The terraced fields here in Sa Pa remind me of the ones in Yuanyang in China. Surely they are not as big as those in Yuanyuang but it’s interesting to note that people create similar solutions when subjected to similar natural conditions.

She said she’s 96 years old?

My tour guide told me that it’s not hard to find old people in their eighties and nineties around these villages. The hiking routes vary from one hour to five, depending on your choice.

Next time you come, don’t forget to bring some candies.

It’s quite peaceful now, but the river will turn rough soon. In five minutes we are going to have a good fight and this is my weapon.

As we head for our next destination Pingbian, we stop to try the rafting at Nanxihe River. The rafting of Nanxihe River is a journey through the mountains. And the heavy shower has just turned the river from a serene green one into a yellow one in front of my eyes. Although I’ve escaped from the rain, there is no way that I won’t get soaked.

I don’t like the fighting at all, I don’t think. But it’s fun to watch these people fighting.

Hey, over here. My mission is to find a particular tree. It’s a tough task because there are so many trees around here.

The Daweishan National Forest Park is a national forest park. It’s one of the two thousand nature reserves in China. With an area of over 50 square kilometers, the reserve features tropical and subtropical forests and rare animals and flora.

But the pride of the park is the Suoluo tree It has a complicated Latin name I can’t pronounce. It’s a kind of fern that first appeared on earth 250 billion years ago. Scientists have concluded that this kind of plant was the main food source for dinosaurs. Being one of the oldest flora species on earth, people also call it the “fossil” of plants.

After the zigzagging through mountains, I found the city of Mengzi much bigger than expected. No wonder people have made it capital city of Honghe prefecture. The wide streets and gardenlike city landscape hardly reminds people of its historical military importance. But everyone in Yunnan could tell you that Mengzi is the birth place of the famous Yunnan local snack, Guoqiaomixian.

Guoqiaomixian, or cross bridge rice noodle. All these little dishes are for one big bowl of soup, that’s the main character. This is what the local people have for breakfast.

See what we have here. Chicken, fish, vegetables and everything. But these are not the main character. Yeah, the soup. Be careful, it’s extremely hot.