April 12, 2016 Guilin and Terrace Rice Paddies

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Before you start to read this, get a cup of tea and sit back as this is a long one.



Today is Tuesday and we are in Guilin for day two. Last night we walked around the beautiful Riverwalk. We passed the beautifully lit Pagodas (modern) and a glass bridge. There were also representatives of London Bridge, The Golden Gate Bridge, and The Rialto Bridge (Venice). This area is called Four Lakes and a River. Aptly named, as there are four man made lakes and a river, the Li River. The lakes are there to attract tourists and attract them they did, by the thousands.



John, our buddy from Philadelphia, is still getting stopped for photos from the locals. Some how he must be mistaken for someone famous, we need to investigate.



So this morning we got to sleep in a little, 7:15 AM, as we prepared for an 8:45 departure. Our destination was the Terraced Rice Paddies about 2 hours away by bus. Unfortunately with the dawn came some light rain. Well we had a two hour drive to the mountains, so perhaps the weather would be different. It was, more on that later.



Our lovely local guide, Sue, gave us a talk about the local scene as we journey far up into the mountains. Guilin is part of an autonomous region of China, one of five. Now I really do not understand the Chinese political environment but suffice it to say this area has a high population of Chinese minorities. I will try to explain, but if you want to really know more do some research on your own for I fear I my have some inaccuracies.



In China, the Han people make up about 92 percent of the population. The remaining eight percent are made up of 5 or 6 different peoples. Mongolia, Tibet, Hong Kong, Guilin, and another section make up the autonomous regions. These area are populated by the minorities.



Now let's first understand these are not like our minorities. They are ALL Chinese. I am not talking about Africans, or Italians as minorities. These people are minority by culture not necessarily by race. Since these people are a minority, the government allows them some level of self government, but still they are subject to the PRC rules. Complicated for sure. They are allowed to retain their customs, especially if they bring in tourist dollars, and make some local rules.



Today we were going to one of these autonomous regions that is noted for it's picturesque terraced rice paddies. This is a government sponsored site, so the government supplies rice seed and supplements the local economy to assure a continuing tourist attraction.



Something about the local people in this area. They are of the Yao minority. They have been rice farmers since the Tang Dynasty. These terraces are ancient. The farmers are dirt poor. Rice is the only crop and, unlike other farms, they only grow one crop per season. Most commercial rice farms grow two crops per season. In the Yao village many people live here their entire life, never leaving the mountain.



We also learned some amazing and unique customs of the Yao people. For example, you can tell the marriage state of the women by looking at their hair. A young girl, below the age of 5 may have her head shaved several times a year. After age 5, she will not cut her hair again until her 18th birthday! They will collect the hair that they cut off at this time and make it into a braid and save it for later use. After her 18th birthday, if she is not married, she will cover her hair with a scarf and not let anyone see it. So the single women are very easy to spot.



These young girls will have long, luxurious dark black hair which they wash with rice water and brush every day. They will also collect the hair from their daily brushing and save it, also for later use.



When they get married, they will uncover their hair for their husband at their wedding. Then they will take the two braids of hair collected earlier, and weave this around the forehead almost like a hair band made of hair! When she has children, she will fashion a tight bun in the front of her head to show she has children. If there are no children, there is no bun. Also of note, they NEVER cut their hair again for the rest of their lives. Many women sport hair that is more than 2 meters in length. Guess that have nothing else to do but comb and wash their hair.



Another custom is how boys and girls date. Unlike our cultiure, boys and girls do not court directly. It seems that there is a special celebration where the single girls and the single boys get together once a year and sing to each other. It is very important that boys and girls learn to sing, for if they have a terrible voice they may never marry.

Parents play a special part in the teaching of songs and help them learn the proper ways to court.



During the several days of the courtship, the boys and girls are separated form each other and the singing begins. One custom if for the girls to ask four questions of the boys in their song, which the boys must answer correctly in their song.



Now, as the boys and girls sing to each other, the girls may catch the eye of the boy they like. After several days of singing, the girls will fashion a very decorative ball, the love ball, and toss it to the boy they love. If the boy catches it, they marry. If the boy drops it, they do not. You better have good hands for this ritual or you may stay single for another year.



Well, we have arrived at the station where we departed our big bus and board the smaller shuttle bus that will take us to the top of the mountain. Now if you have ever been to Italy, you may have heard of the Momma Mia Highway. This is a road that zig zags along the Amalfi coast. The drop off is precipitous and as you swing back and forth, many yell out Momma Mia.



Here, we did not say that, but we did yell! The road is very narrow and is, of course, two ways. The bus swings to and fro trying to avoid oncoming traffic and passing slow moving vehicles while making blind turns. They actually provide motion sickness bags at each seat. Thankfully we did not need them. The road was washed out in several spots so we had to go real slow at times. We eventually arrived, safely, to the the next staging area.



Remember I said it was raining in Guilin city? Well it is pouring at the staging area. Actually the rain was torrential and we were to spend the next hour or so trekking up 1000 slippery steps on our way to lunch.



Of course the locals, being enterprising folks, were selling rain coats and umbrellas to the tourists as they departed the shuttle bus. Business was booming. I bought a purple plastic raincoat and started the long, long uphill climb.



