Li River and Karst Mountains (from Guilin to Yangshuo), Guangxi, China

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), China #1 – this scenery is so popular and important to China that the Guilin Li River karst mountains are featured on the national 20 Yuan (Renmimbi) paper currency (value ~ US$3.)

 

We introduced the karst mountains of South China in our previous blog post with photographs shot from our hotel in Yangshuo, “Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort and Karst Mountainscapes, Yangshuo (near Guilin), Guangxi, China”.  We had the opportunity to spend several hours on a boat in the Li River (or Li Jiang) cruising down from Guilin to Yangshuo through the spectacular karst mountains of Guilin.  These formations are widely regarded as the most stunning karst scenery in the world.  [We have separately sailed on Ha Long Bay, outside of Hanoi, Vietnam, also home to karst hills, similar to those in Guilin; there are other, similar karst hills in Phang Nga Bay in Thailand.]  “The South China Karst is considered one of the largest and most spectacular examples of a humid tropical to subtropical karst landscapes in the world, and is therefore a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The area is spread over the provinces of Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan and Chongqing and covers a massive 176,228 hectares (680 square miles).  A 50 mile-section (80 kilometers) of the River Li cuts through the Karst Mountains, and cruises on this section of the river are very popular.” — www.insightguides.com

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #2

 

“When you picture China, do you envisage mist-covered green mountains rising in sharp peaks and jagged edges?  If so, you’re likely imagining the famous karst mountains of Guilin.  They provide some of the most captivating scenery in China, but how exactly did these strange mountains get their shape?” — https://theculturetrip.com/asia/

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #3

 

“Karst mountains are made of limestone, dolomite, and gypsum, which have in common the fact that they are all soluble rocks.  This means they can be easily broken down by certain acids, including the acids sometimes found in rainfall or in the surface water of rivers or lakes.  Over time, acid breaks down the limestone and creates sinkholes and caverns, and subterranean drainage systems, where water will flow and collect under the ground.” — https://theculturetrip.com/asia/

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #4

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #5

 

“In the most dramatic instances, karst mountains are created when acidic waterflow wears down limestone bedrock, creating cracks in the bedrock surface.  Once cracks are formed, water is then able to flow more quickly and with greater force, creating underground drainage paths, which, in turn, lead to greater erosion.  With time — and not a short time, but rather, millions and millions of years — much of the surrounding rock will be eroded, and with vegetation taking root in the warmer tropical climates of southern China, the erosion process is hastened and limestone mountains are formed.  Karst topography is often characterized not only by sharp peaks, but also by caves and underground streams and pools, such as the famous Reed Flute Cave in Guilin” — https://theculturetrip.com/asia/  [See our previous blog post, “Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan), Guilin, Guangxi, China”]

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #6

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #7

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #8

 

“During the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 to 907), Guilin thrived.  Huge halls were built and stone walls erected around the city.  Today, Guilin is a rather large, bustling city that attracts visitors from around the world.  The names of the hills surrounding Guilin are poetic: Cloud-Catching Pavilion, Bright Moon Peak, White Horse Cliff, Five Tigers Catch a Goat Hill, Folded Brocade Mountain.  In fact, as well as a geologist’s paradise, this area has long been an inspiration to countless poets and artists.  Many of the traditional Chinese landscape paintings we see today were inspired by this region.

“Most visitors to the Guilin area find a boat trip down the Li River to the town of Yangshuo to be one of the highlights of their trip.  “The river forms a green gauze belt, the mountains are like jade hairpins,” Han Yu, a Tang Dynasty poet wrote.  Drifting down the Li River, it’s easy to feel lost in time.  Women kneel on the banks washing clothes.  Farmers follow along behind their water buffalo.  Small villages dot the shore.  And the boatman will likely point out animal shapes they see in the surrounding landscape as you float down the river: horses galloping through the mountainsides, a stone frog leaping into the water or what looks like a turtle in the sides of a cliff as you float down the river.” — http://www.geotimes.org

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #9

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #10

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #11

 

The karst mountains of Guilin, seen from the Li River (or Li Jiang), photographed on our river boat cruise from Guilin south to Yangshuo, Guangxi, China #12 — see the previous photograph for the scene without the 20 Yuan note

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2019 by Richard C. Edwards. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort and Karst Mountainscapes, Yangshuo (near Guilin), Guangxi, China

Karst mountains seen from the Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort, Yangshuo (near Guilin), Guangxi, China #1

 

Before sharing the photographs from our river boat trip down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo [see our next blog post], we thought it would be a good introduction to first see images of the karst mountains in the Guilin region in the rainy, foggy weather of our last day in the area – at the Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort.  These photos were reminiscent of some of the Chinese mountainscape brush and ink drawings on scrolls that we have seen in books and museums.  It’s easy to see how Chinese poets and artists were inspired for millennia by the karst mountains and the Li River.

