To Lauren, from Ms. Dana

I'm a postcard fan. Even in the days of email and Internet phone lines, I still think it's fun to send and receive things via the good ol' Postal Service. So I've been sending lots of postcards since I've been over here - both from Malaysia and from China.

I received a question about a postcard from Lauren Schooler, my friend Rose's 9-year old daughter. Lauren's picture is above.

The Question

"To Ms Dana....From Lauren...So were the caves you visited really as colorful as the postcard you sent me? "

This photo is similar to Lauren's postcard. I took it in the Reed Flute Cave which is about 5km outside the city of Guilin in China. It's a stunning maze - 240 meters long - of enormous and intricate stalactite and stalagmite formations.

The Answer Is...

Yes! but not naturally :-) The scene above is the "masterpiece" of the Reed Flute Cave - a rock formation set at the back of a lake that naturally formed inside the cave. The formation seems to resemble a city skyline and the lake reflects the formation as perfectly as a mirror. The top half of the above picture is the actual rock and the bottom half is its reflection in the lake.

When this site became a tourist attraction, the goverment installed lights to enable people to walk easily through the cave. Some of these lights are in fact colored to enhance the formations.

So there you have it Lauren! Send more questions if you have them - about China or Malaysia. I miss you VERY much. Love, Ms. Dana

PS

I encourage all my friends' and family's kids to post a question to me. Bring it! Even if you're an reader of this blog and we haven't yet met face to face - if you're little one has a question about my expat experience or the US, please send. I'll be sure to answer. Kids often have the most interesting questions of all of us!

Until next time, peace out my fellow citizens of the world.