We paid our entrance fee and on the other side of the entrance gate were men with sedan chairs. They offered to carry you up the steep incline for a fee of 200 CYN (about $30). They hounded me, for some reason, and I got them down to 100 CYN. I boarded my sedan chair, was hoisted by two entrepid men who carried me up the steep incline to the bottom of the 1000 stairs. The journey was at least a mile. It was pouring and I sat comfortably in my easy chair as my carriers did the hard work. I now know how the Emperor felt as he was carried before the adoring peasants. It was fun and well worth the cost.



They dropped me off at the base of the stairs and there I was standing with my fellow travelers in the absolute pouring rain, having the time of our lives. We hit the first step and began to walk up to our lunch location on the side of the mountain. It took about an hour, and actually was not much effort. The stairs were not steep and meandered among the rocks and rivers affording one beautiful view after another.



Despite the rain, or perhaps because of it, the Vista was beautiful. We laughed, shopped, slipped, fell and then laughed some more. We got to the top and I felt invigorated. Not tired at all. I was soaked, however as were we all. The inside of the restaurant never looked so good.



We sat down to another amazing meal of local fare. There was sticky rice cooked in a bamboo shoot as well as a variety meats, vegetables, and , you guessed it, beer. As we dried out a little and dined on the delicious offerings I noticed some odd shaped jars in the side cupboard. I meandered over to discover jars filled with wine and dead things!



This time, the one jar of wine had these large dead snakes at the bottom. Ok, I had to try this one for sure. I also noticed a jar with roses in the bottom. A few Yuan later I had two completely different cups of wine. Chelsea joined me in a glass of snake wine. I passed the wines around the tables for a taste for those brave souls, and returned with two half full glasses. I tasted the snake wine, more like a brandy and it was good. The rose wine was like a Merlot, but not nearly as dry.



I learned a little about Chelsea and her mom, Lois, she of lost passport fame. They are from Lima, Ohio not far from Toledo. Lois attended Ohio State in Columbus, while Chelsea graduated from University of Toledo. Amazing how far you have to go to meet your neighbors.



Fortified with wine and good food, we had a choice to go up to the very top, about ten more minutes, or slowly head down. It was still pouring, so Rick and I decided to head down. Several folks joined us.



The way down was much more pleasant, of course. There were some shops along the way and I was able to buy some hand made pillows, sans stuffing, for gifts for my friends. The rain had stopped and the view was amazing, mountains covered in mist above the fertile rice paddies. we reached the bottom and once again boarded the shuttle bus for the scary ride down the mountain. We were joined with some locals and soon found ourselves back at our bus. I heard to the very back of the bus, make a make shift pillow with my backpack and promptly fell dead asleep. I was bushed.



Two hours later we arrived back in Guilin, soaked, but happy we headed to dinner. Again the meal was outstanding. We had egg drop soup, various chicken and pork dishes, rices and a variety of taste treats. Let me tell you if you left any meal hungry during this trip it was your own fault. They gave you the widest variety possible at every meal.



We were treated to some unique sweets today at dinner. They were made with a tuber called taro root, something like a sweet potatoe. This purple fruit as covered with a sugar coating and was good. They also served taro root coated with caramelized sugar. Now this was excellent and we finished the plate. Jo, our guide, brought over an extra sweet from her group, she wanted to make sure she was building up her tip!



Something about Jo. She is an excellent guide, a patient person and really fun to be with. She is like a mother hen, making sure we are all together, anticipating needs and solving them before we even noticed. He English was excellent and she is very knowledgeable about China. I would say she was a superior guide and I am sure most of the rest of the group agree. So THANK YOU Jo for an amazing vacation.



After dinner, Mike, John, Rick and I headed to the Riverwalk for some more pictures and shopping. The Riverwalk is well lit at night and perfectly safe, so we walked after dinner for our last night in Guilin. There are shops all around selling tourist junk as well as everyday items for the locals. There were designer clothes, foods of every kind and smell, as well as gifts, arts and crafts and restaurants galore. It was an absolute blast. The crowds, the smells, the well dressed and very well behaved teens, America could learn a lesson from these folks.



We found out tonight why John may be so popular. One gentleman stopped John and asked him if he was an American Wrestler. We surmised that the locals do not get exposed to big strapping Americans too often, so they thought he must be important. John, you ARE important and a great guy to know.



I was able to find a shop selling paper products. I asked the shop keeper if they had stationary. Unfortunately the language barrier was high, but a very nice local young man, spoke enough Chinglish to get my question across to the shop keeper. Then he helped me look for the stationary. What a nice person.



Mike and I bought some really pretty stationary, mine a gift for my Mother in Law. She still writes letters in her 90's and I hope she will enjoy the paper.



Well tomorrow is our 4 hour cruise on the Li River. After the cruise we will head to the airport for the two hour flight to Shanghai and the last leg of our journey.

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Photos

Teas Farm
Ready to be put to work

Tea Farm
Beautiful Vista

Tea Farm
Tea Master Kevin

Tea Farm
Working the fields

Tea FArm
Richard and John enjoying the day