A different people

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Geo: 25.28, 110.28

People come to Guilin because of the scenic mountains and lakes. We awoke to find it was raining and the mist was completely obscuring the mountains. This was the first rain we had seen in the 4 weeks we have been away so I suppose we couldnt moan but we did. However, Jason and driver picked us up and drove us to Jiangtou village in Jiuwu town. This was bulit in the time of the last dynasty and most of the single story buildings are deserted but some are still lived in. They are simple stone built single room houses with wooden doors, very dark inside. We wandered along a few narrow cobbled streets in the rain and by the fields where people were working hard. Even if it was sunny I really do not think this is a place worth visiting. On the way back we stopped for lunch at the McFound restaurant. We had goose braised in sauce, beef noodles and dumplings - all delicious, but we couldnt finish it all. The portions are huge. Once more we had beer as wine is often not on the menu and if it is it is expensive.
In the afternoon we visited the Reed Flute Caves. You need tgo round with a guide so that he can light up the rock formations. These are beautiful caves and well worth a visit. The floor is even but there are plenty of steps of course! I love complex stalactites and stalagmites.
In the evening we had dinner at the Left Bank restaurant which is only a short walk down the main street from the hotel. We tried local dishes -fish in beer Guilin style and Guilin style fried rice both spicy and treated ourselves to a nice bottle of Australian white which costs the same as the meal! Lovely food- good place to go.
Later we were in time to see one side of our hotel turn into a huge waterfall which was lit up and classical music playing as it cascades down, quite impressive and has attained some Guinness Book of Records fame.
It had stopped raining by the next morning we were very relieved to see so we could see the mountains which rise vertically up close to the town. We had a fairly early start as it was a three hour drive up into the hills. Nothing is near to anything in China so you have to be prepared for long journeys. We had not seen anything pretty as far as countryside was concerned and China seemed to be one big building site with apartment blocks going up everywhere. However we had a pleasant surprise when we started going up a winding mountainous road by a river with several small waterfalls. The water level was low so it must be beautiful when in full flood after the spring. The buildings in this area of Jingkeng are all built of wood and house the Yao people who are an old minority group who wear their own distinctive hand made clothing. The women have amazing hair styles which look like 3 buns. For the sum of 20 yuen a lady undid her hair to show how it was done. Two long thick pieces are actually detachable. This is hair they have grown all their lives and cut only twice. They wash it in the river without any lotions and it is the most beautiful lustress thick hair I have ever seen. What is more they dont go grey. Wish I could have bottled up some of that water! We took a small cable car which took 20 minutes to get to the top of the mountain and passed over all the terraced paddy fields. It is a spectacular view and we are very glad to have seen it especially as the rain and mist held off. These terraces look different at different times of the year. In September the rice turns gold so it would look great then too. It all looks jolly hard work to farm it however.
Once back down the mountain, by cable car thank heaven we called in at a small village of Huangluo for lunch. We asked Jason and our driver to join us as we knew there would be loads of food. We sampled the Bamboo rice a local speciality of rice and nuts cooked within a piece of bamboo, steamed sausage and bacon with bamboo shoots and also fried with peppers, mushroom with pork filling and muer ears, pak choi with garlic, caro and pork in lotus leaf and steamed chicken washed down with tea and local beer- all terrific tastes. We stuffed ourselves silly as all we had to do was sit in the back of the van and be taken home

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Comments

[Trish]

Stef in Noddy mode!

[Trish]

why not have bought that outfit Tiz?!Suits you Sir.......

[Trish]

Sorry missed those racy shoes.........