Yangshuo....Last Day

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Last Day in China

Never underestimate the entertainment value of a middle-aged white woman taking her first ride on a motorbike in a crowded intersection of downtown Yangshuo. A crowd quickly gathered to witness my maiden voyage, as I struggled coordinating the hand throttle and hand brakes, and dodging the unlucky pedestrians who wandered into my path. The crowd shouted words of encouragement and instructions: “OK! OK!”, “Brake!”, “Stop!” and the ubiqitous “Hello, Be Careful!” (which flows of the tongue of every hawker in China.) I eventually made a full circle without stopping or encountering a near miss, the crowd dispersed, I rented the bike, we headed off with Lilly for a day in the country.

We soon left the paved roads and spent most of the next 4 hours on dirt roads that connect the farms and villages of rural China. Potholes occupy major portions of the roadway, so I quickly gained experience maneuvering the bike, if I was paying enough attention, and not staring at the lovely scenes unfolding around each bend.

It is hard to describe how beautiful this part of rural china really is. These are certainly not the large, dusty, monotone farms of my youth in Kansas, or even the green, sprawling farms of Monroe or Carnation. Instead, these are tiny, tidy fields (most about 1500 sq ft), separated by earthen or stone walls, and dappled with aquaducts, ancient old brick buildings, the occasional water buffalo, and a one or two farmers industriously working each square. All this against the backdrop of the karst mountains. I couldn’t keep my eyes on the road, or lack thereof, and my backside can attest to the number of potholes I failed to avoid.

We visited a village on the Li River that has been occupied for about 700 years. Sitting on a deck above the bank drinking some tea, we watched a woman clean fish on the dock while the duck population jockeyed for position for the spoils. Houseboats and bamboo rafts plied the river. We were invited by an old woman to visit her home nearby (for a small donation for “luck”), where she and her husband live in one of the oldest houses still existing in the village. This small, dark 4 room home had dirt floors, wood-fired cooking oven, a large earthen jar where water was stored, and no bathroom. But it did have a TV hooked to the only electricity in the home, and prominently displayed in the entry room right under a large poster of Mao. So strange!

Thus ended our 3 week adventure in China. After the ride, we had burger (deep fried!) and a beer, and headed off to the airport in Guillin for our return home, via Shanghai and Vancouver
It is great to be home, and I know we’ll be processing all the sights, sounds, and people for a while to come.

She-she.

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Comments

[Catherine]

Great picture of Mao!
The picture of Mao with the TV below it is really something! Great to hear about your trip -- I'll miss your blogs! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. I'll see you sometime soon -- I'll be home May 15 -- hugs, Catherine

[June]

Thank You!!!
Thank you SO much for the wonderful trip. I will go along with your next one, too. Jim would never have done this without your being along to egg him on, I'm sure. I bet this was a great, wonderful thing for both of you, and for Doug. What can I say . but "OH, MY!!!" Again, Thank you, Pat!