Waterfalls, Caves, and the Guizhou Countryside

Lizzy and I were determined to see the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall we had read so much about in our guidebooks.  Regarded as the No. 1 waterfall in China, we were curious to see it with our own eyes.  We learned that the most economical way to go was to join another Chinese tour.  I will say, I was as excited about getting on a another tour bus in China as I was about having a root canal but when a tour appears to be the most convenient option, we go :)

Natalie and Lizzy on the tour bus

The tour company planned to pick us up at our hotel at 6:30am.  Lizzy got a phone call that she could not understand, of course, and politely said, "Ok," as we rushed out to the street.  Sure enough, a van pulled up and the man motioned for us to get in.  Talk about blind faith!  I'd never hop into any van in the U.S.!

After picking up two more people, the van dropped us off at what appeared to be a city bus stop.  The driver gave us a stern look as if to say, "Don't wander off."  He's lucky it was 7am because there was a sweet looking dance club across the street that I could have easily checked out for future reference.

Beautiful countryside and winding roads in Guizhou Province, China

Farmland in rural Guizhou Province, China

We drove for nearly two hours through the gorgeous Guizhou countryside, each mile providing stunning shades of jagged green mountains and farmland.  Our first stop was to the Dragon Palace Caves, or in Chinese, The Longgong Caves.  My sister bought me the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for China for Christmas and upon my reading about these caves, I knew they were a must-see.

Pathway at Long Gong Dong, Guizhou Province

 At Long Gong Dong with the lift in the background

I'm lucky to be traveling with a geology expert.  Lizzy graciously filled me in on the natural phenomena along our tour.  On our co-blog, she writes,  "The caves were created by water moving through limestone, removing minerals and leaving behind large caves full of interesting features. In order to access the caves we took an elevator (lift) up about ten floors to the top of the canyon and boarded small motor boats."

Loading boats at Long Gong Dong, Guizhou Province

Public safety announcement. Don't talk or take a stroll on the boat and certainly no eating between meals.

I wasn't sure what to make of the caves.  They were lit up with various colors of the rainbow making for a surreal experience.  Traditional Chinese music played and I couldn't help but reminisce about the time my family took a gondola ride at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Lizzy and I on the boat ready to experience the Dragon Cave

 Blue lights seemed appropriate

Rainbow lights in the Dragon Cave

After checking the Longgong Dong off of my Guizhou bucket list, I was thrilled to visit Huangguosho National Park and see the famous waterfall that we'd been hearing so much about.  Unfortunately, our itinerary called for stopping at not one, but two shops.  The first sold bamboo products and the second sold food exclusive to Guizhou Province.  The food store was fun because they were doling out samples.  Lizzy and I did not purchase anything since we can get better prices at our local supermarket but the other people on our tour certainly loaded up!

We stopped for a quick lunch and by quick I mean Lizzy and I were still eating when we realized we were the last ones in the banquet room.  We have learned the hard way to eat as fast as we can when on these tours.  Lunch consistently ends abruptly with little or no warning.  We think there's a secret signal but we've yet to figure it out.  

One of the joys of being on a Chinese tour is you never quite know what's going on.  As we were driving, I noticed the sign for Huangguoshu waterfall pointing to the left and our driver turned right.  Turns out we were stopping at Tianxing Stone Scenic Park.  What a lovely surprise.

Tianxing Stone Scenic Park

The park featured many interesting rock formations and had a stone walkway that was sort of a birthday walk.  It started with January 1st and ended with December 31st and many stones had famous people's birthdays inscribed on them.  

Birthday Walk at Huangguoshu 

The names and birthdays were in Chinese and it wasn't until our travel friend, Robert, kindly told me I was stepping on Thomas Edison's birthday.  I was thankful to see that April 20 was left blank.  Maybe my birthday will be added to the walk one day.

Natalie and Lizzy along the Birthday Walk at Huagguoshu

After strolling through the park, we boarded the bus again and headed toward Huangguoshu Waterfall.  The grounds were gorgeous but we only had about two hours to see the waterfall and explore.  Lizzy and I thought we had paid for all the extras that day (there was an additional fee for the lift at the Dragon Palace and a small fee for a sightseeing bus) but were told there was another fee, 100CNY ($16.01) to take a lift to the waterfall.  We thought this was a bit steep (pun intended if you saw the lift) and found three lovely Malaysian women to hike with. 

A sign at Tianxing Park said, "It is always green on both cliffs."  A possible take on, "The grass is always greener..."

One of the Malaysian women, Day, was a retired English teacher.  She loved to travel and we enjoyed swapping travel stories and took turns photographing each other as we walked along the stone path to the waterfall.  

Huangguoshu Waterfall

I was pleasantly surprised to find that we were on a path that looped around and we were able to walk behind the waterfall through the Water Curtain Cave.

Huangguoshu Waterfall

Lizzy and I walking through the Water Curtain Cave

Behind the scenes at Huangguoshu Waterfall

Walking behind the waterfall provided an unexpected perspective.  I loved feeling the refreshing mist as we moved through the cave.

I was, however, a little bummed that by the time we hiked back from the waterfall, we only had about 20 minutes to explore the park's new "Miniascape Garden."  At the time I wasn't sure of the definition of "Miniascape" but the potted plants reminded me of Bonsai.  It turns out that "Miniascape" is the term for a dish garden made with plant materials that do not require water. 

 

Miniascape Garden

Bridge in Miniascape Garden

Honestly, I loved this garden more than Huangguoshu waterfall.  The waterfall was the main attraction for obvious reasons and had many tourists milling around. This garden was serene and calm, sensations that are virtually unknown when you're on a Chinese tour.

Interesting rock formations found throughout the garden

Miniascape Garden

And, it was absolutely beautiful.  

 Path across a pond in Miniascape garden

I was surprised to learn that after visiting Huangguoshu, we had one more stop, Doupotang Waterfall.

 Sunset at Doupotang Waterfall

We arrived just in time for a pleasant sunset.  The lighting was perfect.

Doupotang waterfall

Lizzy and I enjoyed the two hour sunset drive back to Guiyang and the countryside was exquisite at dusk. For the ladies student teaching in Guiyang this fall and next spring, treat yourself to as many trips in the countryside as you can.  You will not regret it.  

Natalie