Born and raised in the south, I have always been interested in visiting northwest China. For me, the terrain like that of the Loess Plateau, so different from where I live, is a great attraction.

That was the reason behind my recent trip, when I donned my backpack and headed along the Silk Road. My itinerary included Xi'an, Baoji of Shaanxi Province, and Tianshui, Lanzhou in Gansu Province. The scenic spots I visited have been well publicized, and sometimes left me feeling a little disappointed after I had seen them. Tired and underwhelmed, I spent a day idling in Lanzhou going nowhere but surfing the Internet. Then a local friend of mine suggested I visit the Yellow River Stone Forest in Jingtai County, 140 kilometres from Lanzhou.

It is a relatively new attraction along the Silk Road, discovered by a fieldwork team from the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources in 1990 and opened to the public in 1996. In 2002, it was listed as a national geo-park. Due to inconvenient transport links however, it remained beyond tourists' reach until a road there was completed recently.

"You won't be disappointed," my friend claimed.

Although I had my reservations, when I arrived I found my friend was right.

I was still dreary from the bus, which had been running along a winding uphill road on the Qilian Mountain for what seemed like an eternity, finally stopping at the highest point. I found myself, along with other passengers, letting out a shriek of joy.

Right in front of us was the enormous Stone Forest that projected vertically like a sandy screen to a height of more than 350 metres.

At the mountain's foot is the Yellow River, which chicanes here, known locally as the Laolongwan Bay (Old Dragon Bay).

An electric shuttle bus took us to the nearest attraction, the Panlong Cave (The Coiling Dragon Cave), which took its form around 4 million years ago. There is a temple in the cave, still used for worship by locals.

But my eyes were mainly drawn to the different shades cast by the sun on the sandstone cliffs.

Leaving the temple, I took a walk along the paved bank next to the Yellow River. It was a pleasant stroll walking for the first time so close to the cradle of Chinese civilisation. Moreover, the scenery along the way was both unusual and breathtaking.

On the left side was an apple orchard ready to harvest. There were also quite a few sheep-hide boats, which were the only access for reaching the islet across the bank.

Over there stood an "oasis" dotted with red-roofed villas and country clubs, newly built to provide accommodation and recreation facilities for tourists.

There were quite a few interesting encounters along the way, like a recumbent sheep staring at us with great curiosity, an enormous watermill sending water from the river to a nearby construction, and a smiling farmer picking the apples.

It took me around one hour to cover the 5-kilometre walk along the bank, which compared to what followed, was just a warm-up. I reached the entrance of the Stone Forest, called Baozigou (Half-panther, half-tiger Valley), and continued walking. There was about 12 kilometres to go before I reached the other end of the Stone Forest, known as Yinmagou (Horse Drinking Valley).

The track was covered with sand and pebbles. Walking on that path was difficult yet pleasant as I listened to the crunching rhythms of my aching feet.

Occasionally trucks passed by and I had to get to the edge of the road so as to avoid the eddies of sand they left behind.

But this was only a minor annoyance compared to what the walk brought to me. The main attraction of the tour was what my mind was fixed on. Upon buying the ticket, I was given a brochure introducing the major features of the Stone Forest. Each of them was named after a poetic and descriptive phrase, interpreting the formation they took. I put them aside and let my own imagination tell its own story.

Even the sand storms brought by the trucks reminded me of what it would have been like in ancient times when people on horse back galloped their way through. It is really not hard to picture the heroic scene especially if you have seen certain Chinese movies, like Jackie Chan's recent, "The Myth." In fact, the horse chase scene was shot right here in the Stone Forest.

For the first time here I realized what it is that we call Mother Nature. For millions of years, she has been there watching us, the human beings, evolving from one generation to the next.

Due to my tight schedule, I finished my walking midway, failing to reach the other end of the Stone Forest. Yet I did not feel bad about this, because one day I will be back to complete that final section of the awe-inspiring Stone Forest.

How to get there: If you go from Lanzhou, take a bus to Jingtai County where buses to the Stone Forest depart every 30 minutes.

Tickets: 30 yuan (US$3.70) for admission. Horse carts rental is available if you think walking is too much.

If you travel by air, there are also buses available from Lanzhou's Zhongchuan Airport to the Jingtai County.

If you would like to go by train, take the K43 to Lanzhou and get off at the Jingtai County station.

For more information, check the Stone Forest's website (Chinese only): www.chinahhsl.com

(China Daily 11/10/2005 page10)