Gotta Love China

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After a great breakfast and much talk about the visit of the rat the previous night, we set off on a walking tour of the surrounding villages- led by Tim. It was really nice to experience a taste of rural China, and to learn about their culture. The houses were extremely basic, with agriculture being the main local industry. However, whether seen as a good thing or not- the fastest growing industry in the local area is tourism. We came across a whole host of interesting things whilst weaving our way through the villages and admiring the picturesque background. These included a school under construction, which will cater for hundreds of children in the local area and a street dentist- not hygienic in the slightest and one as to wonder if the dentist even had any qualifications... On arriving at a villages’ meeting place (an impressive site in the context of the village), we were given cups of tea by the old retired gentlemen who use the building to pass their time socialising playing dominoes and cards. Naturally they didn’t speak a word of English but they were happy to see us and we had some friendly banter. Not being a fan of tea, and having no idea how to communicate this to them and not wanting to offend them by refusing it- I slyly disposed of the majority of it in a nearby bush outside.

We headed back to the Bridge hostel where Mrs Woo once again served up a delicious lunch. Later that afternoon Tim led us back to one of the neighbouring villages for a traditional Cultural Show- performed in the main by local children outdoors in the main square. The show consisted of plenty of singing and dancing to local music, played on a variety of wooden wind instruments. The performers were all dressed up as part of the occasion. Apparently as is custom at such events- the audience were then all given in turn a shot of locally produced rice wine- which I have to say was truly foul but of course managed not to show it as again didn’t want to offend anyone! It was then time for some audience participation in the show, and I was duly dragged up to join in a dance that involved me hopping in and out of bamboo sticks that were being hit together to keep the beat. Thanks to my good sense of rhythm I was able to survive being hit at all by hopping at the right times- others were less fortunate!
That evening Mrs Woo yet again cooked up a great feast. Most of stayed up having a few drinks and playing some cards- and I showed Tim on where Scotland was on the map as he didn’t know where it was. Mr Woo then came in as drunk as a skunk and proceeded to clap a hand on my shoulder and speak to me at a hundred miles an hour in Chinese- not understanding a word I simply smiled and nodded at what felt like the right time to do so! It was all pretty hilarious. That night Diana and Felicity opted to stay in Julie’s room and not risk another encounter with the rat in their room!

It was sadly time to say goodbye to the Woo family and to Chengyang the following morning (but at least there were no further run-ins with rats!) Today was to be- in Julie’s words- a pretty rough travel day. The first leg saw us transfer back to Sanjiang via minibus that took about an hour. From there, we boarded a local bus for a four hour rollercoaster ride to Heping. I was sat up the back with Diana and a few local people, and after leaving Sanjiang, we were on unsealed dirt roads for the rest of the trip. We were literally being thrown from side to side and up and down on what was definitely the roughest journey of the tour. Strangely though- I found it pretty fun despite taking many blows to the head due to the low ceiling and being left with many a bruise! We met our local guide for the next three days- Farmer Tam- a really funny little Chinese man with pretty good English. From there we transferred to another local bus for our hour and a half transfer to Pingyan, a village in the Lonji Rice Terraces. En route we stopped to leave our packs/ heavy bags at a hotel (naturally it was upstairs and Adam’s case once again had to be carted up) whilst the public bus and its passengers literally waited for us- wouldn’t get that back home! Soon after dropping off the main luggage (we had our day packs with clothes and essentials for the next 2 days before we saw our luggage again) we turned off onto a 6km camel like uphill trail- by that I mean very steep and the road built into the mountain in such a way that you get up by snaking round the mountainside- with lots of hairpins.

It became obvious very quickly why we didn’t have our main luggage with us- from where the bus parked we had a 20min hike up predominantly old stone steps to get to our guesthouse in Pingyan village. The views were spectacular and we were told it paled into insignificance to what we would see later on. The guesthouse was situated at the near the top of the mountain it was on- overlooking the rest of the village below. After dropping our bags in our rooms, we set off on a brief 1hr trek to give us a taste for the pending hike the next day, and to see some of the local viewing points. By way of background, the Lonji Terraces were first cultivated in the 13th century and are located at high mountain ridges 1916 metres above sea level. The highest spot of the terraces is 1180 metres above sea level, 380 being the lowest, such that the vertical difference is 800m. Area wise, the Terraces are said to encompass some 71.6 sq km. We walked up, across, and down all the time across these old stones (how they were first brought up almost defies belief) and took in stunning views at the vista points of ‘Nine Dragons and Five Tigers’ and ‘Seven Stars Accompanying Moon’.
On our return to the guesthouse around 500, I was keen to go on another walk- this time at my own pace (as a whole the group walked pretty slowly and I had the compulsion to go and walk at what I would regard a decent pace). Julie said she was happy to join me- she later let slip that she also found the earlier walking pace of the group pretty slow! So we hiked for about an hour and a half to and from the next village, Zhuang. We had a really nice chat along the way ranging from political discussion to the Six Nations! On our return, I went for a quick shower and it was soon time for dinner. Again it was in traditional Chinese buffet style, and although not in Mrs Woo’s league, was still pretty good. Following the horrid rice wine at the Cultural Show the previous day, Julie decided we should sample what she deemed ‘real’ rice wine. It certainly went down easier than that of the previous day, perhaps because it was heated, but still tasted foul to me! So I chose to skull the glass to get it over with, and soon despatched the second as well. Felicity, on the other hand, really liked it and had a fair few glasses-as became pretty noticeable as the night went on! This night was up there with the best of them in terms of laughs- but unfortunately the majority of which isn’t suitable for me to type!

