City of Kunming and Yunnan Province

6. The Stone Forest Near Kunming

After the ocean receded some 270 million years ago, the wind and rain have drilled creases and fissures into each tall pillar. The Stone Forest is like a cavern raised above ground, its dome lopped off, open to the blue sky. Miles of pathways twist through the karsts landscape, edging along reflecting pools and rising on stone steps to pavilions perched on the limestone summits. A maze of massive stone pickup sticks, seemingly dropped by a playful deity. Minority Sani women in full ethnic dress stand at every turn, offering to be guides.