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Published: March 30th 2012
Farm Wife
She lives in Dragon Backbone Village, named after the sharp peaks of the hills where the village is located.March 19 and 20, we spent our last couple of days in Kunming, walking along the Dian Chi Lake and climbing rock stairs to three gates – the third is the dragon’s gate. The lake is very dry, as is most of Yunnan. We were told this is a 60-year drought, and a forest fire was being fought just outside town. (We saw large helicopters slinging water buckets from the lake.) We were lucky to have the company of Judy Zhang, a manager with Yunnan Overseas International Travel. Tom had made many of our trip plans on the internet, using sites like TripAdvisor for customer reviews. Judy was a great find. She helped plan our trip and moved us seamlessly from one local guide to the next through Yunnan. I’m putting a 5-star review on Trip Advisor. We also spent an afternoon at the WalMart! There are three in Kunming, so we decided to see how the “evil empire” is attacking the Chinese market. It appeared to be much more crowded (aisles and arrangements of displays) than the US stores, and the shelves were more like Home Depot, with bulk boxes stacked on top of the display shelves. There were many
The Kids
Most were shy at first, but they decided we were a great distraction. little “stores” within the big building, especially in the cosmetics area. The baby/children section was huge and the grocery section had products ranging from plastic containers of jellies and snacks to big ice tables with fresh chicken feet. All the employees wear red shirts, not blue as in the US. When we talked to friends who had shopped there, they were not impressed by either the quality or the prices. One said that they don’t like buying meat from the refrigerator – they want it to be fresh.
We took a night train to Guilin and met our next guide, Jessie from Yangshuo-travel-guide.com. She was excellent: knew the country, made changes to our itinerary when necessary and took care of us more like family than customers. She took us to Longshen County, Ping An village, where our hotel was placed way up on top of a hill, with rock steps. They had porters, thank goodness, because my pack was heavy – even though we were down at a decent altitude. The porter was amazing – a tiny woman close to my age, who plopped my pack in her basket, put it on her back and just walked up.
Ping An
Beautiful hill town in the Longshen area, famous for its terraces Well, that was humiliating, and a good example of how we soft flatlanders wouldn’t last long in a country like this. I paid her the usual fee, and then thought of the embroidered slippers I’d bought for almost nothing in Lijiang. I gave them to the porter and she was so thrilled! I think she appreciated them more than the money. We stayed at the Countryside Hotel (0773-7583596), that was more like a country hostel. Next, we went to the town of Xing Ping, floating down the Li River on a motorized bamboo raft. After stopping half-way to get tickets, we entered the part of the river that is a national park. For that area, no cars were allowed down to the riverbank, so golf carts took travelers up to the town. Again, we stayed in a hostel, but the room was very nice. It was still cold, so in the evening, one of the staff found a little broken space heater they put under ort table while we drank ginger tea and fed two scrawny kittens our leftovers. They’re apparently owned by the hotel, but are not being fed as needed (cats don’t eat rice!). This lack of interest
Kunming
One of our last sunny days, on our way out of Yunnan Province in domestic animals was demonstrated also in the market, where I saw the butcher skinning and gutting two dead dogs for meat. Tulip would NOT have been pleased to see that…
We’re now in the beautiful area around Yang Shuo. Check the photos –the karst mountains are amazing and hard to comprehend. We’re staying at the Snow Lion Resort, which is out of town and quieter than the “backpacker district”. They run an electric shuttle back and forth – this week, because of construction on an addition, the shuttle is free. Right next to the driveway is one of the karst mountains, a tall, jutting mass of rock that comes out of nowhere. Walking through Yang Shuo reminded us of how much things can change in four years. Gone are the gangs of young western backpackers, replaced by hordes of Chinese tourists climbing off huge buses and following a guide with a flag on a long stick. We were surprised at how so many Chinese people seem to prefer traveling like this, rather than traveling solo or as a family group. We’ve been told that Chinese people are most comfortable when they are in a large group surrounded
Luxury Dining
Ramen noodles inn the soft sleeper car by friends and family. They regard the solo travel (even couples) as sad – no one wants to be with you? Why would you travel by yourself? We’ve also been told that outside the comfort of the group, Chinese people are not friendly to strangers, regarding them as threatening. While we think this is true, we’ve found that if the westerner makes almost any effort to recognize them as people, they turn into the friendliest people on earth.
