into Hunan

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HuNan
06/04/05

A solid 11 hours journey, no road accident, usual drop and pick up passages. couldn't remember how many up down hill as I felt to sleep most of the time. Almost 500km of bus trip in a smoke chamber,women vomited,childern screaming,people spitting...the China expreience had all came back.but the journey not finish yet,my destination is JiuYiShan, another 200km more to go.so tonight I stop in ChenZhou,a big city or a huge town. Why?...if a place has more than 10 city bus lines, guess it should be a large place! Seem like electronic produce never quite agree with me, this time my pocket pc has some problem, and I need to reinstall the back up system. But...the back up file is in my portable harddisk,and I need to copy it back into my memory card, woaaa...sound like I had a lot of gadget, not yet...there are card reader,USB adaptor, active symc connecter...see...this time I travel with something new.anyways...what I need is a computer. But there is no problem in China I guess as there are no shortage of internet place. and that was what I thought until I ask for an USB connection. "NO"was the answer. No matter how I explain there was nothing illegal, they just treat me like an Aids carrier.loss...I try the shop which I saw computer,but same...everything can discuss except this! I really couldn't undrestand why. It is just a simple copy and paste in a computer action.won't need more than 2 minutes.why no one even hear and help? could it be my look, my apparence...my attitude ...the way I talk...?? Don't know but I was not really happy about it.see...they said China should in step with the world, haaa...give them another 1000 years...no fxxking way!

07/04/05

Got the ticket for the bus to JiuYiShan this morning.said it was a deluxe bus that why it cost 10 kuai more than the normal bus.what is a deluxe bus? Had no idea, as it bigger and has more room? No...it was kind of Iveco bus even smaller than the normal bus! was it go faster? But it wasn't and thank god for that. Was it provide better service? No way...it stop for whatever object waving by the road side,stuffed the bus with human being, are they human being there? Yeah I guess they are, because they paid for that since animal don't pay! Took 2 hours get to NingYuan,switch to another bus from another station for JiuYi.a normal bus that run me the last 30 or so km into the my destination for today. Soon the scene become like GuangXi, the hill in karst form looming up in around the area. Here is the Yao region but I'm not expect to see any minority. But to my surprise I did spot one old woman with the blue Yao head dress. Heard there has market on the date 2,5 and 8 of Chinese calendar.but the local said negative for any minority costume. A big parking lot right at the beginning of this single street village,many family restaurant provided lodging as well.I began to feel the place has a kind of Chinese tour atmosphere even there were no other tourist. Look at the big building behind the parking lot,the tomb of King Shun,the 2nd king in Chinese history.a new build tomb palace,an ugly orange red color structure kind of like all the other tomb in China, a straight road through couple of gate into the shrine.and you know what...you need to pay 40 yuans to see that! Further down the motor road behind the tomb is another entrance to a...I don't know what inside there, should had a cave and a view point on top of a hill, again...you need to surrender another 30 kuai to see some cave under chirstmas light! Carry on the road pass through a small valley with 2 villages setting in a nice looking background. The road kept going and I caught sight of another orang red color structure on the far left side, still under construction, seem like another temple or palace in whoever name they could come up with will open up for visitor, of course...for a small fee! Why they never tire of this kind of man made scene?! I turning back and took to the left through the villages up hill where I had spot a trail earlier. Always enjoy go high up for a bird eye view. And also one can see far as well. Here I could see many hill tops, one particular outstanding in far distant, later I find out the local call it SanFun rock, as the hill top look like devided into 3 section, for me it more like a long neck camel with 2 very deep humps.still I never see any of this form came out from the hill top, all we see normally formed from the valley or basin. Pressing up I got to a dirt track which can ring round into JiuYi from another way. In the distant there is a small pagoda tower in a hill top, it should be the 30 yuan view. Nnnggg...guess it wasn't any better than where I stand now! Look further down the single street JiuYi village lay quietly under the hazy sunlight. Think I will heading that way and end my day trip and also end my visit in JiuYi. finally in this small village, in the one and only net bar where I find friendly people who willing to help me with my pocket pc. so... reinstall the back up file, though I had lost some of the files but still... I am more than happy!

