Last breakfast buffet at the hotel. Every day, there was a delicious assortment of Chinese breakfast foods, but plenty of things non Chinese guests would know, including steamed buns and 'gyoza' dumplings, water melon slices, cake, fried egg, rice etc.
A final view of my room, in daylight.
Angel outside the hotel.
I took a lot of photos from the car on our drive back to Guiyang. The ubiquitous view of China - another new house being built, complete with the local blue tiles.
A mixture of old and new.
A good view of the famous limestone karst geology of this region.
Another new build.
An electrical goods store, with a good selection of fans, aircon units (far left), fridges and water coolers, among other items.
We drove through a market, where I spotted several women using baby carriers.
New baby carriers for sale.
A stall selling dried noodles.
Another stall in front of a shop.
There are still a lot of older houses in the countryside.
Rice terraces.
Old and new. Not all older houses are demolished. Some were renovated. I saw quite a few 'new' houses with old lean-tos on the side, but realised these were houses that had been done up.
Sweetcorn in the field.
Hills from the motorway.
When we arrived in Guiyang, it had a much more urban look.
There was a beautiful park area in the middle of the city, with traditional pavilions (some looking quite old) surrounded by a lake that seemed like a moat. It is called Qiangling Park.
I had fifteen minutes while Angel kept the car in a waiting area.
Jiaxiu tower.
The park buildings had so many wonderful design details. With so little time, I tried to photograph as many as I could.
At one pavilion, visitors could dress in 'old fashioned' costumes and have their photos taken.
The contrast of traditional and modern (plus some traffic cones).
We met Angel's mum and niece and went to a dumpling restaurant for lunch.
At last - won ton soup! Not a regional speciality of Guizhou province, but really delicious (and my favourite Chinese soup).
Dumplings filled with soup.
Shops and restaurants in Guiyang city looked more like Japan or other urbanised countries.
Heading out to the airport, along avenues lined with trees.
I had a wonderful time in China. I loved the contrast of old and new, traditional and modern, the sense of progress. I met some lovely people too and everyone was so friendly and welcoming.
The views in Guizhou Province were just stunning.
I hope to come back, before all the old has disappeared and turned into the new.
1 comment:
I too, hope you can go back. I have enjoyed YOUR trip and learned a few things as well. Welcome Home.
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