Lost My Phone in the "World Wonder," but Found the Astonishment of an Entire Summer

📅 Wanfenglin Hiking Diary 📍Location: Xingyi, Guizhou · Wanfenglin (China's Most Beautiful Karst Peak Forest, the Mysterious Code of Bagua Terraces) ✨ Soul-striking! When thousands of peaks emerged faintly in the sea of clouds, I forgot to breathe. At 6 a.m., I dashed up to General Bridge Viewing Platform with dew underfoot. In the mist, over 20,000 conical peaks suddenly unveiled themselves, like bamboo shoots breaking through the soil, with clouds flowing between the peaks. I frantically reached for my phone to capture a time-lapse but slipped on the mossy stone path, and my phone slid into the Bagua Terraces. Yet, I laughed—because, for once, I wasn’t enslaved by notifications. 🏞️ Immersive Karst Carnival | Every Isolated Peak Tells a Geological Epic 1. Bagua Terraces (The Rings of the Earth) ✅ Must-Do: - Arrive before 6:30! Capture "Morning Mist over Bagua Terraces + Peak Reflections," with a 0.5x wide-angle for maximum depth. - Drone shots of the "funnel-shaped farmland"—raw images that look like alien landscapes. 🚗 Transport: High-speed train from Guiyang to Xingyi Station (¥200, 2 hours) → Scenic shuttle (¥50/person). 2. Maling River Gorge (Earth's Most Beautiful Scar) ✅ Hidden Gems: - Ride the "Canyon Cable Car" (¥80/person) for panoramic views of Wanfenglin and waterfalls. - Hike the gorge floor and macro-shoot the textures of "travertine deposits." 3. Nahui Village (Slow Time Amidst the Peaks) ✅ Legendary Moves: - Rent an e-bike (¥80/day) to explore the village, snapping photos of "Bouyei stilt houses with peak backdrops." - Feast on "Bouyei Eight Bowls" (¥120), featuring sour bamboo shoot fish with five-color sticky rice. 4. Wanfo Temple (Faith in a Cave) ✅ Must-Shot: - Capture "Buddhas in the Cave + Natural Skylight," using slow shutter for incense smoke. - Circle the cave clockwise three times, touching "millennium-old stalactites" for blessings. 5. Stargazing Campsite (A Rice Field Hideaway Where the Milky Way Falls) ✅ Ultimate Experience: - Pitch a tent (¥100/tent) to photograph "the Big Dipper + Peak Silhouettes"—the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye! - At midnight, listen to "frog croaks and insect symphonies," recording nature’s white noise with your phone’s noise reduction. 🍜 Southwest Guizhou Food Blitz | The Culprit Behind Gaining 5 Pounds in 3 Days - Must-Eat List: 1. Sour Fish Soup (¥168): Paddy fish with mountain pepper broth—so tangy and spicy you’ll lick the plate clean! 2. Brush Head Dumplings (¥15): Glutinous rice wrappers stuffed with meat, steamed to perfection. 3. Erkuai Rice Cake (¥8): Sliced rice cakes stir-fried with cured pork—so fragrant it’ll make you stomp your feet. - Avoid: Skip the overpriced "bamboo tube rice" in tourist spots—homemade versions from villagers are cheaper! 🛏️ Stay Recommendations | Living Inside the Scenery - Peak Forest Homestay: Wanfeng Yunqi (¥1,280/night), floor-to-ceiling windows facing Bagua Terraces, with fresh kiwis delivered by the host. - Stargazing Tents: Rice Field Camp (¥380/night), wake up to the Milky Way, breakfast included. 💡 Pitfall Guide (Lessons Learned the Hard Way!) 1. Transport: - Taxi from Xingyi Station to the scenic area should cost under ¥80—avoid unlicensed cabs! - The scenic shuttle (¥50/person) is a must—walking the stone paths is exhausting. 2. Essentials: - ID, sunglasses (anti-glare), cash (some shops only accept cash). - Mosquito repellent! Summer bugs are relentless. 3. Hidden Gems: - Yuhuang Peak: Free shots of "sea of clouds + sunrise"—drones make it epic! - Yubulu Tiankeng: Hike to a primitive village and stumble upon century-old banyan trees (bring a telephoto lens!). 📸 Legendary Shots - Morning Mist over Bagua Terraces (straight-out-of-camera! ISO 100 + wide aperture for bokeh). - Maling River Gorge Waterfalls, using your phone’s pro mode: ISO 100, shutter speed 0.5s. 💰 3-Day Budget: Transport ¥400 + Lodging ¥1,660 + Food ¥400 = ¥2,460 ✨ Ramblings Wanfenglin is truly "God’s overturned bonsai pot"! Losing my phone was a bummer, but the sour fish soup and starry skies healed everything. Next time, I’ll bring my parents for a week—learning crafts, stargazing, and watching sunrises, living lazily spoiled by the peaks! (Also, those Brush Head Dumplings are *chef’s kiss*!)