The Stone Forest (石林; Shílín)
While I was staying in Kunming, I somehow (don’t actually remember how) booked a bus trip to the Stone Forest, a literal translation from Chinese 石林; Shílín. I don’t remember the bus trip at all, but it was definitely better to arrive than travel hopefully and visit the usual tourist tat emporium on the way back.
This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a AAAAA (Chinese rating) tourist attraction. It was very quiet when we arrived but grew busier and busier while we were there. However, it was well worth the trip. Luckily, on the bus, I met a very friendly couple from Harbin, who spoke English and were able to help me understand what I was looking at.
There is quite a lot about Shilin on the Web, so if you find the photos below interesting, you can just Google it, and find more professional photos. There is also a lot more geological information – too much, really for me to copy onto this page. If you think there are too many pictures here, I would point out that these are just a selection.
It’s such a large site that there is there are minibuses (like stretch tuk-tuks) from the car park to the entrance.
Chinese can be read from right to left.
Folk dancers (for the tourists) 
Uh oh. 
Chillies!
Personal homesite 