Guiyang - hills, forests and monkeys.

Resting at about 1200 m altitude, Guiyang is a reasonably cold city in winter for that far south. What is striking about it, is the sheer amount of green the city incorporates. It does not therefore, come as a surprise, that its main sights are actually parks and forests and animals living there. We chose to stay in the center, near where the two metro lines cross. It was a solid location, but a bit further south, closer to the Nanming river, would have been optimal. If budget is not a consideration for you booking one of the upscale hotels with a view of the river and the Jiaxiu pavilion is a great option. Taking an evening stroll along the river was pleasant, Jiaxiu pavilion and especially the bridge it sits on have a really authentic feel to it. Further west down the river there are really nice murals that combined with some 'projector magic' tell really nice stories at night. Guiyang is also known as a liquor producer, so if you spot some buildings reminding you of liquor bottles it is not your imagination. What I found a bit infuriating about the city center is how restricted its streets and pavements feel. Very rarely will a street let you cross without shoving you down to a shabby looking underpass with no working escalator. While this works great for the traffic safety, it does make a casual stroll around the city quite annoying. But, where the Guiyang really shines and why it should be visited are its parks and forests. To start with QianLing Mountain Park was probably the best place we went to in Guiyang. A large centrally located park in the middle of the city has everything you would want from a park. Hills, forests, small lakes, temples, great views, a cable car for those less willing to hike, a small zoo and of course the monkeys. A lot of monkeys. A lot of always hungry monkeys. While I found them great and highly entertaining in their attempts to steal and rob you of anything that can count as food, some precaution might be in order. Keep your backpacks firmly zipped, your phone unexposed and in general do not show any food unless you are willing to have it taken from you. Apart from QianLing, Guiyang's aptly named forest park is another large park. I am actually not sure if there is an official entrance to this large patch of forest. I entered by a muddy road bypassing a construction site and exited on the other side through someone's vegetable farm. Still, the actual forest is really nice and large and there is a Red cross memorial for those interested in Wartime history. To sum up, we liked Guiyang, it felt rather different than most big cities. Really green, the city itself a bit rundown, but also laid back. #urbanexplorer#wintergetaway