The "Quiet" Side of China

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Have arrived here in Zhenyuan after a brief stopover in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou and the main airport for the region. I had flown to Guiyang primarily as a jumping off spot to explore the province. On arrival, it was clear that was the best plan. While I didn't see a lot of the city, what I did see didn't make me regret my decision to spend little time here. I stayed near the train station for a quick getaway to Zhenyuan the following morning.

Guizhou is one of the poorest provinces of China. It is mountainous, relatively sparsely populated and home to many minority tribes. These factors postponed the explosive development happening in most regions of China for awhile, but now big things are in the works. A fast train line will be completed in 2015, making the province more accessible and recently completed highways have already improved the situation. The result, the once quiet towns have begun to be flooded with Chinese tourists, especially now, during school holidays.

I planned this visit after being shown photos of the province by Maude, a student of mine 2 years ago. She has planned out the visit for me, with regrets that my available time doesn't really allow me to get off the beaten path. Before she got involved in the planning, I had booked some stops that required 7+ hours of travel between destinations. A week just wasn't enough. Too bad, since some of the places I'd targeted won't be off the beaten path next year.

Zhenyuan is clearly on the beaten path. It is beautifully situated, split by a river. The main streets running on either side of the river are crowded with souvenir shops and restaurants. Maude has booked me into a place right on the river at a premium price of about $50 a night. That raised my expectations. Bad mistake. This is the peak tourist season. On my arrival, the manager walks me 100 meters down the block through a small alley. I'm worried. The room is plain, but clean. There were no towels, so I mimed what I needed and was rewarded with two dishtowel size bath towels. The high point is definitely the view.

Wiped out after the 3.5 hour bus ride from Guiyang, I postponed exploring the town, deciding to rest to gather my energy to deal with dinner in a place that doesn't cater to non-Chinese tourists.

Early in the evening, I walked to the center of food activity across the river from my hotel. I ran into a couple of girls working at a restaurant who knew just a bit of English. Together, we worked out a dinner that included a whole roast fish, Chinese cabbage, rice and a draft beer. This again underscored a difficulty of eating alone in China. There's apparently no such thing as half orders! Guizhou is known for it's hot, spicy food. I suspect they went a little easy with this foreigner.

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