A quick and authentic breakfast
We all got up around mid-morning, and after meeting Cristina, she told us that our sightseeing adventure would take us to Tianhe Lake. As we left the hostel, Cristina led the way. I was excited because now we had a translator, we didn’t have to settle for anymore bloody beef noodles for breakfast. We dropped by a small cafe and had a light breakfast of dumplings and baozi (steamed dumplings). They were quite filling, but I actually enjoyed them.
After our breakfast, Cristina used an app to order a taxi. This wasn’t a dedicated taxi app, but an app that people who are already travelling in their car can use to pick people up on their way to their destination. So after a while of waiting in the baking sun, some dude turned up who was on his way to work and gave us a ride to Tianhe Lake (for a small fee of course).
The entrance
After entering the grounds of Tianhe Lake, which already looked majestic, we went ahead and bought our tickets, only ¥50. (For more info on Tianhe Lake, check out this page from VisitOurChina). To get to the main park area, we had to walk through a small collection of buildings which included shops and restaurants. As it’s only a couple more days until Golden Week (begins on the 1st of October), everywhere was decorated with Chinese flags. Especially the small triangle ones that hang on strings across buildings. The streets looked pretty nicely decorated.
The walk to the main park was very peaceful and quiet. Cristina assured me that come the 1st of October, it would be mayhem. We reached the entrance to the park, which overlooked a stunning valley filled with notable features, and began our descent. The weather was great, sun all day. There wasn’t a solid route, but there are paths with sign posts to the different areas of the park. We just went where the path took us, which was to some very pretty views.
Tianhe Lake
First of all, we saw some nice Chinese styled houses in a square, felt like a small and peaceful dwelling. Just down from there was a lake filled with all colours and patterns of Koi. There was also a speaker you could shout in to that made the water fountain rise with your voice. We zigzagged down the hill passing nice water features and trickling streams. It was cool to see so many insects that we didn’t see very often in the UK. These ranged from some nasty looking spiders, to beautiful butterflies, and some pretty big praying mantises which were cool.
We strolled over small bridges, taking time to soak up the view of waterfalls and the fish within. Once we’d ascended another part of the hill, we climbed some stairs which had loads of different coloured paper umbrellas hanging over us. This was a pretty scene to behold. Once we got to the top there was a building with a viewpoint of the entire area. It was breathtaking. We took a breather here as it was so hot. Cristina used the opportunity to take some photos using filters. Some of the results made me almost wet myself, I couldn’t breathe!
A quirky cave canoe
After this pit stop we made our way to a little harbour on the river. We got to embark in a small canoe down the river and through a cave. The river was more of a trench, with land raised on both sides. We then sailed through the cave, which was full of lights, whilst I had to watch my head for the rocks. It was nice and cool in here, and when we disembarked, we walked the rest of the way through the caves. We eventually joined up with a path we’d been on earlier, though we were on the other side of the valley.
This was it for the main features of Tianhe Lake, so we slowly made our way through meadows and along the stream. The place was such a contrast to the city that was only a few miles away. So quiet and tranquil, with wildlife carrying out their daily lives without knowing what’s just beyond the trees on the other side. It really makes you forget where you actually are.
Returning to base
We started making our way back to the entrance, though we had a hundred steps to contend with, Cristina did not look well (she was fine, just tired haha). We stopped for a rest around the main lake. They were rehearsing a water fountain show with music for the National Golden Week. This one was special as it was the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
We went to get some food, but not before a bizarre encounter with an older gentleman. He wanted a photo with us, to which we happily obliged. However, he wanted to hold our hands so I put my hand in my pocket…and he put his hand in my pocket too! I was tripping out; it was so strange haha. The three of us got a good laugh out of it afterwards. Mat and I ate more beef and rice noodles (hooray!) before getting the bus back in to Guiyang, and then walking back.
Delightful line dancing
Once back at the hostel, we had a short reprieve before heading out. Cristina showed us around, specifically a shopping complex at the centre of Guiyang. I finally had some sweet pastries such as a rose tart (made from rose petals and was delicious!). Mat got a pastry that turned out to be pork and egg instead. His face was priceless when he bit into it. The main square of Guiyang was brilliant. It was lit up with so many bright lights everywhere. There were also lots of little islets separated by water, but bridged together. It looked like an archipelago.
Amongst all this was a huge amount of people dancing in synchronisation with each other. They were in a huge square and had a large crowd cheering them on. There were also many dances like this happening on a smaller scale on the islets of the archipelago in the park. Cristina told me that if there was an open space, there will be people dancing. Surprisingly enough it tended to be elderly women who danced the most, fair play to them.
There were also plenty of people selling things on the paths around the park. These ranged from Chinese flags and toys, to bubble guns, and then to puppies and kittens. They were incredibly cute, but seeing them in cages didn’t sit right with me. There were a large number of stray dogs I’d seen, and would go for a hefty price in the West. After all of this excitement, we decided to head back to the hostel and get some well-deserved rest.
Extras
