Trip to Yunnan China pt 4 Shilin Stone Forest

So, we had completed our visit at the Jiu Xiang scenic park and its time to get on to the Stone Forest (Shilin). It would takes another one and a half hours journey to reach Shilin from the Jiu Xiang scenic park.

The Stone Forest is one of the main attraction spot of Yunnan. Stone Forest covers an area of about 400 kilometer square and you would see big and small stone all over the Shilin area.

The Stone Forest park was a very beautiful place. You get to see much more green all over the place here.

Stone like this are everywhere along the 400km area in Shilin.

We arrived to the Stone Forest park quite late in the afternoon. Our local tourguide said that was the best time to visit the Stone Forest because in the morning, the park was so terribly packed. Most tourist would usually leave Shilin heading to other destination on afternoon.

The scenic here are simple remarkable. All the stone here are formed naturally over hundreds of millions of years.

There are really not much people in the late afternoon. You can easily walk around the park but just keep on following the group. The park was like a maze and there are path split everywhere.

A very nice view from the top of the Stone Forest.

Ah, everybody was so exhausted after climbing up to the top. The visit isn't finished yet. There is another portion of the park which is known as the Small Stone Forest. There stone here is smaller and not as dense as where we entered the park. More like a garden with colorful plants and flowers.

You can rent these traditional costume of the Yi ethnics for just RMB 10 and snap some photo for your favourite album.
Talking about ethnics, there are a total of 56 different ethnics in China and out of the 56 ethnics, 25 is found in Yunnan province making Yunnan a province with the most ethnics in China.

Talk about the Yi ethnics. Female is is regarded as Ashima which means a beautiful and gentle Yi girl.
Man however, is remarked as A-Hei-Ge (Black Brother). Well, it doesn't mean that the guy is dark skin looking but instead means the guy is strong, warm-hearted, kind, clever, honest, and brave.
So, regardless what age of people you see, if it was a female, just call her Ashima and if its a male, simply call him A-Hei-Ge, they will like to hear that.

Doesn't matter young or old, they love you to call them Ashima which means beautiful and gentle girl!

You can actually distinguish whether the Ashima has already married or not by looking at the thing she wear on top of her head.

Those Ashima who is not yet married will have 2 little triangular shaped horn at both side of the wearings.

However, those Ashima which already married will have both the horn kept at the center.

the tour around the Stone Forest park is eventually finished and we head straight the a Hotel nearby to spend a night at the Shilin.

This is the hotel where we stayed in Shilin. Soon this hotel and some of the building within the Stone Forest park will be demolished since the government going to put the Stone Forest park as a protected national park thus no building is allowed inside the zone.

Read one about the third day of the trip.

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