08/04/05

Travel another 150km to JiangYong, an uninteresting town with nothing in particular. But there was a sign written before we rolled into town - "the model city for ecology development in China". Woahhh... Guess I must had missing something. It was like a deserted town when we arrived through the long street before the bus station, town center is small but with a big market building by the river. and most of the activities are within both side of the bridge. the JiangYong region boast the root of the Yao minority, said the Yao is originally from here. that I would like to check out later. another thing is an unique language which formed within women in this region long time ago. also a remarkable old village can be visit from here as will, as I did notice some very old villages on my way here. beside... here is a Yao region and I might able to see some minority tribes. so... will start my exploration tomorrow.

09/04/05

terrible market...! went to SongBa this morning to see if there are any minority show up in the market. a village about 30km connected with well paved road from JiangYong. a market area had been designed with many concrete platforms under a concrete roof, just like any other new market place which centralized the street vendor. a big market place indeed, but not many people, and it created a depressive atmosphere with an empty space. no need to write what was selling in the market as it was the same everywhere. still... the clinic and pharmacy are the most popular places for the local, and here you can add one more, the garage which check and repair motor bike, as I can see there was many motors there waiting to be inspected. I walk down into the village which full of brick houses top with tiled roof. seem very old and miserable, dirty and smelly but it wasn't anything out of my expectations. still it was nice to look at from the outside. and this kind of old village with nice tiled roof seem to existed all around the region. a quick cruise and believed I had seen all, then I left the village for my next destination. ShangJiangShu is where they first discovered the existing of the LuiShu- the Women Wrting. it was a language between women, believed to be created around late Song Dynasty. since women are more behind-the-scenes in Chinese society, not to mention in the old China. they are being suppressed and couldn't speak their mind. all they could do was related it to their sisterhood, their close friends. that how the secret language was being created. so most of the content of this writings was about how lonely they were, the misunderstanding with the family-in-laws, what a mistake to married this man or how miserable life is now... so and so...! the writing is like a kind of Chinese calligraphy. the form is slant and slim with about 1080 characters. with the old generation had pass away, now there was only eight women in the village know all the characters. but in weekend they will held class to teach the village women whoever willing to learn. Got there this afternoon, find a brand new building in old chinese mansion style, which is a showroom for the women language. a 20 yuans entry fee but this time I gave in. since this is something unique and doesn't existed anywhere. not much to see though, it told you what the expert thought how and when the language had been created. a teacher show me the way to write my name in LuiShu. interesting! went through the tour by a leading guide then I knew a little more about LuiShu, for a language(if one have to define it as a language)it was only existed and provided service within a small amount of people... indeed only for women. and also only spread and find in this small area. I think it is more like the Morse code because you need to decipher the code like writings to be able to understand the contents. weather change all in a sudden, rain and strong wind swept in. temperature drop a couple of degree. the wind was so strong that it had tore down some billboards in town and the sweepy sound was terrified. it was freezing at night and the ginger syrup with sticky rice dough was a blessing that one could find in the street corner.

10/04/05

ChinJaiZhai said to be home of the Yao, so I pick the market day for a visit, still it was a disappointment, not a single minority with costume had show up. the local said not even in the villages! market here is small but lively. heard there was a water fall and a hot spring in the area. made an enquired... pick-up would made the 10km to the fall but there will have no return traffic. and the hot spring which I am more interest in only accessed by walk. advices pour in said I shouldn't try to get there by myself beside I wouldn't able to find the right way without a guide. alright... think it wasn't a good idea to attempted it and the sky look miserably over cloudy. head out to ShangGanTeng, a very old village could date back a thousand years. same style as all the other old villages I had seen in the area, red brick and dark tile roof, but here with a clear river and a nice surrounding with Karst formation hill, top up some old stone bridges, it was a delicate picture. together with the cloudy sky, it gave an aged old atmosphere which go well with the ancient village. compared with PeiTian village in Fujian which I had visit last week, here people are real hospitality and there is no entrance fee... yet!

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