Hidden Valley Waterfall

Hidden Valley Waterfall

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Peace and Beauty outside of the city

I love travelling, especially seeing the differences between cities and rural areas. When you find gems of peace and serenity outside of a city, it's worth visiting more than once. Saturday, some friends and I found some of this beauty. We went to the Fairy Lake Botanical Gardens in Shenzhen. It is about an hour from our home. We didn't make it there until nearly 2pm, and we soon discovered that a few hours is just not enough to get around this big, beautiful park.
 The main entrance from the taxi drop-off


Although a hazy day, this is a view of the lake from up in the forest. 

Inside the grounds are several things to do and see. There is a monastery and temple, a petrified forest, paleontology museum, paddle boats on the lake, bamboo garden, bonsai garden, and forest  trails to hike.  Below are pics of the Monastery and temple.



Of course, when you are surrounded by nature, you can't help but take it all in. I love to do close-up shots of flowers, especially when I find them being dined on by tiny creatures. :)  Catching something so small, that people pass by so easily, is truly a gift of enjoyment from Mother Nature. 

Around the lake, there are several photo ops of other parts of the gardens.
The tower....

The lake, with the sun setting over a pagoda structure in the mountain....

The bonsai garden entrance...(it was closed, so this will be a definite stop on the next trip)

A pagoda gazebo in the lake, with a walkway connecting the sides of the park...

As you can see, it is a beautiful place. And when you are there, you just have a sense of calm about you. There are minimal cars within the park grounds, and the trees are great at hiding the noises of the city that lingers close by. I will be going back and if I am lucky, it will not be as hazy when I return. That way, I can get some better pictures of the landscape. Thank you, China, for continually surprising me with the variety of things you offer. 

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