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Published: September 6th 2008
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Was so worried that I wouldn't make it to Longji because of my foot, but having had 4 days of rest, without too much walking I had no problems that a couple of painkillers couldn't fix, there was no way I was going to miss trekking through the rice terraces, it was the bit that I had been looking forward to the most of the whole trip.
The day started with a 4 hour bus ride to Longji after we had dropped our luggage at the train station storage room with just our day packs and enough clothes to see us through 2 days - this being underwear and evening clothes, no need for a change of day clothes, we could all smell together whilst hiking! The journey was surprisingly comfortable, we had a private bus, so there was plenty of space and it was a good opportunity to catch up on a bit of sleep or literature, however the mood took, for me it was the book, I was catching up for lost time - having desperately tried to plough my way through a really dull travel book for the past 4 weeks and still not making it to
The village of our first guesthouse
No roads to here, so we walked from the bus. It wasn't too far, just very hot and humid - just a taste of things to come tomorrow. the end, I abandoned it and read 2 brilliant books in less than a week, much helped on my way by the 16 hours on a train and 4 hours on a bus!
As we entered the the province I found it more and more difficult to concentrate on my reading, as my eyes were constantly drawn to the scenery that was becoming more and more mountainous, and the road becoming more and more winding with a sheer drop beside us, I kept catching myself staring out the window in awe.
There was no road up to the village where we were staying that first night, so we were dropped off where the road came to a dead end that was now a carpark - tourism being brought in by corporate companies and the likes of us! The walk was only about half and hour, but in the baking afternoon heat we were all glad to get to the guesthouse and cool down. I jumped in a quick shower only then to be informed that our local guide - a very nice man known as Farmer Tang, always eager to give you as much information about the region
To the first lookout
The evening we arrived Farmer Tang took those of us that wanted to a lookout point, it was beautiful, however not as peaceful as it could have been - being interviewed by Chinese tv was very funny. as he could - was willing to take anyone who wanted to go to a lookout point about a 40 minute walk through the hills. Of course I didn't want to miss out and had the added bonus of feeling nice and fresh before stepping out again into the sweltering humidity to regain my sweat moustache that seems to have become a permanent feature here in China - Nice! The walk was pretty easy going, but by the time we reached the top we were all quite out of breath, I have come to the conclusion though, that it doesn't matter how fit you are in the heat everyone suffers. And then came the shock - a film crew! Doing a report for a chinese news station about Longji and its tourist trade. I'm just glad that we had no idea when it was going to be on, as 8 red, hot, sweaty out of breath westerners stand confused being interviewed in chinese with Farmer Tang doing his best to translate for us all, and then to nod and say 'its very beautiful'. We were even taught how to say 'Longji is very beautiful' in mandarin, although I can't remember
now.
The next morning was another early start - again to avoid the heat of midday. It was at breakfast we met Clint. when asking what the puppies name was the owner of the guesthouse laughed and said ' he doesn't have a name, he's just dog' - henceforth puppy became known as Clint - the dog with no name. Clint then became our walking buddy for the next few hours, wandering along behind the group and waiting for stragglers. It was around 3 hours into our 5 hour trek that we lost Clint when he fell asleep in the shade of a rest stop and decided he didn't want to follow us anymore. I will always wonder whether he found his way home, or spent the rest of his days wandering the terraces like the littlest hobo.
The second village and guesthouse in Ping'an was as pretty as that of Longji. It was the first time of the trip where there was nothing to do, no city to explore, no train to get on, no planned outing to go, and it was a very pleasant change to not feel guilty and that I was wasting time by
Clint - the dog with no name
We were laughed at when we asked the dogs name, it was just 'dog', so we named him Clint. just sitting, relaxing and taking in the scenery. It was here that the local women put on a show of traditional song and dance for our group. A very much enjoyable experience, especially when it became apparent that this was an interactive show. And we were all stood up and coaxed gingerly into dancing and playing traditional games, it didn't take long for everyone to get into the spirit of things, and soon we were all laughing, mainly at each other, and celebrating the marriage ceremony of Michael and Emma, now Mr and Mrs for the remainder of their time in China - 3 days! Then came the bamboo skipping, those without co-ordination need not apply! I don't think I did too bad (see video), but those with the most cheers were for the sound of cracking bamboo as it was jumped on with great force!
After such an amazing and relaxing time, I was actually quite sad to leave Ping'an, knowing that I wouldn't be back in the Chinese countryside again. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to get to Hong Kong, I've heard its a pretty amazing city and I'll get to see Jo, but this
trip has some very special memories and I will definately return to Yangshuo, Longji and Ping'an if I can, maybe for longer periods next time.
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