Blogs from Kaili, Guizhou, China, Asia
Days 23 & 24 – Dali to Xingyi to Kaili, Huanggoushu Waterfall
Published: April 25th 2012Asia » China » Guizhou » Kaili
April 24th 2012
I’ve combined these two days, as really, our 23rd day was spent on the road doing the 630 km to Xingyi. Really not to much to report. The landscapes were not so spectacular, but I guess that thus far we have truly been spoilt. We passed through Kunming, which on the surface looked like just another grimy big city. Then heading to Xingyi where we observed the numerous pyramid type hills dotting the landscape. Nothing to report from Xingyi, yet another new town that is popping up in the valleys. The following day started off with a piano recital by two team members on the hotel lobby’s baby grand, then we hit the road to Kaili stopping to see the Huanggoushu Waterfall, said to be in the top six in China. Beautiful, yes, but after Jyuzhaigou ... read more
January 21st 2012
I do like traditional folk songs. But I didn’t think I like the folk songs in this area. I prefer the songs in northwest of China, which seems more powerful and primitive. Songs in Guizhou’s minority groups are more resonant by high pitch. I used to think it is a little bit ear-piercing when I listened through TV. But I completed changed my mind when I enjoyed the live performance in Xiaohuang, a small ‘Dong’ village which is famous by its songs. I was late. Every year there is a big singing competition from 13rd to 15th August according to Luna calendar. In that day, many choruses from ‘Dong’ villages come there to compete. It is not a formal competition. The key point mostly focuses on the fun. It is a big party for these ‘Dong’ ... read more
October 7th 2009
Hey All, I’m back on campus and taking a deep breath as I decompress from our homestay that, as you can tell, was chockfull of adventure. Happily, I can tell you that despite the little side trip to the hospital, it was truly an enjoyable experience. One unexpected plus is that my Chinese is actually improving. I can now string together elementary sentences such as “My horse is fat,” and “My dad is busy.” I can say the same things about your horse and father, and even about his/her horse and father. Don’t act like you’re not impressed. To catch up on Kaili: On Sunday afternoon we went to the home of an English teacher from John’s high school. She had some family visiting for the holiday and prepared a lovely lunch for all of us. ... read more
Country and Village life in the mountains around Kali
Published: April 19th 2009Asia » China » Guizhou » Kaili
April 16th 2009
Dear friends, In this blog, travel with us in the mountains and enjoy the pictures of the Miao peoples countrylife. One picture tells more than a thousand words. Stay tuned for our new adventures in Yunnan Provence. From Kali with love. Monkey and Bear. Lieve vrienden en vriendinnen, In deze blog weinig of geen tekst. Want een foto vertelt meer dan duizend woorden. Reis met ons mee door de bergen en ervaar het dagelijkse leven van de Miao bevolking in hun eigen leefomgeving. Deze rondreis is er zo een die wij nooit meer zullen vergeten. De vriendelijkheid en de gastvrijheid van deze bergvolkeren zijn uniek. Iedereen die je tegen komt wil eigenlijk het weinige dat zij bezitten met jou delen. In hun beleving is alles wat leeft hun vriend en moet je ook als goede vriend ... read more
April 15th 2009
Dear friends, In this travelblog an impression of the Sister Meal festival and other Miao festivals we visited during the last 7 days. We have had a great time, lots of fun and we learned a lot about the Miao people. The Sister Meal festival is for the Miaos the most important festival every year. Why???????????? Here is the information. Thanks to Tony Wang. The Sister Meal Festival. The festival represents a nation's culture. In China, each of 56 ethnic communities boasts their own festivals which record and carry forward traditions, cultures and ethnic folklore. The Sister Festival is one of the Miao people's most active festivals. It is held on the 15th day of the third lunar month, and the Miao celebrate it with numerous traditional activities and customs. Sister Festival, held in Shidong, Taijiang ... read more
April 12th 2009
This was our last homestay and trek in China and again we were trekking through rice terraces but having come further south and with the weather much warmer more people were working in the paddy fields. They grow the rice seedlings in large rectangular trays and then divide them into little round dishes which stay afloat in the paddy field as the workers stoop over, knee deep in mud, planting the seedlings. We saw water buffalo ploughing the narrow terraces. This area seemed to be much poorer and we noticed a lot of young kids who were not in school as we passed through villages, many seemed to be minding their younger siblings. After a full day walking, the local cure for aching muscles seems to be liberal amounts of rice wine. After a few sups ... read more
Miao People the way they live - their festivals - and the countryside in the mountains
Published: May 15th 2009Asia » China » Guizhou » Kaili
April 11th 2009
Dear friends, The next coming days we are staying at the Miao family guesthouse. It's realy perfect to stay and sleep with the local people. Let you inform about the Miao Minority people. Read the article below. The information about the Miao minority is provided by www.china.org.cn. Many thanks foor the information. The Miao ethnic minority With a population of 8,940,116, the Miao people form one of the largest ethnic minorities in southwest China. They are mainly distributed across Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan and Sichuan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and a small number live on Hainan Island in Guangdong Province and in southwest Hubei Province. Most of them live in tightly-knit communities, with a few living in areas inhabited by several other ethnic groups. On the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and in some remote mountainous areas, Miao ... read more
May 13th 2008
Howdy - we'll we've certainly had an action packed couple of days, we're in Kaili in Guizhou province right now (nowhere near any earthquakes if you were wondering) but I'll step back a couple of days. From Sanjiang (last blog) we moved by bus to Conjiang (pronounced chongjiang - that caught us out for a while!), in the process switching from the Guiyang province to the Guiyang province - although there was merely a sign along the road somewhere, no U.S mexico border or anything. Both Sanjiang and Congjiang were fairly unremarkable but were means to an end. And that end was villages. Now, villages = not big city. Not big city = not much infracstructure. Not much infrastructure is equivalent to mostly dirt roads. Mostly dirt roads plus the aforementioned lightening storm = chaos! The ... read more
October 28th 2007
Hello from San Du in Guizhou Province. We had a lovely break in Guanling to see the waterfalls, and stayed with a very friendly family. The eldest lad was teaching himself English from the internet and doing well. He wanted to know about our journey and after seeing our family photos on the blog, with the garden in the background, he looked at Ockbrook on Google-Earth. His dad gave us a lift to the waterfalls. It was a bit of a hairy ride, though interesting to see the view from the other side of a windscreen. Since then, we have moved steadily Eastwards. The scenery has changed and become more undulating and less mountainous. There is less intensive cultivation and it is lovely cycling along tree-lined roads. There is a real autumn feel now: the leaves ... read more
October 11th 2007
With our ultimate destination next being Kunming, we had 2 routes to get there - either through Sanjiang and Liuzhou, or through Kaili. For various reasons, Sanjiang was our preferred waypoint but, at 9:30AM when neither the 7:30AM nor 8:30AM buses to Sanjiang had come through (supposedly the only morning options), we felt forced to change our plans. Buses to Congjiang and Kaili took up the rest of the day, with uncomfortable hours of traditional music on the DVD player pitched somewhere in the screeching range. The next day we boarded a sleeper train for Kunming and, 14 hours later, were back in a city we'd first visited 5 months ago.... read more
