Yunnan & Guangxi Provinces, China

After landing in Yunnan, I had to take a bus into Lijiang, and was able to see several villages along the way



There was a welcomed sense of serenity here after having been in the city for months; note the religious monument just above the tree line



As soon as I arrived in Lijiang, I saw what an enchanting little city it is, with rivers flowing throughout



Another shot of the interior of the city just before dusk



At night, with red lanterns lit everywhere, the look was spectactular



Just outside of the city was the beautiful Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (behind this lake), which I later hiked (part way)



There was also a Tibetan temple that I was able to make it out to, which required leaving the city again, only to pass through beautiful fields



Some of the local people out farming mid-day



While going through some of the villages on the way out to the temple, one really gets to see just how drastically the income gap is growing between inner-rural China and the east coast port cities



There was quite a hike to get up top of this mountain where the temple sits; here I am taking a breather beneath Tibetan prayer flags



Finally made it up to the temple



Chillin' with a young monk



Here are some of the local women, from the Naxi tribe, wearing spectacular traditional clothing



Later on, went hiking up the Jade Dragon Snow mountain



Heading further up snow mountain with my oxygen tank; approximately 4506 meters above sea level here



Then headed out to Lugu Lake, a peaceful place that's about a six hour bus ride outside of Lijiang



Was able to get more shots of the local Naxi people, which is a matriarchal society, along the long bus ride



As you can probably tell, I was fascinated with the differences in cultural clothing



Also had the chance to see more rural villages along the way



Literally had a place to stay at the shore of the lake - here it is at dusk



After leaving Lijiang, I made my way out to Yangshuo in the Guangxi province



Yangshou is a very friendly little backpacker city - really enjoyed being here



At night, these tiny streets lit up with restaurants and quaint little merchant shops



Managed to jump on a boat sailing down the Li River, passing gorgeous lime stone hills, which reminded me a great deal of being in Halong Bay



I rented a bike and rode through muddy roads stacked with pot holes in the rain; the surrounding visuals were striking



The farming system here is based largely on rice paddies, which one could see as far as the eye could reach



Bikes lined up at one of the local villages I visited along the Li River



Spotted this cool mural while passing along some of the local street shops



Grabbed a glass of coffee in this rainy little town at the shore of the river



Yangshuo is really a stunning place to see