Rainbow Mountains
A geological phenomena that lives up to its hype (and the long journey)
Rainbow Mountain is a trip that I wanted to do since before I moved to China and was number one on my bucket list of things I wanted to do here. With expectations so high, it would be easy to be disappointed; however, the area in Gansu Province surprised me even more with the beauty. All I cared about was seeing the Rainbow Mountains, however there are many more manmade and geological wonders around this province which makes it an attraction for people from all walks of life. After taking a three hour flight, a half hour train, then a 3+ hour high speed train, we finally arrived in the late afternoon to the sparsely populated Gansu Province.
Pictures of Food and Dinner Fun
I can now say for certain that the more north you go in China, the meatier and better the food will definitely get!! You are more than likely to find at any restaurant here, pork ribs, lamb, yak (which is very good), as well as an assortment of vegetables cooked in very spicy peppers. We went to a very typical restaurant in which when you enter, you have to drink a shot of Baiju (liquor that is far from descent), then at the end of the meal, they bring you shots and they keep singing until you stop taking shots as they go around the tables pouring them and pouring them until your face cringed….
Big Buddha Monastery
We were treated to a temple in the city with a Giant Buddha that is 34.5 meters long and 7.5 meters wide between it shoulders. The complex was a typical Buddhist complex with many smaller temples and a small museum. This is China’s largest reclining Buddha and the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province. Unfortunately we were not able to take photos inside, but we just marveled at the sheer beauty.
Ice Valley Geographic Park
This park was nominated as the one of the top ten geographical magical wonders by National Geographic Magazine, and lies between 1500 and 2500 meters above sea level. You can definitely feel the burn in your lungs as you are hiking through the formations on a well laid path. It definitely looks and feels like you were are on another planet and the formations are awe inspiring to look at. It didn’t hurt that snow capped mountains were nestled in the background either. One person brought up the fact at how fun it would be to camp overnight in the area. The pictures below are worth 1001 words:
Mati Grotto Temples
An hour out of Zhangye City is an awe inspiring spectacle of Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist Grottos that are built into the mountain. Nestled around snow capped mountains and dating back to 1600 years ago (before the fall of the Western Roman Empire), these cave dwellings offer an insight into the storied past of the spread of Buddhism. Getting up into the caves requires a little bit of work and maneuvering as the passage ways are very small and the stairs are very steep. A magnificent view from outside will show just how special these caves are as they were built into the side of mountains. Unfortunately, during the Cultural Revolution, a lot of the statues were destroyed, but the sight of these magnificent wonders is something that you will never forget…..
Rainbow Mountains
Rainbow Mountains lived up to its expectations. These geological wonders are a UNESCO heritage site and get their color from the different minerals that are in the rock and sand. This was a perfect day to go as the sun was out and everything was shining on mountains. Going to different points around the park, you can see the different types of rolling hills as well as the even lines of different colors. There was not a lot of tourists there and the long lines were at a minimum as we were able to hit all of the lookout points in good time. This is definitely a place I would return to, as there is so much to see and do around this “sparsely populated” province in China, sparsely populated but full of character and sightseeing….
