Hiking

When I was abroad, one of the locations we went to was Guangzhou. Our resident director was a quirky, sometimes fussy, middle-aged man who tried so desperately to please our group of complain-y teenagers. He had heard of this magical waterfall location near Guangzhou called Bai Shui Zai and thus decided that this would be a lovely detour from the business-oriented company visits and bustling cities that we'd be visiting for the rest of the trip. He was right; except for the fact that to make it up to the top of this quaint location, there are technically 9999 steps. I think the highest our group went was to 3000 something steps. Considering the climb and how it took for us to get that high, I'm amazed we only went a third of the way, but I guess the optimistic part is that if you dedicate a full day, it's definitely do-able.

It would be beyond crazy to wear anything less comfortable, and since I wasn't sure whether or not it'd get cold on the climb up, I chose an oversized sweater with a tank top underneath to give myself the most options for hot and cold. The sneakers could have been more interesting, but I got these as a temporary replacement for Nikes that I had left at school by accident, and they just seemed like a smart choice to bring on this trip. If I could do this outfit again, I would definitely pick more colorful footwear, but, you know, you make use of what you have.

oversized sweater: Taobao blank tank top: Charlotte Russe leggings: Forever 21 sneakers: Payless

The location itself though is quite beautiful. If it had been sunnier (our entire trip was doomed with clouds, which really ruined the atmosphere for photos), this place really would have been magically. Even without it though, it was still nice, and you just immerse yourself in the nature and the sound of water falling. If you ever happen to be in the area, I would honestly suggest you visit. The hike sounds intimidating, but it's actually not too bad because it's not all stairs. There's a route that takes you pretty far up the mountain without having to climb too many stairs.