Gorge LongQing

The reason why our tour guide had rushed us was because we still had an attraction to visit. This Gorge Longqing is really a fairly new tourist attraction,and I cannot find any write-up about it yet.Therefore,it has to come from my memory!

It was almost another hour's drive from Badaling, and it seemed really desolate, since we saw nothing but barren land all the way,hardly any life you know. When we reached there, it was really cool,like the temperature had suddenly dropped. We made our way up this 'dragon' which stretched all the way from the bottom to the top of the mountain. Inside this dragon was actually a series of escalators,thank God! I really have no idea how high up we were, but it seemed like we went up 20 such escalators!

Once you reached the top,it was like another world. This place is actually a hydro-electric power station,where water was dammed,thus creating this reservoir at the top of the gorge. We proceeded to the boat where I had a really memorable ride. The temperature was really low,like 5-6 deg cel only. It was really numbing since the cool wind really raised one's goosebumps. There were ice sheets on the water, especially in areas that are perenially in the shade. It looked really eerie,and for someone with good imagination like me, to envision yourself alone there at night...it was the thing right out of a horror novel! Along the way, one wonders how those sculptures of herons, cranes, and pavilions were placed on the egde and protruding rocks from the mountains. The lush vegetation added colours to the landscape. Even more amazing was the calligraphy done on the rock surfaces! It can feel really romantic too,as you enjoy the peace and serene scenery and cuddle up to your loved one in the chill hehe...