Xishuangbanna villages trek

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The area of the trek was very close tothe border with Myanmar. We were not too far away from the army checkpoints at our last village. This is not a common trekking area and we saw only locals. The locals use motorbikes to get around or small tractors. The lifestyle in the village is basic and agricultural, but they do have flat screen TVs. The water buffalo in the village are roped, but the other livestock including the pigs are free to roam. The pigs are much smaller than English pigs and they are no threat. In the villages we slept on the floor in the living room of the family house. The food is cooked on a wood fire on a concrete floor in the upstairs part of the house. The food was fresh local vegetables and chicken (all parts of the bird are used including the head). Our trekking guide was local and his family were our hosts on the second night of our stay. We took all the short cuts. In some of the areas around the villages old woods are preserved due to the local culture. It is believed to be bad luck to damage the trees in some areas. A special old banyan tree has been living for hundreds of years and from its roots have grown children trees that are themselves now very old. On the first day of the trek we saw a bright green snake. Less welcome animal life was the rat that scuttled past our heads in the first village house. We were pleased to see the cat in the second village. It is the rainy season and every afternoon there was a thunderstorm followed by rain. On the last day of the trek we were up in the sunshine making patterns in thle trees and we could look down on the misty valleys below.Our timing was very good and our arrival at the villages coincided with the rain. The treks were not long, but after the first day we visited the temple and walked around the village. The architecture and style of the temples is very different. They are in the Thai style. The second day was a more adventurous visit for two of us with a steep descent to the waterfall. With the assistance of the guide we scrambled up the waterfall (this was after changing into swimgear). The water was cold and it was like being in especially powerful shower. On the final day a short diversion took us around a small lake with an old temple and pagoda. Leaving China after this epic journey feels quite strange. I walked aroundand took photos of shop signs in mandarin and the local language, just as I did when I first arrived all those weeks ago in Kasgar.

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