Blogs from Ping An, Guangxi, China, Asia
September 6th 2011
Ping An (a Zhuang village) is slightly more touristy than Dhazi but I really enjoyed it there and stayed an extra night. There are lots of narrow winding streets in the village with cafes and bars. My favorite was the Coffee House Restaurant great food and beer and friendly owners. There are a couple of excellent lookout posts with wonderful views and on the second day I hiked around 10k to another village up the valley and back. It’s an easy bus ride back to Guilin and you get dropped off at the bus depot opposite the train station. ... read more
Day 137: Ping An (Longji Terraces), China.
Published: April 15th 2010Asia » China » Guangxi » Ping An
April 13th 2010
Day 137: Tuesday, April 13th, 2010. Ping An (Longji Terraces), China. So cold. So very cold. It had to make it into the 40's during the night. There was a thick duvet on the bed which, luckily, didn't make me itch. Later in the day, myself, Rita, Judy and Ling went on a hour or so walk around the area. It was only sprinkling, but still foggy. I declined to take a picture (aka pay to take a picture) of the women of the village but they are known for their verrrrrry long hair. I can't imagine how long it takes them to clean it. The terraces were beautiful to see as was the lifestyle all around. Unfortunately, they're experiencing an all too common problem- their youngsters are taking off for the cities and therefore they ... read more
April 12th 2010
Day 136: Monday, April 12th, 2010. Chengyang to Ping An (Longji Terraces), China. Per Intrepid Notes, "Days 18-19 Longji Terraces After we return to Sanjiang by private transfer (approx. 1 hour), our journey continues by local bus, as we cross the ancestral home of many of Southeast Asia's minority hilltribes to reach the Longji Valley (approx. 6 hours). Known as the Dragon's Backbone, this region is a remarkable feat of engineering, with rice terraces covering entire mountainsides. On arrival in Longji, we embark on an uphill trek (approx. 30 mins) to our guesthouse in a small hillside village. Our family-run wooden guesthouse is clean and twin-share. Most rooms have private bathrooms. On day 19 we take a day-long hike through the Longji Valley to visit local hilltribe communities and learn about village life. ... read more
August 6th 2008
China. The word itself seems to invoke a sense of intrigue and mystery for most people. Only those that have actually visited understand the true meaning of this vast and quickly developing country of the far east. When people, especially westerners, think about China, images of The Great Wall, Shanghai, Hong Kong, The Forbidden City, or Tiananmen Square all come to mind. However, within this immense country of culture and diversity lies a secret lost world that time seems to have forgotten. The mountainous regions of Southeastern China is home to the Zhuang, Yao, Dong and Miao minorities that inhabit an area known as the Terraced Fields of Longji or more commonly known as The Dragon's Backbone. The terraced rice fields are situated about three and half hours just north of Guilin city within the Guangxi ... read more
Off the beaten track and lowering my standards
Published: June 2nd 2008Asia » China » Guangxi » Ping An
May 13th 2008
(still more photo issues, give me a break!) Taking a bus from Guilin to Longshen and then from Longshen to Ping'an seemed like a big pain in the arse, but meeting a Spanish couple who spoke Mandarin on the bus definitely made things easier! The road to Ping'An is interesting to say the least, a zigzag on a mountain edge and nothing but the odd bamboo to keep us on, the driver was however not as much of a nutcase as others and the road was good. Judit sorted us out with a room for 15yuan a night (just over a pound!) But we were too scared to use the shower and the beds were rocks (Alex also had the nice additon of a pink, frilly, satin number for a pillow in his room!) Nora and ... read more
July 16th 2006
There seems to be a bit of confusion about Ping An/Long Sheng/Longji, at least in my mind. I was'nt truly sure about where i was when i was viewing the rice terraces....was I in Ping An still? Was this Longsheng or was it Longji I was looking at? No signposts that i could see, no big maps in the hotel, maybe i just wasnt looking hard enough. Anyway, it harldy seems to matter to me now, it was all stunning. After 3 hours on the road straight from the airport at Guilin, we were not expecting a 20 minute hike at an average incline of 45 degrees with three kids who all needed the toilet. But the minute you got over the souvenir infested bridge (and the ladies selling weren't really trying, just looking at the ... read more
May 9th 2006
Today I took an organized day tour to PingAn - in an area known as the Dragon's Backbone. It is an extremely hilly area - mountainous really - that is quite remote and where the rice fields are terraced into the side of the mountains. Extraordinary. The excursion was by van, with 6 paying clients and about an equal number of lcoals along for the ride:). It is a 3 hour trip one way, and about half way there wwe stopped at the side of the road so that the locals could have a feed of noodles from a stree tvendor - have I mentioned the chinese and their relationship with food? ALWAYS eating. Eventually made it there and what a day. I had researched this place on line and seen photos, but really - this ... read more
