Special trip photos – Bashang Grasslands, 2012/06
For the Dragon Boat Festival holiday we headed north, to the Bashang Grasslands, for two days of hiking in the grassy rolling hills.
The Bashang prairie is a peaceful, beautiful place, home to nomads, grazing flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. At around about 1,300 metres above sea level, it's much cooler out there than it is in Beijing – a perfect way to escape the heat in Beijing.
We stayed in fairly rustic accommodations, and spent our time hiking and looking about, with some BBQ and motorbike riding thrown in as well!
Scroll down to see some photos from the hiking side of the trip.
Hiking through the rolling green hills.
From the crests of the hills, visibility was good and we got really good long views.
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Here’s a close up of some beautiful pink flowers that we saw.
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The grasslands were interspersed with forested land.
An unusual looking beetle on a rock near the trail.
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Hikers pause for a rest after climbing a big hill.
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There was plenty to look at in the hills; blooming flowers provided especially nice photo opportunities.
Walking through the hills.
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In some places, the hillsides were dotted with flowers. Our hike took us up to the high point in the distance.
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Some of the local farmers had huge flocks of sheep, some of which they marked for identification.
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There were a lot of cute lambs in the flock, which were just adorable!
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The farmers release their cattle and sheep to roam and graze freely.
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The cattle also enjoy the nice weather and relax in the sun on the hillsides.
It was also a lot of fun to rent ATVs and ride around the countryside.