Yuanyang story 06

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"Things always happened for a reason"...I always trying to play thing out this way. like this broken wrist incident...perhaps something just want to stop me from being too aggressively visit everything in Yunnan, its wanted me to slow down, its didn't want me to leave Yunnan too quick I guess, as you can see in what pace I roaming through this part of China in the last 2 years, if I kept on like this, pretty soon there will be nothing left for me to cover. so....I felt better and just wait out for my wrist to recover, but it was slow due to my age...not a young fellow anymore! Then again I developed a kind of routine to help me get pass each day....wake up.... breakfast... morning 30 minutes walking exercise.... a round in local market and get vegetable for my dinner.... home and read ebook.... visit doctor Li for acupuncture.... lunch then stroll... a movie, coffee then go to internet.... home and make dinner.... evening stroll.... home another movie and read some more before sleep... done for a day! and it became my routine for the last months since my injury, and in within I also spend time to explore all my digital images from the last 10 years, group and re-sort all the different tribes and subgroup of minority, kind of a cataloge, something I wanted to do all the time, but just find it too much a job to go through all those pictures in the archive, but...this time...there was no excuses anymore...I got all the time I need! so....bit by bit, so far I sort out all the subgroup in Honghe Prefecture, all together there are 71 different subgroups within the 6 main tribes, 23 different Hani, 20 different Yi, 5 different Dai, 10 different Miao, 7 different Yao and 6 different Zhuang. and I could show the photo of each subgroup about how they wear their costume, woahhhh!!!! and the latest number of subgroup for Yao in Yunnan that I could located so far is 15 subgroup, I am sure there are more hidden somewhere in yunnan and I will find them! see....everything rolling around my computer lately(thank god I got one!), but there still quite often electricity broke down which ruined my routine badly! I remember there was an announcment in town back couple of months ago stated the whole budget for the renovation work for Yuanyang tourist site....the total is 30 million yuan and more than 5 million for the part of electrical work, I guessed they qouted with the Shanghai rate and opperated here in Yuanyang skill and technique! Luckily the town square construction work was completed and I could walk and stroll, but still...the outcome wasn't anything near the image they had show us at the beginning, right....never trust the perspective drawing fom the painter! It was a delusion! And people in Yuanyang seem to born with an unique skill to turn new thing to antique in splite second, I remebered another the renovation work in Yuanyang by 2002, they built 2 gate houses and not so long after I over heard some tourists comments that should be the yuanyang old town gate! and look right back at our bland new renovated town here(the 3rd times)...magic!!! seem like it had been in used for more than years! childern still piss and shit in the middle of the street, 3 magical garbage dune would created bit by bit during the day right on different spots in the middle of the walking street, soon....I believe telephone numbers will be spray back on the street wall everywhere in town like anywhere else in China! There used to have garbage bin in many place along the street and now had none, but they did erected a free public toilet, a long channel ran through 4 cubicles, at least they has door! beside the floor tile... the rest you can picture the scene if you had been to a chinese pubic toilet before! The whole renovation project still not complete, the road up out of town seem never ending...I mean the completion date! and the narrow road through Yuanyang town began to have traffic jam everyday...seem like I was in Hongkong somewhere! How come there are so many trucks here every hour!!!! I hate the choking dust and deafen honking they created!!! The most important factor that affect my day will be the weather, and the last 11 days was bad, I almost think it might beat the 18 days record of 2002, almost 3 weeks without seeing the sky and total white out! you know the terrace scene of Yuanyang in winter is stunningly beautiful if....the sky was clear, and pissingly awful when invaded by fog. This time fog and small rain kept block my window view everyday, wet and cold, ruined my morning walk, stopped me from having hot shower from my solar heat tank and my towel seem never dry!!!! it weaken internet signal, even my electro cooker seem to complained and go on strike for a few days with no reason, which brutally ruined my coffee ritual at 3:15! It all added up into my depression as my wrist wasn't getting any better since then, I was counting days...15 days...25 days...40 days....still...my wrist still hurt and couldn't move, the worse was my whole palm kept swelling, I was worrying dead, having bad dream about being handicap and have to cut off my palm! man...it was horrible...yeah but not many people are interest about my wrist, but here for someone who actually knew me personally they might want to know how I am so far. Since my injury, I suddenly realised there are many people recognised me here in town, which I never aware of, why? many people came forward to me, said how unfortunate that I'd broken my wrist, some gave address of doctor , some told me what I shouldn't eat from now on, so and so, the least they could do was a nod of their head when I pass by, a face told me how they sympathy about my injury, many of them I thought I had never met before. but I guess it was the local courtesy...it will be rude to not express something when you see someone misfortune. but when time pass...they will said "why? still not healing???" whenever they saw me, that was really annoying! why??? was something wrong? why it still not recover? on and on and I started to believe that there must be something not right with my wrist, I began to avoid people on the street, at least no eye contact. With my worry accumulated I finally decided to visit the hospital in Gejiu one again today although I hate to see the doctor there again, I had already made up my mind if I heard they mention "operation" I will just go back to Hongkong right away even it was against my will! I came prepared for the worse. I took the 8 o'clock bus and guess what...I arrived Gejiu by 11:30, can you believe that! and worse...bus fare increase for the 4th times this year from 18 until today 28 yuan!!!! thief...totally robbery!!!! but still...remember back in the year 2000, it took more than 6 hours by bus to Gejiu, every month I need to sleep one night there when I went to Gejiu to do shopping! Hurry to the hospital and just right after my X-ray being token then it was lunch break, and my waiting period had to extend to until 3pm with my worry sat heavily on my adam apple in my throat. so...I got time to wandering around a bit loaded with a unpeaceful mind, up along Wuyi road aimlessly I saw a red building which I didn't think was there back many years ago, look kind of like a fire station to me, perhaps I hadn't noticed it back then, it was a temple call Yumiao could date back "200 years" said the stone description. now inside only held the deity of wealth. Further a little at the road stood the Baohuamen gate which I had seen before, but the nearby old town and street had gone, instead a wall of skyrise sprang there written off some of the images of old Gejiu. Then I spend the rest of time inside Walmart, ticking stuffs which I would buy if my diagnosis today is positive...coffee...wine...cheese(yes, they has cheese there!!!), finally I carried the fresh x-ray to the doctor by 3, and thank god he wasn't the same doctor from last time, an older man and the best was there wasn't busy inside the consulting room! as you might know it if you'd ever been to a clinic or hospital in China, people just swarm around the table, there was no privacy, but this time...only me with the doctor, perhaps it was my lucky day and I could ask all the questions I'd inside me. "no, you will not become cripple", "no, you will recover for sure, in time", came out solid and confidently, that was the best medicine I need! he also go in lenght and explained to me how my bone will grow back up and there will be no broken line there after 3 months while pointing at the image, this kind of case are quite normal "so don't worry" he added. why the hell he wasn't my doctor last time, if that fxxing A-hole last time told and explain to me thing in this way instead of pushing me the "OPERATION", I wouldn't be having torture like this for the last 50 days! After show me what I should practised with my fingers "try with some force, don't worry, it won't break" he said then the doctor send me off and I out on the street a happy man. I went over to Walmart and got thing I had memorised hour ago and went back to Yuanyang with a smile on my face. Although the sky was sadly grey and foggy and people told me there was no sun again the whole day(it was sunny yesterday and turn into a laundry day in town), I didn't care even they will break the 2002 record this time. All I knew I will sleep sweetly tonight!

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Photos

the minority
Dai people

the big lie
dreaming town of Yuanyang in picture

Comments

[Martin]

Incredible!
Incredibly beautiful shot. Well done, Tam!!!