Start here: Guizhou Journal
The following brief journal outlines our route - many more pictures in seperate galleries are found if you click on >China 2010 above (comments welcome)
GUIYANG (A) to Yangshou (K) on the map in 14 days. The ‘team’ consisted of four keen amateurs (one Englishman, one German and two Australians), our leader, instructor and raconteur Ewen Bell and (when we reached Guiang) our ever smiling resourceful driver Mr Li.
We all met and began our China journey in Chengdu, so we had time to get lost and find our way again (thanks Jules) in a big Chinese city, visit the panda sanctuary (twice) and then get the overnight sleeper train leaving at 6.30pm and arriving at Guyang at 8am. The train, all 24 carriages of it, was considerably more comfortable than I had expected, we did have a 4 bunk compartment to ourselves (Ewen next door) and it did help that our carriage was next to the restaurant car!First stop after the train journey was a Sister’s Rice (Meal) Festival, taking place in Shidong, about 4 hours north east of Guyang. It was the only time we encountered many other tourists as it was quite close to the main highwy and was a bit of a photographer’s scrum as there were busloads of photogeeks there - not us of course!
This girl was being dressed by her family away from the scrum and was really enjoying the fuss they were making over her.Surprisingly, potato is a major crop in the region east of Guyang. The people in the fields, rice terraces and villages are really friendly and welcoming, I was glad to be in such a small group, and visiting an area not frequented by tourists.
Jules gets the thumbs up from this farmer for her picture of him but declines the offer to have a go at ploughing!The rice planters thought our appearance on the edge of their terrace hilarious but carried on regardless. Planting would probably take all morning …. standing in the mud bent at the hips … obviously no health and safety executive has advised about back care! (more pics in > China 2010 > People: as we found them)
After several days travelling we reached Xijiang (E. on the map). This all wooden town built on two hills is changing fast; with a new main road recently built it is no longer cut off from the tourist route, as a centre for the Miao culture it is bound to become a major attraction. (many more pictures in > China 2010 > The odd landscape)
It's not often complete strangers are invited to a wedding ceremony. We were... and plied with copious refills of rice wine. The small room was crowded, full of family, well-wishers and neighbours all sampling the food and atmosphere which was thick with cigarette smoke.. the children were even bringing round bucketfuls of cigarettes for all the guests. The rice wine was probably about 60% proof... I'd obviously had a few at this time as the pic is ever so slightly blurred!
The crowd is entertained! ….. no safety barriers here..... there was the added enjoyment I suppose of being part of the action ......... as a buffalo decided to leave through the middle of them… no one got injured but it was amazing how fast they move when a few tons of buffalo decides on a detour.!
A village buffalo fight close to Xijiang contested on a dried up river bed (there was also cock fighting there too!) (see http://agbr.smugmug.com/Travel/China-2010/Cock/12356719_Vh8fN#883369470_NDi9P for more). This was a great village event with contestants bringing their prized multipurpose agricultural vehicle for a testosterone charged scrap on the river bank. Many ran off at the first sign of trouble chased by their distraught owner who would lose prestige! Some of the ‘vehicles’ however, banged heads for several minutes before being dragged apart .
I wonder what they would be thinking the next morning languidly dragging their plough through the mud ‘……urrrr.. that must have been a good party last night in the barn, I don’t remember a thing… must have been a lot of rice wine in my feed, ‘coz I’ve got a whopping headache!’ (translated from buffalo talk.)Traditional May festival at Da’tang. At this festival the performers were really enjoying themselves (at 11 am on a damp morning... it must have been all that the rice wine !).
In this tiny village 'square' (it was round!) hemmed in by 2-3 story wooden houses, there were about 75 brightly dressed 'performers' having a whale of a time in a well choreographed series of dances ........ and singing too!. They don’t do it for free, the village gets about 800yuan but the five of us had at least 45 minutes of great entertainment, and when they had finished....... they came out again and practiced some new dances. (lots more pictures in the China 2010 > Da'tang gallery or at http://agbr.smugmug.com/Travel/China-2010/Datang/12356730_tDH2R#882935441_wRGcz)Cloth: it has to start somewhere……. and here in a village beside the Duliu Jiang (river) the ladies were winding the thread ready for the loom (see more in > China 2010 > Guizhou Cloth or http://agbr.smugmug.com/Travel/China-2010/Guizhou-Cloth/12367916_YZeLb#887613212_KuW5o)
There was a lot more line this in the gallery: China 2010 > Food and potential food or at: http://agbr.smugmug.com/Travel/China-2010/Food-and-potential-food/12346838_inLYe#882087776_4SRFQ
Zhaoxing, a lovely wooden town in South East Guizhou, we spent 3 days here, this was the view from my room in the guest house, the guest house like all others was wooden, clean and close to the centre of town beside the river. more pictures are at > the odd landscape or at: http://agbr.smugmug.com/Travel/China-2010/The-odd-landscape/12351202_hHHsp#882697608_da9um
I've heard (and had) chicken in a basket - usually with chips!
These (there were about 5) were chicken in a bag! We had watched them being weighed and purchased in the market an hour before, next time we saw them they were rolling around as each tried to be on top and get its head out of a hole. Their new owner was eating a hearty breakfast nearby.The rice terraces above Zhaoxing.
The red is 'duckweed' which will be harvested for the pigs (who in return supply some of the nutrients).
The cycle for a rice paddy starts in spring with flooding then ploughing in organic waste (manure), then the paddy is reduced to a fine squelchy and very level surface, after this planting rice occurs (can be sprinkled seed but often as germinated seedlings) . There may be a transplanting phase where seedlings are thinned for a more effective crop; harvesting is about three months later. The paddy is then flooded again, fish (in some paddies) and ‘nutrients’ are added so the duckweed grows whilst the rice stalks and ‘fertiliser’ rot beneath the water, then it’s time for the cycle to start again (after the fish have been eaten or moved and the pigs have had their fill!)To get to the Longi rice terraces there is a huge climb from the road, there are no roads in the terraces so everything ranging from building materials to tourist's bags (and sometimes tourists themselves) is carried up the hills.
And to think that airports complain at the size of my bag!! Next stop, after a 2km and 1000+ metres climb, is the guest house.
These Yao women could do the work of two baggage handlers and have time for a chat on the phone! Mind you they only do this once they have retired ...... when they are young they work on the rice terraces.The very best way to see the river is on one of these small (4-5 person) bamboo rafts during those golden hours at dawn and sunset. We were so lucky this evening as all day it had been dull and overcast, then at the last moment, after about an hour on the river we got this...... I was a happy very bunny! Ready to catch my plane the next day.