitat(ion), i.e., where the locals stay and/or where we stay on our travels. This time – it’s categorically where we stayed, since no locals live right next to the Iguazu Falls. Birds on the other hand…
Now, there’s one hotel that sits right next door to the falls. And it’s a very nice one. It’s the Belmond hotel das Cataratas. Here’s an aerial pic thereof:
If your budget permits, I heartily recommend you stay here. The reason is fairly obvious: as in selling real estate, it’s down to three simple things: location, location and location!
A room with a view of the falls isn’t really needed (you can’t see them too clearly through the forest that surrounds the hotel). But waking, breakfasting, then a stroll of just a hundred meters to the Iguazu viewing platform – well, what more could you ask for? Ok, I guess you could ask for a pre-breakkie morning constitutional to the falls, and even a post-dinner walk thereto, cigar in hand. The answer would still be ‘no problem’!
October 2, 2017
Chronicles of a very long week.
What a week! A working week, I mean – and one that included both weekends each end of it.
It started on Saturday, September 9, and finished nine days later on Monday, September 18. It was long and it was tough – so quite typical really – and it went like this…
On the Saturday I needed to be in St. Pete – so I off I popped. As I’ve said before on these here pages, I don’t get one bit the bad rep St. Petersburg has in terms of weather. I’m sure it’s an anti-St.P rumor-based conspiracy. Why? Because when I come here the sun’s always shining and the Petersburgers are strolling about all leisurely and tanned – some even wearing shorts. It’s in Moscow where the bad weather’s at – all murky and sticky and blustery and rainy. Meanwhile in Leningrad…
When in St. Petersburg – have a Belgian craft burger ).
September 28, 2017
Iguazu by chopper – it’s only proper.
While at the waterfalls called Iguazu, taking a helicopter ride is a must-do!
A flight up above the falls is not only wholly informative, it’s also thoroughly meditative – just how I like it. Oki-doki… off we chopper…
Here’s the Iguazu River downstream of the falls:
Here’s where the Iguazu (river) meets the Parana – the second longest South American river (after the Amazon, of course:). It’s also a spot where three countries’ borders meet: Paraguay to the right, Argentina – top left, Brazil – bottom left. The differences in the quality of housing and roads are quite marked between the three countries (see the photos further below) – highlighting their different levels of economic development:
