I have always wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Japan. The Japanese call this practice Hanami which literally means “flower viewing”. But the plan to do that was set aside because of an unexpected trip to China earlier this year. Little did Hubby and I know that we were going to be in for a wonderful surprise!
We flew to Yunnan Province in China for a film festival (which I’m going to tell you all about later). After the three-day event, we decided to explore its capital Kunming before going back to Manila. As luck would have it, we were there just when the 19th Cherry Blossoms Festival opened! Our friend, documentary filmmaker Li Xin, told us that the Kunming Zoo was the best place to view cherry blossoms as it had the biggest number of cherry blossom trees in the area:
The Kunming Zoo is reputed to be a sea of flowers, containing more than 800 Yunnan cherry trees, 1,200 hall crabapple trees, 100 Japanese sakura trees and 50 winter cherry trees. Covering 5,000 square meters, the flower district occupies one-fifth of the whole park. Source.
So off to the zoo we went! And we were not disappointed. In fact, we had the best time!
This image reminds me of Vincent Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom. Beautiful, no?
This grandma looked so adorable in her red cardigan, RayBans, and leaf scarf. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of her. Good thing she was a very willing model!
The zoo was covered in a canopy of pink blooms and every now and then, a soft wind would blow that would send the petals showering down on us.
Needless to say, it was magical! I shot some footage so you can see for yourself. Enjoy!
Travel Tip: The Kunming International Cherry Blossoms Festival takes place between February and March each year. It will be a little chilly in the morning so be sure to bring a jacket.
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