Blogs from Longji Rice Terraces, Guangxi, China, Asia - page 4

Z lijangu autobusem przejechalismy do Dali, kolejnego bardzo turystycznego miasteczka w Yunnanie. Mnie Dali podobalo sie bardziej niz Lijang, Pawlowi odwrotnie. Przyjemna starowka, europejski styl, mila odmiana. Po jednej nocy w Dali udalismy sie do stolicy Yunnanu, miasta Kunming i po kolejnej nocy wsiedlismy do pociagu do Guilinu (28 godzin:)). Zdecydowalismy sie tym razem na bilety w klasie Hard Sleeper - czyli lezanki. Komfort jazdy byl calkiem dobry, ale 28 godzin w pozycji lezacej, niezbyt pewne jedzenie, ogolne zmeczenie i chyba drobny kryzys spowodowaly, ze kolejne 2 dni byly dla mnie ciezkie. Wysiedlismy z pociagu i od razu trzeba bylo szukac dworaca autobusow dalekobieznych, by dojechac do Longsheng - miasteczka wypadowego do Tarasow Ryzowych Smoczego Grzbietu. Ledwie wysiadlem z pociagu, od razu zatesknilem za gorami. Upal i zaduch byl potworny!, a ja zdarzylem sie juz przyz ... read more

Vi begav os mod Longshen i den nordvestlige del af Guanxi provinsen. Det gik af helt små snoede veje op gennem noget der virkede som en kinesisk regnskov, og førte os længere og længere ind i bjergene. Vi passerede adskillige små landsbyer, hvor lokalbefolkningen knoklede med husbyggeri eller landbrug. Efter hvert hårnålesving ventede endnu en flot udsigt over dalen, hvor mega bambusser rejste sig op langs bjergsiderne. Pludselig lød bilen som noget der skulle transportere brudepar, og der var ingen tvivl om, at udstødningen var faldet af. Den røg i bagagerummet, og så kørte vores chauffør ufortrødent videre. Nøjagtig som i Beijing var kørslen her fuldstændig vanvittig og uforsvarlig, blot med den ene tilføjelse at vi her overhalte udenom i hårnålesving med siden ud mod det frie fald… Efter godt to timer ankom vi til selve ... read more

hello, we're not actually in longii yet but in guilin but that isn't on here. we left yangshou thurs night and cycled out half an hour to the next village. here we stayed in traditional mud hut farmhouse...the insides were so beautiful...the comfy beds had mosquito nets hanging over them so it was like being in a four poster bed (or my old bed at the orchard)...but its weird the dreams they give you. then i went off to cooking school...made 5 dishes in a beautiful barn...very tuscan actually...made aubergine, stuffed vegetables, cashew nut chicken, patchoi, and beer fish. it was lovely...but i think my fish was off as it smelt funny and i was quite ill later...not nice...but fortunately we had shotgunned the only western ensuite! it was lovely food and great fun to ... read more

It took three different buses and a half hour walk to find our next accommodation. We trekked up into the mountains to stay at a small village called Dazhai up in the Longji Rice Terraces. We stayed at a basic guesthouse and spent the evening at another little place which was lit up with neon lights despite being in the middle of nowhere. The Terraces themselves are quite amazing, with an intricate series of tunnels and pipelines ensuring that water gets to all of the individual paddies... and they are up on the top of some bloody steep hills! Some of the paths we hiked along are hundreds of years old and took decades (or longer) to build which isn't that hard to imagine considering it basically meant heaving great rocks up the mountainside! We ... read more

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The day's drive toward the West from the beautiful garden city of Guilin in Guangxi Province, turned into the next unforgettable journey, through a part of South-China, where little has changed for a thousand years. Only recently has a better road opened the way for "voyeur-tourists" like me to visit one of Nature's Great Paintings. The Longji Titian (or aptly named Dragon Backbone Terraces of Longsheng) have always been a travel-destination wish, and I was fortunate to visit them just before the rice-harvest, as the sheath of each kernel turns gold. We had rented a car, and were ready to explore the high ridges of the Rongshui River Valley and the surrounding countryside, dotted with Zhuang and Yao villages. All have remained quite virgin until the region opened to visitors only recently. The passing and unforgettable ... read more