 

“The natural wonder of the limestone mountains in Yangshuo is a sight to behold.  It is truly breath-taking and a memory for life. Yangshuo has so much more to offer, with the Li river, the caves, the rice fields, activities like rock climbing and much more. It truly is a natural feast of visual impressions.  Against this landscape, Banyan Tree has built a mountain resort with picturesque sceneries and access to all the activities.” — www.banyantree.com/en/china/yangshuo

 

Karst mountains seen from the Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort, Yangshuo (near Guilin), Guangxi, China #2

 

Karst mountains seen from the Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort, Yangshuo (near Guilin), Guangxi, China #3

 

Karst mountains seen from the Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort, Yangshuo (near Guilin), Guangxi, China #4

 

Karst mountains seen from the Banyan Tree Yangshuo Resort, Yangshuo (near Guilin), Guangxi, China #5

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2019 by Richard C. Edwards. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

Women of Yao Ethnic Minority, Dazhai Village, Guangxi, China

While visiting Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields inside the Dazhai Village, we saw many women of the Yao Ethnic Minority in their colorful native dress – they have their own unique and interesting customs in dinning, clothes, and living styles, etc.; Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China

 

After photographing the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields atop the cable car to Dazhai Village our local guide arranged for two Yao women to uncoil their hear and then show us how they coil it.  The photographs below were taken with their kind permission.

“Yao women are famous because of their unique clothing and hair style.  They are famous for having longest hair in the world as they never cut their hair.  Most of the time visitors will see them wrap their hair in a bun.  Usually it costs 10 yuan to take a photo of a Yao woman.  If one [is] lucky [s/he] might get to see them wash their hair at the river side… The Yao nationality is distributed in six provinces but the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region contains the largest population of the Yao people.  They have their own language but most would also speak mandarin.  Their origins date to the Qin Dynasty.  There are several sub-groups within the Yao nationality.  Yao people are distinctive by their colorful national dress and often the women will have extremely long hair which is coiled up on top of their head.” — www.guilinchina.net

 

Two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China

 

Two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #2

 

Two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #3

 

Two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #4

 

One of the two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #5

 

One of the two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #6

 

One of the two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #7

 

One of the two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #8

 

One of the two Yao women photographed with their long hair at the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #9

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2019 by Richard C. Edwards. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

Longji Rice Terraces (Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields), Dazhai Village, Guangxi, China

The Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Rice Fields are inside the Dazhai Village, with mountains on all sides; here the viewing was more rural and quieter than our first stop at Ping’an Zhuang Village [see our previous blog post]; near Guilin, Guangxi, China

We enjoyed a box lunch from our hotel in Guilin in Huangluo Yao Village where we had boarded the golf carts for the ascent to Ping’an Zhuang Village to view the Longji Rice Terraces.  After lunch we drove east to Dazhai Village where we were able to board a cable car for the long ascent to Golden Buddha Peak and a scenic spot where we could view the Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields.  Because it was a further drive from Guilin than our first stop at Ping’an Zhuang Village, the viewing was more rural and quieter.  We also had the opportunity there to meet some Yao women and photograph them and their long black hair — never cut, since birth [see our upcoming blog post]

“The Jinkeng Terraced Fields are inside the Dazhai Village, with mountains on all sides and known for its rich mineral resources of gold.  Here visitors should not miss its three famous scenic spots — West Hill Music or No.1 viewing platform, Large-scale Thousand-Layer Terraces or No.2 viewing platform, and Golden Buddha Summit or No.3 viewing platform [at the arrival place of the cable cars up top].  All with high elevation of more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), they are the best places for viewing the sunrise and sunset as well as overseeing the whole Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces… Dazhai Village is also equipped with hotels and restaurants for visitors’ convenience.  But it is less commercial than Ping’an.” — www.travelchinaguide.com

 

Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #2

 

Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #3

 

These maps of the Longji Terraced Rice Fields (also called Longsheng Terraced Fields) are courtesy of http://www.travelchinaguide.com

 

Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #4

 

Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #5

 

Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #6

 

Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #7

 

