Still in Zhangye, we embarked on the quirky visit of the Zhangye Danxia mountains. This is a geopark known for its colourful rock formations. What we were not expecting was for this to be such an popular local tourist spot, and for the visit to be more like what you would expect from a museum or an attraction park, rather than a day at the mountains.
Tourist buses runned around the park transporting tourists to pre-defined viewpoints. We were only allowed to walk around in dedicated walkways. Speakers, strategically hidden in fake rocks, played classic chinese music. Cameras, indiscretely hidden in fake rocks, controlled your every movement. And all the while, huge groups of tourists competing for the best selfie spots followed a red umbrella concealing a tired looking guide underneath...
Don't get me wrong, it was all very well organized, and with that many tourists I don't think they could do it otherwise without risking the destruction of the landscape. And the mountains were indeed beautiful. But it did feel surreal :)
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