Pleasures of going off the beaten track_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Pleasures of going off the beaten track

Last Saturday morning I was driving on my way to an eastern suburban town of Beijing when I turned on the radio to hear that all roads leading to the Fragrant Hill Park were crowded with cars near the tourist attraction famous for its scenery of flourishing red leaves.

It has become a routine news program in the "Traffic Radio" every year around this time that Beijing residents flocking to the scenic spot in the northwestern suburb jam the roads nearby and tourists are advised to go to other venues.

I wonder why Beijing's red leaf lovers favor Fragrant Hill only. Red leaf trees grow in many other places in and around the city. The highway I was driving on last Saturday, for instance, was flanked by trees of red and yellow and green leaves, making a gorgeous scene under the blue sky.

I recalled an excursion I went on last autumn in a Beijing suburb. It was a sunny Saturday and I decided that I needed to find a quiet place for some respite from work. I simply drove northward away from the downtown area without any particular destination in my mind. Somewhere beyond the 6th Ring Road I turned to a small road that seemed leading to the mountains in the distance.

Finally I came to a valley that looked secluded from the outside world. The hillsides were all covered with unknown trees with leaves in a riot of colors. Groves of red and yellow leaves flared in the autumn sun in contrast to the evergreen vegetation. Wisps of bluish grey smoke curled up from villages in the hills. Down the valley there was a small reservoir mirroring the white clouds in the azure sky. I was intoxicated with the serene yet vibrant scenery.