picture perfect
on the train en route to guilin, and i am transfixed by what is unrolling outside my window. like something out of a fairy tale. towering karsts and caves and rice terraces and milky aqua streams winding through a backdrop of green like i’ve never seen before. greener than green. water buffalo and horses grazing in flooded plains, while farmers till the soil in straw hats. golden bundles of hay set to dry against the sun, and children bathing in clear pools.
a verdant picture postcard scrolled to life.
later:
an evening lightning storm illuminates the stark black hills from behind, twisted craggy silhouettes against a flashing grey sky, while rain slashes sideways against the window pane, sparkling drops in the streaking light.
