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Published: November 14th 2007
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Greetings from Wuzhou. I bring you this from a gaming room, at great risk to my health, surrounded as I am by chain-smoking 14 year olds. We found little to detain us in Yeng Shou, it being a launch point for tourist trips up to the Li River valley, and those of you who are paying attention will know that we have already idled a few days away up there. We cycled along to Li Pu, stopping off to view "The Big Banyan Tree" as it is unimaginatively, but accurately, named. Indeed, it is big, and old too (more than 2000 years). The branches spread out low and wide, fed and supported by two dozen huge roots reaching down from branches to ground.
The town of Li Pu is a youthfull, lively place and, being a Friday night when we were there, we strolled up the large square to watch families at leisure. There was an in-line skating club for the children, plus model painting and balloon games. Meanwhile, the ladies strutted their stuff at the several outdoor aerobics classes, usually led by a leotard-clad video instructor. Only the advanced fandango class had live instructors, involving as it did the
synchronised twirling and wafting of silk fans. Judging from the tuneless wailings coming from the KTV lounge, the men were at Karaoke. (Pat Rogers, you have a future here.)
From Li Pu we had an excellent 108 km ride to Dong Rong. The road was good and quiet and lined with pinky-lilac-flowering trees. Behind were banana trees and crops which were new to us. Every so often a faint scent of aniseed wafted on the breeze. We had a fine lunch, with some cracking spare ribs. The next day we let ourselves out of the hotel just as the town was stirring, and rode to nearby Tai Ping for a fill of delicious cane sugar-filled dumplings, before heading off to Ping Nan. On the way we passed lots of pigs being transported to the market, each in their own individual, pig-shaped, carrying case (One size fits all.) Like Li Pu, Ping Nan is a modern lively town, with a very similar range of family activities taking place in the main square. At 7 am on Monday morning older folk were doing Tai Chi in their silk jim-jams, while youngsters jogged and played volley-ball and the fandango ladies wafted. While
eating our breakfast dumplings, we chatted with the local English teacher, and learned about the youngsters in the town: their education, job opportunities etc. We could have told him a thing or two about their extra curricular activities. Bearing in mind that most hotel rooms are hireable for the hour, there was much nocturnal door slamming and lift pinging. The summoning of the mop and bucket also suggests that some drink may also have been involved.
The next day took us to Gui Ping. We arrived early and spent the afternoon looking around the beautiful Bhuddist temple and nunnery nearby. Having enjoyed some excellent food recently, we were in danger of becoming the only people to cycle 4000 kms across China and put on weight in the process. However, that night's dinner put paid to that. We found ourselves faced with two stew pots full of unidentifiable body parts; inedible all of it. On the plus side, the vegetables were excellent, and the meal did spawn a new and rather challenging quiz game, based on Animal, Vegetable or Mineral, called Ileum, Ventricle or Miscellaneous. Or for those of you who prefer a music question - Name that Spleen.
The following day we sped along the 120 km to Teng Xian. Unlike the preceding towns, Teng Xian is a rather run-down river port, and our search for a hotel proved the adage that you can judge a hotel by its foyer: the first hotel that I checked out had a splendid, elegant and spacious foyer. I knew that it would be expensive, and it was - a steep 138 yuan - almost 10 pounds. There was no need to view the room, but we bore it in mind for later. When I walked into the second hotel, the foyer was so dark that I thought the place was closed. I eventually made out a receptionist in the gloom, but it was impossible to read my phrase book. Some fumbling in the fuse box eventually produced light and I discovered that the room was a reasonably cheap 50 yuan. The first room that I viewed was dingy and didn't smell too good. I was ushered up a few floors to where the better rooms were located. When I pressed the bathroom light switch, it caused a flurry of scampering behind the panelling. I tapped the wall and listened to numerous
feet scrambling in all directions. Unperturbed, the girl led me into another room. I opened the bathroom door, to find the surfaces littered with rat droppings. The lass wanted to know which room I preferred. It was a close call. Chinese words failed me. I could only utter "no" and "bo dwee" and left her disappointed and confused. The third hotel had a smart, bright foyer. The room price was a typical 80 yuan (5 pounds), and on inspection, the room proved to be new, smartly appointed and almost palatial. That will do nicely. It was our 14th wedding anniversary after all. The Michelin-starred restaurant eluding us, we decided to go out for a chinese, then splashed out on beer and cakes.
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Kerry Lynn Rowling
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14 years, Congratulations! Lovely to read your blogs. Missing you both. Nothing new here, don't worry about missing anything as you know my life is like Eastenders so you'll only have to watch a couple of episodes when you get back to get right back into it! Kerry x ps it's bloody freezin pps you might already know but the game with sunderland and newcastle was a draw