into Guangxi

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11/04/05

YangShaw is 3 hours away, so I decided to go there looking for good internet places to up load my diary. as a backpacker destination YangShaw should provided this service, and I did find one family guesthouse that provide free internet connection. I knew I will stay there. The Wong's family build this house and turn it into a guesthouse, and it mean family gusthouse to them! but for me... it is just a guesthouse that run by a family, they give you a room and that all! it wasn't my expectation, I was hoping for a living room we all can sit together and talk, a kitchen or small canteen. but doesn't matter, I got what I want here, download some software for my pocket pc, upload my diary and done! and the room was clean. YangShaw had change alot since my last visited 5 years ago. would it become The Temple Street or just some shopping arcade? I find myself veered out from the center quickly. it was full of tourists and day trippers. and said you might need to struggled for fresh air on weekend or public holiday. I walking back to the street by the river at the end of the West Street, where I slept out there on X'mas eve with a boy who I met in the dormitory in the same guesthouse. he was so drunk and I couldn't carried him back, so I took our sleeping bags from our room and got through that cold evening. and now the place was occupied by street vendor and different shop front. I used to enjoy hanging out in West Street but now I find it boring. I promised Mr Wong I will stay at least 2 nights. so... I might better think of something to do tomorrow.

12/04/05

"wake up, Tam"... an imaginary voice came in. I was still holding on the pillow underneath my blanket. "it was raining"... I told myself but there was no window in my room, how would I know. I had told everyone... The Wong's and the Beijing couple who had been here the last few days that I will do the long walk along the Li River. still struggling I walk downstair unwillingly to see the outdoor condition, YES, it had been rain! still try to find an excuse to go back into my bed. suddenly Mr Wong said from behind "you still here"? "no, I am on my way" I said confidently! 10 minutes later I was on the bus to YangDe, the plan was... as Mr Wong told me... bus to YangDe junction, change another bus into YangDe by the river, then walk to XingPing and bus back, will probably took me the full day. so... no problem with the bus as there was so so many buses run between YangShaw and GuiLin which passing the junction. got in the connecting bus at the cross road. the woman conductor asked me how much they charge me for the ride from YangShaw after took my 2.5 yuans bus fee. told them it was 8, and the whole bus started like a volcano, although we had only 7 passengers, "it is only 4"..."it should be 5"...so I admitted to them that I guess I must have been cheating. and they told me that I should have took the direct bus from YangShaw which cost only 8!... is there a direct bus??? I will report it back to Mr Wong!!!! sky still a bit cloudy when we got there, A boy came in the bus for the last 10 meter ride, no kidding, really only 10 meter, he asked me are you come for boat trip or trekking just like everyone did on the bus, seem like it is a very popular activist here. said he was going that direction to his rice field and might able to lead me on the first part. why not I said as he seem friendly enough. the first thing we need is cross the river, and the boy told me there will be 2 more crossings on my trip. ask him how much would it cost and he said don't know. then a woman came running out from nowhere, they had a very quick and quiet exchange message which I had no idea what was going on but don't think I like it. "4 yuans"! what...just for this short river crossing? I told her no and walk back the way I came from, and she just kept shouting to me"come, very beautiful and very good play there... "! you may say "come on Tam, it was only a dollar or 2". but the whole thing got into me since the bus trip, cheating and cheating again, and there are 2 more crossing waiting up there, I don't want to argue for some more, perhaps it will be 10 or 50 yuans issue when I was stuck in the middle of the trip by the river with no bridge. no... I am going back... haha... what a good excuse for me! no, that was not me, I walk back the uphill road to a view point which I saw on the bus, then a saw a small trail go more up hill by the side of the road. why not... it lead me to a high ground on the cliff where rich family buried their relatives, it overlook the Li River from above, a superb view. the traffic was very busy on the Li, seem like there will group of cruise boat passing in every half hour, loudspeaker blasting "look to the left, it is call monkey eating banana... in front is 7 stars accompany the moon, you see the hole up there.... look to your right... ! you know what... all you need is your imagination when looking at Karst formation rock, you name it whatever from what you see! one, two.... ten boats was there in the group, riding on the rive, loom... loom like a huge truck passing a lone village at midnight. I walk downhill gingerly and kept back up the further on. I made a left turn after a village see if there are any sight need my imagination to appreciated. doesn't matter as I know I just wanted to walk a bit. villagers are busy in the plantation work, and the rice field look just like YuanYang in spring time. there wasn't much change in scene after the number 3 mileage stone mark then I turn my way back to the main road. soon a YangShaw bus beeping from behind and I saw the stone by the road said "7"! woah...a quick calculating told me I had walk more than 13km. no way... I guess they used Chinese km here, anyways... it was enough for today so I fetched the bus and home I go!



13/04/05 I was tempted to stay another day but decided move on. I was more looking forward for minority market. so I press on to GuiZhou direction. switch bus in GuiLin to SanJiang, a Dong region. got few hours in between bus so I made a quick tour in GuiLin town. it was cleaner and tidier than 5 years ago. it didn't look like a big building site as what I could remember about GuiLin. bus left at 13:30, the sun finally broke through by noon and the bus was like an oven. it was a little bit more than hundred km and it seem like the travel is back to normal, as it goes 20km/hr, that is what it should be in minority area! road was well paved untill after LongXing. then we bumping up and down till we got to SanJiang. the scene are very pretty with a rather clear river accompanied us all the way. rice terrace in LongXing area gave an idea how it would be like if you see it high up the mountain. arrived Sanjiang just before dark. I had travel this road 10 years ago but there was no recollection or any memory about the place. now I only saw a dusty town with 2 bus station situated on each side of the river linked by a bridge. foods are mostly the same since HuNan with sour and spicy favoured, only had a slightly change while in YangShaw with the lovely claypot rice, here in SanJiang choice for foods are meagre. but the sign for fresh river fish was encouraging, will see... think I will stay here for 1 more day since room is cheap... 15 yuan...!

14/04/05
The most famous sight in SanJiang is the Wind and Rain Bridge in ChengYang, said to been the most outstanding specimen in this category for the Dong people, it was almost 100 years old and still in good shape. but I had seen it before, and now heard there was a straight 30 yuan entrance fee, think I will pass! instead I went to visit the less known Drum Tower in MaPang about 25km away from town. it was a nine tires tower in square shape, it had been rebuilt at 1943. suppose to be the tallest drum tower in the district, but now it should lost its place to the new landmark, the new built display drum tower in SanJiang as it has more than 10 tires. like all the other non touristic sights, the MaPang tower received careless and ignorant attention. all chinese book would described the tower is the popular place for villager gather around the fire place, singing or playing music. no matter how romantic it has described, now they prefer to gather in the shop front, playing cards and smoke. it was a good warm day so I decided to walk half way to BaJiang (which has market on the Luner 4 and 9 date) as I had spot some nice scene on my way here. it was a busy scene along the road as plantation work is underway. Dong's village mostly build along the rive, with a nice bridge or a perky drum tower, no matter how shabby the uneven broken jigsaw like stilted house was, it still a nice composing sight to look at. I find the people are very friendly here, I also find the familiar laughter which was belong to minority with simple-minded and open heart that I used to know.

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