Moliu mountain in Qingyuan and Ruyuan scenic spot

This is a May holiday here in China. Our school has the weekend plus Monday off even though the Chinese holiday lasts until the 5th. It means we return before the traffic is large! Due to some outbreaks of COVID in China, travel out of the province is discouraged. There are some beautiful scenery and hiking here in Guangdong still worthy of exploring. Yingde and Shaoguan is a beautiful area.

After a few hours driving early on Saturday, our small group arrived in Huanghua (“yellow flower”) to take a COVID test. We already had one to travel but needed another less than 24 hours to go to the scenic spot on the second day. We then continued to the mountain.

These mountains are called karst formations. The limestone wears away from underground water making the unique landforms. They are more prevalent in other areas. The connected mountains give a wavy landscape view and are called the wavy mountains. We hiked up and then down for 8 hours.

At the top, another hiking group was dancing while their drone was filming. They asked us to join. I took this picture from behind them after we joined in.

Also at the top you could buy water and tofu dessert with ginger. Yum.

The pony helps bring supplies up the mountain.

Heping village is at the base of the mountain where we ended the hike. The climb up was steep and the down muddy and with rocks but it was fun. Great to be out in nature and smell fresh air.

We then walked to a cave in the village. It was massive. The wall and outer house was built in the 1800’s to protect the cave as it houses ashes of ancestors in the barrels.

Inside the front part of the cave looking out.

The goats were foraging and followed us around. Actually they were finding the rest of their group!

The hotel in Huanghua was beautiful. It had a hot spring pool on the roof and as it was raining when we finished the hike and into the next morning, it was perfect.

Lunch was at a really great restaurant that smokes chicken and corn in concrete pits.

After checking out we headed to Ruyuan and the Xianmenqixia scenic spot. Along the drive there were many rural farms with many crops including corn and other veggies interspersed with rice paddies.