We revisited Tom’s favorite Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor, Dr. Lily Li. Last time we were here, she did acupuncture on this back and right heel, followed by massage, and cured his heel spur. This time, he told her about his sacroiliac problems, so she put him on his belly and inserted eleven needles into his lumbar spine. Some hurt going in, and she said that was because he now has almost no room between the vertebrae. However after that 40-minute session and a deep massage, he’s had no pain at all – and he always has some.
We continued our Yang Shuo tour with a bike ride and another bamboo raft trip (this time on the Yulong River)
My Porter
Well, THAT was humiliating! which took us over several low-head dams. The bike ride was a challenge, as the traffic can be daunting and the roads can be poor to non-existent. We ate lunch at Moon Hill, a rock formation with a crescent-shaped hole at the top of a hill. No hike, as we followed Jessie’s advice to change our reservations for onward travel from a three-flight day to a two-train, 18-hour journey. It turned out to be good advice.
Jessie also gave us one of the high points of our trip: a speed boat trip up the Li River to “her” village. It’s called Puyi, with about 1000 residents, about 2/3 of whom are also named Lu. She said her father has numerous uncles and 23 cousins, so everyone is related to everyone else – just like in Tellico Plains. We met her parents and saw their house, then walked around the village, visited the elementary school, and returned to her parents’ house for lunch. We saw and learned so much!
· She grew up in a home with packed mud walls, no well, and no indoor plumbing. Before and after school, her first chore was to bring home
Ping An
All the buildings -- and the fields are on the sides of steep hills two big buckets of water from the river. Her parents built a new one-story home, but it was destroyed by a flood three years ago. The new home has three floors, a Chinese (squat) bathroom on the first floor (along with living room, food storage room, and two bedrooms), and a western bathroom on the second floor (which has an empty living room and three bedrooms). The third level has an open plank floor and is used for food storage.
· After lunch, we were able to see the kitchen area, which is in a separate little building in the back yard. Jessie said that since wood is a preferred cooking fuel, most folks prefer not to have the wood smoke in the main house. In the kitchen, they have a propane burner, a METHANE (she called it natural gas) burner, a wood burner under a huge (2-3 foot) iron wok, and another wood burner under a large (5-gallon) pot of water. The place for each wood fire is about 6x12 inches, but the fires are HOT!
· So – where does the natural gas come from? They make it! In the back yard, there’s a
Terraces
If we had the same terraces, we could farm all of the Appalachians. small (about 12x18 inch) opening into a concrete pit with water and a concrete cover. All organic material (weeds, waste food, water buffalo poop) goes into the pit, is squashed down into the water, and covered with the lid. Methane gas is generated by the rotting material and goes through an opening into a separate covered concrete pit about three feet away. She didn’t open it, but I think it also had water in it. As the gas bubbles up in that pit, it goes into a pipe which is connected with the methane burner in the kitchen. The waste water goes into another pit and is used to water the garden.
· They grow their own vegetables, have hens, and buy or trade for pork, which they smoke in the back yard or preserve with salt. Jessie wants to get a wood stove for her house, but her parents were distrustful of the concept. They reminded me of my mom: why put in a stove – just put on a jacket when you’re cold!
It reminded me that if the world situation deteriorates badly, the farmers of the world who have not given up the old
In the Clouds
Imagine what it would be like if you could see the far mountains! ways but who can embrace the best of the new ways will survive while the city dwellers will perish.
We left Yang Shuo two days ago and arrived in Zangjiajie yesterday, in rain and fog. We’re hoping that tomorrow will be sunny, because we think this is the MOST beautiful part of the country we’ve seen yet. Yesterday’s photos were pretty worthless. More later – and in the sunshine, we hope!!
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wonderful commentary
Sandy, we are really enjoying your blog. You have a new career as a travel commentator! key