Jinkeng Red Yao Terraced Fields, Dazhai Village in the Longji Rice Terraces region, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #8; there were numerous vendors with street food, clothing, souvenirs, local arts and crafts items, and jewelry on the walkway connecting the viewing platforms – here homemade hot chili oil was for sale

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2019 by Richard C. Edwards. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

Longji Rice Terraces (Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces), Ping’an Zhuang Village, Guangxi, China

A panorama of the Longji Rice Terraces, literally Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, regarded as the most beautiful rice terraces in the world, Ping’an Zhuang Village (平安寨), near Guilin, Guangxi, China; this view encompasses the so-called “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers” — the nine ridges spread from the main vein of Dragon’s Backbone, which look like nine dragons bending over to drink water from the Jinsha River; alongside, there are five tiger-shaped rock

 

On our second day in Guilin, we drove about two hours northeast up into the mountains (elevation averaging nearly 2,000 meters (over 6,500 feet) where we transferred from our small bus to golf carts in Huangluo Yao Village for the very steep, narrow and nearly straight uphill drive up to Ping’an Zhuang Village (平安寨) overlooking the spectacular Ping’an  Zhuang Terraced (rice) Fields, at an elevation of about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet).

“Longji Rice Terraces, literally Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, gains its name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon’s scales and the mountain range looks like the backbone of a dragon. It is reputed as one of the most beautiful rice terraces in the world.

“It is located in Longsheng County, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Guilin and 140 kilometers (90 miles) from Yangshuo.  The construction of incredible Longji Rice Terraces started in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and lasted till the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).  Now, the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces covers an area of 66 square kilometers (about 16,308 acres) and spans an altitude between 300 meters (about 984 feet) and 1,100 meters (about 3,608 feet).  Among them, two main and representative viewing areas are the Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields and the Jinkeng Terraced Fields where Zhuang and Yao Minority people have been living respectively for hundreds of years.  In addition to appreciate[ing] the rice terraces, visitors can learn some unique customs in Longsheng rice terraces scenic area.” — www.travelchinaguide.com

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #2; a close up of a section of the so-called “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers” — the nine ridges spread from the main vein of Dragon’s Backbone, which look like nine dragons bending over to drink water from the Jinsha River

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #3

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #4

 

“Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields have totally 15,862 pieces of rice terraces, some big while some tiny. Here visitors can appreciate two unique sights of rice terraces.  One is the “Seven Stars Accompany the Moon”, which is comprised of seven small piles of rocks left deliberately by people when they dig up the terraces and a moon-shaped terrace in the middle.  Looking at it from a distance, it looks like “seven shinning stars” accompanying the “moon”.  It is a perfect place for photography. Another one is “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers”.  The nine ridges spread from the main vein of Dragon’s Backbone, which look like nine dragons bending over to drink water from the Jinsha River. Alongside, there are five tiger-shaped rocks.” — www.travelchinaguide.com

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #5

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #6; a close up of the rice, ready for harvesting

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #7

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #8; your photographer couldn’t resist making a portrait of these two Chinese tourists as they posed for a friend in the rice terraces – behind them the trail down through the terraces from Ping’an Zhuang Village is visibly full of tourists walking through the rice terraces [note that our small group was visibly in a distinct minority as western tourists in the heart of China]

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #9; when cut, the harvested rice is laid flat on the ground to begin drying out before being removed from the fields

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #10

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #11

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #12

 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields, or Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, near Guilin, Guangxi, China #13 – note the rice terrace workers’ (Zhuang minority peoples’) homes and hostels/hotels in the midst of the terraced fields

 

“The Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields (平安壮寨梯田) are the first rice terrace area in Longsheng to be developed for tourism.  They have the most roads/paths, hotels, and facilities.  It’s the most touristy area.  The terraced fields are around Ping’an Village and two smaller hamlets, inhabited by the Zhuang minority.  The villagers live in traditional wooden three-story stilted houses.” — www.travelchinaguide.com

 

The view of the mountains as we descended back toward Guilin from Huangluo Yao Village at the foot of the Longsheng rice terraces scenic area; China

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2019 by Richard C. Edwards. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.

