I could write beautiful, descriptive lines about the mountainous landscape of Libo, the emerald valleys dotted with thatched granaries and the occasional water buffalo, the terraced rice paddies that are thousands of years old, or the green and blue color of the water that is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

But that would be a lot of work, and you still wouldn't really get it. These pictures should help you understand a bit more clearly how breathtaking this area of China is, but a trip there to see it yourself would be better . . . 

The entrance to the Tianhong cave:

Bizarre stalactite formations at another entrance to the cave:

Big Mountain explained to us that the stalactites point away from the cave for a simple reason: They have plants growing on them, and the plants naturally grow toward the sun. Over millions of years, the rock itself has thus shifted direction.

Traditional wooden house in Libo: