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Hello!
Did you think I'd dropped off the end of the world?
(There are times when it's felt like I have)!
I've been in distant territories, had lots of adventures, lots of experience, but sod all internet access!!!!
After leaving Yangshou last week we set off, (via three bus transfers), to Longsheng, still very rural, but very different in landscape.
Here the countryside is mountainous and forrested, with deep valleys, gorges and fast flowing rivers, where the local inhabitants live a mountain existance in villages hard to reach in any other form than on foot, and where the hillsides have been cut into to form terraces for rice growing.
I had no idea what kind of treat we were in for, as I said we had to change busses a number of times, our final one, (very small and loaded with our luggage), winding its way up hazardously narrow mountain roads to put us at the entrance to a mountain pass, up which lay our accomodation for the night, a hotel based in a mountain village, accessible only on foot.
Understandably we were alarmed at the prospect of lugging our bags the half hour
up the mountain track it would take, but we were told we could hire porters who would do the job for us.
Turns out the porters were in fact wizened small local women of senior years who carried large baskets on their backs which in turn accomadated our numerous rucksacks etc.
Not our finest hour in many ways, but they were willing to do it for 10 yeoun and proved surprisingly strong by comparison to us.
There were people willing to do worse however, for 60 Youen you could be carried yourself up the mountain in a sedan chair by the equally deminuative local men!
One in particular harrased me as we made ready to make our ascent, (can only assume he reckoned I looked the lazy sort whod opt for the idea), and eventually I buckled under the pressure and agreed to the deal, (Partly cos I like to support local industry, but mostly cos HOW OFTEN IN MY LIFE AM I GONNA GET AN OFFER LIKE THAT)?
To be honest I think they regretted the desicion, they seemed to huff and wheeze and pant most of the way, and made an uncommon amount
of rest stops as they tried to haul my fat arse up the pass.
(I had some sympathy, but come on, it's not like I'd been deceptively small or lightweight when they'd first clapped eyes on me)!
I'd have got up there faster on my own, but the the experience was highly entertaining, (not just to me), and I did up their eventual payment to 100 yeon cos I reckoned they'd earned it!
The place we stopped that night, was amazing. Straight out of 'Lost Horizon', a substantial community of wooden houses build on stilts hanging high up in the mountains, away from all the hustle and bustle with still the mod cons of electricity and hot water, though not for a few hours after we arrived so the first part of the night was spent falling over things and moving around our rooms with torches.
(Kind of got me wondering if the electricity was generated by those two small blokes who'de carried me up here, via running on an oversized mouse wheel or something, and we'd get no power until they'd recovered).
I'd had no idea this was on my itiniarry and it was
a real pleasant surprise.
We had local food prepared for us that night, and after our long bus journeys all retired to bed fairly early in the evening, in the cosiness of our rooms, with nothing but the stillness of the mountains outside.
The following morning we had a hike out along 'the dragons backbone' as its called which turned into a good three hour ramble through the mountains, before returning to the village to pack our things ready for our decent back down the mountain.
I abandoned my boots here by the way. Kind of felt bad about it cos they've been with me all over the world but the sole of one has been going since Kathmandu two years ago, I can't afford the weight and I thought if there was anywhere in china someone would find a use for a well worn pair of army boots it would be amongst the mountain folk in Longsheng.
Having mentioned this to one of my group, and they in turn staring at the size of my feet, they did respond with... 'What as... A FLOWERPOT'!
You'll be glad to know I made my own way
back down the mountain without sedan assistance and we set off again last Friday in a repeat of our previous days bus journey to catch the overnight train from Guilin to Wuhan.
(Had a mild crisis when our guide got the wrong station but we got sorted in time)!
Our second night sleeper train experience was a little more busy than our first.
Last week was the 'golden week' a long public holiday for most of China, so last Friday the bulk of the populace were travelling home on the train from their various excursions.
We were quite the celebrities, and all in all objects of curiosity. The train we went on ran deep into China, and supposedly a lot of the passengers were not as use to seeing westerners as others we'd met, as they wanted their photographs taken with us, and even our autographs!
Food on the train by the way is pretty dire, (sort of large pot noodle things), so I was thankfull for the rations I'd brought over from home.
Had a fitfull nights sleep, some weird dreams, including one where I was fighting off a mugger in my bunk
only to find myself in my bunk as in my dream, but thankfully unaccosted!
Saturday after departing the train saw us at the start of a five hour drive to the city of Yichang to begin our 4 day cruise up the Yangste.
(Something I only finished today)!
Lots happened, and I want to do it justice, but it's almost 10.30pm here and is the end of a long days travelling to my current location here in Xian.
Plan therefore is to sign off for now, and come back to you tomorrow with two journal entries, one covering the boat trip, and another, (later in the day), telling you of the very adventurous day we've had today and no doubt whatever it is I end up getting up to here tomorrow.
See ya.
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