Strangely enough, there were no sore heads in the morning- apparently the rice wine doesn’t leave you feeling rough! Following breakfast, it was time to follow Farmer Tang on our trek of the Rice Terraces. Helen decided to pass as her back began to play up the previous day- I offered her some of my Ibuprofen, but for now she decided not to take anything. The first part of the trek was naturally the hardest- hiking uphill to reach the required heights. Everyone thought I was mad heading off on what was a cloudy morning in my shorts and t-shirt (the majority had 3-4 layers on). However, I was more than comfortable when walking, and they all soon began to shed their layers- which now meant they had to carry them! Julie began to struggle up the steep climb- I stayed at the back of the group to help her as at times she was struggling for breath and I was worried she might faint. She developed a cough the night before and it appeared that was hindering her. Lawrie joked that she had pushed herself too hard doing the extra walk with me the previous day! After much persuasion (the Irish are a stubborn lot after all), Julie transferred the heavier items that were in her pack into mine, including the first aid kit.

The views on the walk were absolutely stunning of the terraces below. The sheer steepness of the terraces with scattered small villages beneath makes it a truly remarkable sight. En route we encountered a pretty large looking snake, but Farmer Tam insisted it wasn’t poisonous… At the end of the hike, we caught a local bus back to the foot of the hill that leads to Pingyan village. (Julie, by the way, managed the rest of the hike fine, although her cough lingered for the next couple of days.) It turned out we would have to wait a further 20mins for the next bus to take us up the hillside. With it being a glorious day, and by now I was in the mood for some more hiking, I decided to forget about waiting for the bus and hike up the hill instead. Farmer Tam thought I was crazy- 6km solid uphill followed by a 20min hike up the steps in the village to our guesthouse wasn’t his idea of fun! However, I went ahead and was soon waving to the group as they passed in the bus. It felt really good to hike at my own pace, and made it back to the guesthouse in something like 1hr 15- Farmer Tam was most impressed, he thought it would of taken me at least 2hrs!

A shower was by then very much the order of the day, and it was then soon time for dinner. Before which I had a game of table tennis with the guesthouse owners’ son on a makeshift table- he was pretty good for an 8yr old! Again dinner was a buffet which was really good, and naturally a fair few beers (and thankfully no more rice wine) followed.

It was raining lightly the next morning as we checked out of the guesthouse and made our way down through the village to meet the local bus. We stopped at the intermediate hotel to pick up our main bags, and at this point Helen decided she would take me up on the offer of some Ibuprofen to help her back. The journey was once again an interesting experience to say the least, and after arriving back in Heping, we boarded a bus for a 2 hour journey to Guilin, and a further transfer for a 90 min journey to Yangshuo, Farmer Tam’s home town. After checking in to a very pleasant guesthouse, Julie took us on a quick walking tour of the city to show us where things were. That evening, we had a really nice group meal at one of the local restaurants. The majority of us then went onto a local bar, and Diana and I put our names down for the pool table (winner stays on). The list was pretty long, and it was 1130 before Diana got on, narrowly losing out to a guy from Liverpool. I was next up, and surprisingly found some form- and with it being winner stays on, it would be rude to leave if you are winning! The rest of the group left at 12, I got on such a run that I somehow left the bar undefeated at its 230 closing time! It was a really good night though, meeting a whole load of people from around the world. A group of French guys in particular were good banter- their English was very limited so my pigeon French came to the fore and we just about got by!

The combination of the early start that ensued (coupled arguably with a tad of overindulgence on the alcohol front the previous night), left my good self a little weary. However, breakfast more than helped and set me up for the countryside cycle led by Farmer Tam. Again, the scenery was stunning, especially Moon Hill, despite the overcast weather giving us an ideal view. Lunch was incredible- not only was the food delicious, but we were eating in Farmer Tam’s home. It was lovely to see how traditional Chinese people live. Sadly, it was time to say goodbye to Farmer Tam later that afternoon- but not before I got a picture with him (and yes, he is one of the shortest Chinese people I met!) Before dinner that evening, I had a lesson in the traditional Chinese game of Mah Jong before playing a couple of games with my teacher and two other local Chinese people, which was great fun. Dinner once again was excellent, and the drinker’s amongst us then headed for another local bar to enjoy ourselves late into the night. Felicity and Julie got started on the shots, but with rock climbing looming the following day, Diana and I decided to keep a relatively clear head.

I will close for now. Hong Kong is now just a day and a long train ride away. Apologies that I am now pretty far behind where I actually am, but don’t worry I’m keeping a rough paper journal so will be able to catch up! I am currently having an absolute blast in New Zealand, and as I type I have just about finished touring the South Island, and am crossing over to the North Island tomorrow. The 134m ‘Nevis’ Bungee in Queenstown was simply awesome (watch this space for photos!) and I’ve lined up a sky dive next week- bring it on! Hope this finds everyone well.

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