At the Foot of Wanshou Hill 万寿山

Looking Back at the Tower of Buddhist Incense 佛香阁

Looking Back at the Tower of Buddhist Incense 佛香阁

The way down the Wanshou Hill wasn’t really that eventful. This was where the main palace area was and naturally there were a lot of these structures. What I did notice that that there seemed to be more and more tourists. Come to think of it, the Tower of Buddhist Incense wasn’t really that crowded and I didn’t stop to wonder why. As it turns out, most of the tourists follow the road along the lake shore to the foot of Wanshou Hill. From here you can start your climb to the Tower of Buddhist Incense.

Gate by the Shores of Kunming Lake

Gate by the Shores of Kunming Lake

I was lucky to stumble into the alternate route as I would have felt irritated no end by the huge number of tourists being led around by their noisy tour guide. Sometimes getting lost is also a good thing. The foot of Wanshoul Hill features a small promenade area where emperors can observe troops practicing. It is also an excellent place to relax and enjoy the lake, provided you do not share it with a thousand other people. By this time the rain has practically stopped much to my relief. I have been shielding my camera for most of the time since I came here.

[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/SummerPalace.kmz} zoom=19]