There is a river at a walking distance of around 10 minutes, and most of the time, the river is dried, with some spots with water bodies at the bottom area. Only during the rainy season or in the spring season, when the ice melts down from the northern mountain range of this area, can water flow be seen, and the river is almost full. A lower road by the river was closed for months because of a heavy flow of water. But at the current time, the river is completely dried and it will covered with snow very soon. The area is a good place for an afternoon walk and to enjoy nature through the natural beauty has been wiped out from this area as the temperature has dropped down around 5 degrees centigrade, while night temperature can be as low as -7/8 degrees in recent days.
Usually, I have the weekly work report on Monday, but unfortunately, this weekly report was scheduled for last Saturday at 1:30 pm, and I had the plan to go to another district nearby for exploration as the weather was very comfortable that day with a little bit higher temperature and crystal blue sky and excellent air quality. However, due to the meeting, I quit my plan, and it took around 4 hours till the meeting ended. After the meeting, I had the chance to walk around the Mangniu riverside walkways in the Huairou district. When I left the dormitory, it was just at the time of sunset, and the sky was coloured with red colours. But very fast, the darkness started to dominate as the sunlight faded away during the winter days much faster than normal.
Within 10 minutes of walking, I reached the river bank. And I found the cruel behaviour of the coming winter though winter has its own beauty. I found the complete absence of the green lushes as usually I see. Also, the grasses and some plants by the river bank and roadside areas have been cleared out to make the area clean. As soon as the spring comes this area will be filled with green again. Due to the clear weather, I can see the mountains range from the river bottom with an amazing view on the northern side and the reddish sky of the setting sun in the southern side and the southwestern direction.
Almost all the trees by the side of the river and the adjacent forestry area are now completely naked without leaves and the ground is completely covered with dried brown leaves. There is a clear pathway that is created by the movement of the traveler through the empty river to the next village area. The empty branches of these trees create an amazing view surrounding the dark blue background of the sky. These are stunning to take shots and spend time around the area with different views from different spots.
After spending some time there I crossed the forestry area and went to the nearby town area to buy some fruits from the supermarket. As I will also return in the same way, I didn't buy a lot of thongs; I just bought some bread from a bakery which is one of my favorites, and oranges, and cucumbers from the supershop.
And, yes, a durian-flavored ice cream that I often enjoy. Though it is winter, I love ice cream in winter, on rainy days, and throughout the years. The good thing is that in the winter, ice cream will not melt so fast so I can enjoy the taste for a longer time. It was a sudden and short exploration in the winter afternoon to the evening though duration was no more than a hour but I enjoyed the time in the barren land of winter here.
I hope you like my shots from the sudden afternoon walking. If you have any queries, let me know in the comments, and I will try my best to answer them.
Thanks a lot for your time and attention. I will catch up with you at the next one.
Wish you a good day!
