More Hubei Province

Took more than 500 photos in Hubei, so thought I should post a few more of days two and three of the trip. After waking up to the sea of clouds, we went to a forest to do more hiking, much to everyone's chagrin. Our calves were all so sore from climbing the day before that our speed was greatly reduced. I hobbled next to the teachers most of the way, and stopped often to take photos. At one point, we climbed down a crevasse about 5 stories deep. The walls on either side of us were rock covered in bright green moss, which made for excellent photo taking. The other photos I have included were taken at the ancient palace and park that was once home to emperors of the Tujia ethnic minority. Most of the visitors at the palace were locals and were shocked to see so many foreigners. Many talked about my hair in front of me, assuming I could not understand. This rarely happens in Beijing anymore, and took me by surprise. It was a tad awkward, so I decided to look and smile at whoever was talking about me.