Guiyang, south-central China

The train ride from Guilin to Guiyang takes about 2.5 hours. The only reason I stopped there is because it's on the way to Yunnan Province. I didn't expect much because, as they say of that region, it's "without three miles of flat land, three days of fine weather, or three cents to rub together." I sometimes find when traveling that when I expect less of a place, after arriving I'm pleasantly surprised, and that turned out to be true with Guiyang as well.


My hotel room in Guiyang seemed to be set up for honeymooners, but no matter, I soon moved up the hall to a room with floor to ceiling windows.




The Chinese-hotel breakfast areas often remind me of wedding banquet rooms.


Qianling Park, in the northern part of the city, was much more than I expected.

People practice water Chinese-character writing there (what I've always thought of as an ultimate Zen activity).


They dance.


They take photos of the monkeys.


The monkeys of course steal whatever they can from unwary humans.











There's also a zoo in the park.



And a large temple.




People play music.





They get together and hone their whip skills (for some reason often without shirts).




They practice playing with tennis balls attached to elastic strings, something I've never seen before. (I bought a pair for about $3 and now sometimes practice at home -- it's definitely not as easy as it looks.)







You can even get traditional-Chinese body treatments at the park.





Vegan hotpot served up Guiyang style -- hot & spicy.