I don't know why. Clouds have always had an inexplicable fascination for me. They can be so feathery, so fluffy, so light, so white and sometimes so black. They have a remarkable ability to take on the magical colors of the sunrises or sunsets: turning first red, then yellow, then dazzling white in the morning. The cycle is repeated in the evening but in reverse order until they become so grey and then so dark that it's difficult to tell if they're still there. During the day, they may stay for hours and hours unchanged high up in the sky but they can change shapes so rapidly that no two moments are the same. What appeals to me is the way they are able float in the air without the slightest regard for the laws of gravity, so volatile, so carefree. There appears absolutely no limit on their ability to change their shape at will. My 5-day trip to Xian, the ancient capital of the descendants of the dragon began and ended with clouds.
Clouds hugging the roof of the HK International Airport
It promises to be a sunny day
But soon a storm cloud appears in the foreground. If so, will it thicken and delay the scheduled flight?
Ha Ha, Hong Kong at my feet !
Before long, I was right in the middle of a sea of clouds of all shapes, sizes and distance
clouds rising in the distance like some monsters
"Mountain ranges" with "flowers" in front?
Clouds hugging the roof of the HK International Airport
It promises to be a sunny day
But soon a storm cloud appears in the foreground. If so, will it thicken and delay the scheduled flight?
Ha Ha, Hong Kong at my feet !
Before long, I was right in the middle of a sea of clouds of all shapes, sizes and distance
clouds rising in the distance like some monsters
"Mountain ranges" with "flowers" in front?
Chrysanthemums in the sky or moon cakes ?
or Danish pastry?
A Chinese lion to the left, like one we see in lion dances?
raging billows breaking upon a rocky shore?
A mother cloud with numerous children close upon her heels?
How blue is the sky !
Just a few wisps of clouds as we fly back from Sian. All bare mountains below.
A star in the sky at the bottom left?
As we got further and further from Xian, there were more and more clouds.
The clouds got flattened. In the middle, one could detect a faint ring-shaped rainbow !
Another rainbow !
The half-moon shape rainbow becomes more visible against the white clouds.
More than one rainbow now !
Waves pressing closely upon each other ?
"Peninsulas" of such waves separated by "rivers" and "lakes"?
A carpet of cotton wool ?
A mountain rising starkly from the "sea" !
A closer view of the "mountains" !
A "Goofy" in the sky behind the tip of the wing of our aircraft?
Two "anvil" shaped clouds. A sharp-beak fisher bird pecking at a fluffy rag duck?
One of the birds has now become a "dragon" whilst the other has turned itself into an inverted furry snow boot.
The plane being pursued by a horde of "monsters"?
The "monsters" getting closer ?
The dark monsters getting even closer !
The plane changing directions
The plane has finally escaped from the clutches of the "monsters"
The plane submerging itself into another layer of clouds.
Getting darker and darker
A strange mix of the interior and exterior of the aircraft window
Outlying islands began to appear.
The plane has arrived within Hong Kong territorial waters ! Finally, home !
從飛機上看雲層確實令有一番風味。西安的天空也實在大美。謝謝分享。
回覆刪除[版主回覆09/06/2012 13:41:36]Clouds do look very different from a plane. I envy the pilots !
高空上的彩虹，不常見啊。
回覆刪除謝謝分享。 ^_^
[版主回覆09/06/2012 17:16:54]You're right. It's rather unusual, especially when there's more than one rainbow. I saw it once only while on a visit to the Yellow Stone Park.
As fanciful attires to women are clouds to the sky, they are adornments that enhance the heavenly charm. The ever morphing clouds reflect also the sky's myriad moods, like a woman signaling you how and when to react to her angers, joys, ecstasies, coyness, jeers, ogling, sadness and tears.
回覆刪除[版主回覆09/06/2012 23:39:21]The sky would be empty without clouds. Clouds are the fishes of the sky, as plentiful and as elusive.
Just as confucius, I see money as floating clouds.
回覆刪除I love floating clouds.
[版主回覆09/06/2012 23:39:58]Things of spirit can never be fully caught.
嘩! 雲得一陣陣.
回覆刪除[版主回覆09/06/2012 23:40:16]Righto !
Magnificent ! Looking at the globe from such latitude gives people a completely different perspective.
回覆刪除[版主回覆09/08/2012 13:17:43]Yes, moving away from the surface of the crowded earth gives one a proper perspective of the insignificance of petty human squabbles.
漂亮的照片，精彩的形容，谢谢分享！
回覆刪除[版主回覆09/07/2012 06:36:29]Happy that you enjoyed them.
Your love of clouds is obvious as revealed at page head of the blog.
回覆刪除These wonderful pictures of clouds remind me that I have not seen clouds from the planes for more than 5 years and it's about time to relive the experience! Thank you.
[版主回覆09/13/2012 06:57:56]Clouds can be seen on the ground too. They can be equally fascinating from that perspective too.