 

Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan), Guilin, Guangxi, China

The setting for Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan) along Peach Blossom River, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) northwest of downtown Guilin, Guangxi, China

 

From the ship, a we joined a small group of fellow Residents for a four-day overland trip to the south-central province of Guangxi (located on the border of Vietnam), more properly called the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.  We had an early morning flight from Shanghai to Guilin, where we were met by a local guide who escorted us to a nice Chinese lunch downtown in the city of 4.75 million.  After lunch we were driven northwest of downtown Guilin about 5 kilometers (3 miles) to the Reed Flute Cave complex (Ludi Yan) where we had an extensive walking tour through the cave, estimated to be around 700,000 years old, having been forming for an estimated 180 million year.  The cave is also known as “the Palace of Natural Arts”.

“Guilin has long been an important centre of trade and administration because of its location on an agriculturally rich valley floor that is also the easiest route south from Hunan.  In 1939 the Hunan-Guangxi railway was extended through Guilin to Liuzhou via this corridor.

“Guilin has always been a handicraft centre, but until 1949 the only signs of modern industry were a thermal power plant, a cement works, and some small textile mills.  Since the 1950s Guilin has developed industries engaged in the manufacture of electronics, engineering and agricultural equipment, medicine, rubber, and buses, and it also has textile and cotton yarn factories.  Food processing, including the processing of local agricultural produce, remains the most important industry.

Guilin is also a cultural centre.  As a major centre of Buddhism in the 7th century, it had many famous monasteries.  Today the city has more than 10 colleges and universities. Guilin (its name means “Forest of Sweet Osmanthus”) is set in a landscape of outstanding natural beauty and is renowned for its karst formations.  Deep erosion of the limestone plateau has left a multitude of tall needle-shaped pinnacles out of whose steep sides trees sprout improbably.  These fantastical mountains have long been memorialized in Chinese painting and poetry.  The city also has many caves, the largest and most spectacular of which is Ludiyan (“Reed Flute Cave”).  Guilin is listed as a state-level historical and cultural city.” — www.britannica.com

 

One of the first “rooms” that we walked through on our tour of Reed Flute Cave, a water-eroded cave that is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition, all illuminated by colored lighting; Guilin, Guangxi, China

 

“As a brilliant Karst cave marked on almost all travel itineraries, Reed Flute Cave got its name from the verdant reeds growing outside it, with which people make flutes. Actually, inside this water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition. Illuminated by colored lighting, the fantastic spectacle is found in many variations. Walking through the serried stone pillars, tourists feast their eyes on changing spots, feeling they are in a paradise where the Gods live…

“Reed Flute Cave is formed by long-term water erosion and carbonate deposition. The rocks inside the cave are mainly limestone. When the underground water flows, it dissolves the calcium carbonate inside the limestone. When the water containing calcium carbonate flows out from underground or drops out from cave roof, the water evaporate, only leaving calcium carbonate. After years of accumulation, stalactites form. Till today, these stalactites inside the cave are still “growing” as the water keeps dropping or flowing.” — www.travelchinaguide.com/

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #2

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #3 – known as “Sky-Scraping Twin”, this formation resembles twin pillars in a forest

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #4

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #5

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #6

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #7 — this large room is known as the “Crystal Palace”; a huge “Crystal Palace lamp” hangs on the upper left of the hall, painting the hall with a magical color, like the Dragon King’s Crystal Palace in the Chinese myth

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #8; the cave is also known as “the Palace of Natural Arts”

 

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, Guangxi, China #9

 

Outside the entrance to Elephant Trunk Hill is a beautiful floral “sign” marking the 70th anniversary (October 1, 2019) of the Communists’ rise to power in China, which became the People’s Republic of China; we saw many such anniversary displays (mostly printed signs) all across China; Guilin, Guangxi, China

 

Elephant Trunk Hill (象鼻山; Xiàng bí shān) on Binjiang Rd (滨江路; Bīn jiānglù) is located on the banks of the Li River, within walking distance of Guilin’s city center; it is a hill with a large natural arch cut into it, resembling the trunk of an Elephant dipping into the river — this scene is frequently used as a symbol of the city and so has developed some fame; Guangxi, China

 

“Guangxi’s second-largest city, Guilin (桂林) has the hallmarks of most Chinese megapolises, but it feels much more relaxed given its spectacular setting among the jagged-peak limestone karsts that surround it.  It was China’s first city to develop tourism after 1949, and for decades, children’s textbooks proclaimed ‘Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven’ (桂林山水甲天下).  It was the darling of Chinese politicians, the star city proudly presented to visiting dignitaries.  Today Guilin’s natural endowments still amaze, yet, thanks to imperfect urban planning, there is a pervasive feeling that the city is past its prime.” — www.lonelyplanet.com

 

Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2019 by Richard C. Edwards. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.  Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.