A Tropical corner of China
We had the great pleasure of visiting Xishuangbanna in the south of Yunnan province which is just a short distance from the Laos and Myanmar borders. It is a place with a lot of unique cultures and ethnic groups which can be seen in the food, architecture and temples in the area. It is also a place with a lot of biodiversity with tropical plants, flowers, fruits and wildlife, including some Elephants. I did not capture any amazing photographs while we were there, but here are my favourites from our short stay.
Botanical Gardens
The Botanical gardens in Xishuangbanna are expansive and beautiful. Amazing flowers, trees and birds all around. We could have easily gone back there many times and been sure to see something different every time.
Flower and reflection, 160 mm, F4, 1/320th of a second, ISO 64
Dai gardens
The Dai are the largest ethnic group in the area and their culture seems to be very much a mixture of Southeast Asia and China. The gardens were beautiful and we had the chance to see many of their beautiful temples, markets and gardens while we were there.
Dai Shrine, 24mm, F9, 1/320 th of a second, ISO 64
We could not resisit getting Eleanor some traditional Dai clothes so here are some photos of her around the Dai Gardens.
Eleanor at Dai Temple, 50mm, F4, 1/125th of a second, ISO 100
Loving Embrace, 90mm, F4, 1/320th of a second , ISO 560
Night Market
We have never been to such a large and expansive Night Market before. When we first went we thought it was quite small as we just walked around the part on the city side of the main temple, but it was only when we went on the other side of the temple which was along the Mekong river that we saw the huge sprawling, Night market which was busy with stands selling food, clothes, and all sorts of handcrafted items. It was so much fun and somewhere we came back to every night.
35mm, F1.8, 1/125th of a second, ISO 560
30mm, F10, 30 seconds, ISO 64
35mm, F1.8, 1/125th of a second, ISO 1250
22mm, F9, 2.5 seconds, ISO 64
35mm, F1.8, 1/125th of a second, ISO 900
35mm, F8, 8 seconds, ISO 64
