The Forest of Sweet Osmanthus

Named after the sheer abundance of osmanthus trees native to the area, Guilin (桂林) is a city located in Guangxi Province in the southeastern part of China. The Yangshuo (阳朔) area of Guilin is most well known for its picturesque karst landscapes and rice terraces cut neatly and systematically into the mountainside. Such scenes have been depicted on countless numbers of paintings and, undoubtedly, inspired poets of past and present. In 2013, I finally got the chance to visit the area on two separate occasions and with each time, a sense of surrealism engulfed me as I woke up in the morning to the sunrise peeking over the distant mountains. Simply wonderful.

As we wandered through the mountainside of the Longji Terraces, local villagers asked tourists if they needed a place to stay for the night. Seeing as we wanted to really experience this place, I spoke with one of them and they generously offered us a room in their house situated right in the center of the terraces for a small sum of 100CNY or approximately $15USD. Why not?

She escorted us down to her home down the slope some ways. As we walked downwards, the sun was setting in the distance and coupled with the rustling of the crops and the dropping temperature, I remember thinking to myself, "this is...amazing". 

The world is so big. Take chances and go travel. Seriously. This world has so many beautiful things to offer us. Don't miss out on it.

The Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani

The Japanese macaque, or also known as "snow monkeys", are a distinct species of primates that are native to Japan. No other species of primates live in a colder climate than them. Japanese macaques are highly intelligent and also exhibit some unusual behaviors, one of which brought me to Shigakogen in the Nagano prefecture of Japan back in 2011.

Japanese macaques are arguably most well-known for their joy of bathing in local hot springs during the cold, winter months. Here, members come to cleanse themselves along with other members of their troop, and quite simply put, to get out of the cold. 

The particular hot spring that we were venturing off to was called Jigokudani. There was a bit of a hike to the springs, as expected, but thanks to a well-travelled path, the journey was trouble free. Hiking through the woods in the dead of winter with temperatures below freezing sounds like a mad idea, but the experience was simply breath-taking. Standing in the middle of a snow-covered forest, catching a glimpse of a smoking chimney in the distance, and the smooth, crisp sensation of fresh, morning air made the experience worth all the "trouble". 

As we snaked our way through the mountains, we caught glimpses of monkeys migrating slowly towards the spring. The closer we got to the spring, the more monkeys appeared...

These monkeys sure know how to relax. I observed carefully for some time as monkeys would slowly crawl into the hot spring, careful not to jump in too quickly. A number of them would grab a hold of the stone boundary, close their eyes, and exhale as they entered a nirvana of relaxation. Parents would help clean their child, who is reluctantly laying down as they wanted to play with the other children. The more I observed, the more I realized the beauty of this world. It's a wonder. 

A Long Hiatus

Here I am, four years later, updating a blog that I've neglected. The travelling hasn't stopped nor has the photography. Due to personal circumstances (let's be honest, laziness played a big role), I just simply forgot about this blog. But I'm here again, and ready to roll. 

A quick summary of what I've been up to since the last update:

I've been fortunate enough to have traveled to many new and exciting places from Thailand to Japan to rural areas of China and even back to Korea (where I am currently residing). Over the course of this next week, I'll be adding new posts with my experiences and photos over the last four years from my travels. They won't be in too much detail, but I'll try my best to recall the best experiences (and worst). 

So stay tuned for the first of several overdue updates. Cheers!