GUANGXI 9: VILLAGE LIFE IN CHINA

 I seem to have developed a routine of excursions and activities in the morning followed by afternoons lounging over a beer, writing and planning the next day. I walk into the hills where there is a small Buddhist temple, actually the monastery that I'd failed to reach the last time, and the countryside is green, peaceful and almost silent. It's a good place to relax and escape my worries, and reminds me of village walks at home in England.

Xingping has now been invaded by a wave of mass tourism: hordes of tourists arrive every day and the the streets are thronged with tour groups, lines of coaches and cars, cars cars. The tour groups are easy to spot as they are led by guides with coloured flags like the one Sarah and I joined when we visited China in 1997. It's rather chaotic and the hostel desk is constantly checking groups of Chinese tourists in and out, often families of several people occupying one room I wonder where they sleep. There are also market traders everywhere: the streets are like Eastern bazaars.

I decide to hire a bike again and see where I end up. I make sure I've got plenty of water and some fruit. The weather continues to be warm, sunny and pleasant: I couldn't wish for more. It's like summer in England but the Chinese continue to walk around in heavy coats and thick sweaters, in addition to which they have air-conditioned heating on in the rooms 24 hours a day. It seems that temperatures below about 68 F are too cold for them and they have to wrap themselves up. Meanwhile I'm in my T shirt.

I cycle around some local villages, also taking the time to visit the railway station about 4 miles away and pick up my return ticket to Guilin,, the last one I need for the voyage back to Baoding. As ever the scenery doesn't disappoint, and the villagers smile and say “Hello”. I feel as if I'm living village life in China.

 In the evening I go out for something to eat and spend some time chatting to the owners of some of the restaurants. The streets at night are lit with lanterns and there are occasional fireworks.

  

GUANGXI 8: CHINESE NEW YEAR

Chinese New Year in China, otherwise called the Spring Festival, is a surprisingly low-key affair especially outside major cities. The Westerner expecting parties, dragon dancing and spectacular firework displays may find himself disappointed when all the shops and restaurants close on New Year's Eve and there are indeed many fireworks, most of which just make a heck of a lot of noise and spray vast quantities of red confetti on to the floor. There are few spectacular blooms outside of big cities. I note that in the UK we are beginning to follow this lead at New Year.  

I book myself into a hotel room in Yangshuo for Chinese New Year, which turns out to be a mistake as when I get there nothing is open! I wander around the town for an hour or so taking photos bit there is literally nothing to do, and as I recall there is a New Year dumpling party at the hostel in Xingping, so finally I abandon the idea of staying over in Yangshuo, check out of my hotel (they give me a full refund) and go back to Xingping.

 Coming back from Yangshuo I wait on the bus at the station for something like 45 minutes before it leaves: obviously there is a skeleton crew operating today. Relieved to be back I have an Indian meal at the restaurant in Xingping again and spend some time talking to the owner, himself from India, a place called Uttarakhand, on the edge of the Himalayas. I have a good time and he buys me a couple of beers. I seem to be making contacts among the local business community! Back at the hostel I join the party but I don't eat many dumplings: they are actually very good as they are freshly made, but they tend to be quite plain and I still have some of my curry and bread with me. I'e also stocked up on a crate of local beer to drink on the rooftop bar at night.

At night it's charming to walk around the village: the streets are very quiet and lit with red lanterns outside the houses. Many of the doors are open, so you can look inside and see the Chinese at home: their living rooms tend to be be open to the street, with wood fires in fire-pits in the floor.

The following morning there is fog everywhere which I believe to have been caused by the fireworks. I decide to try the Fish Village walk again as I'm frustrated that I failed to reach it last time. I have the advantage of knowing at least half the route this time!  I set off and as I walk into the mountains they emerge like ghosts from the fog which sits on the village: I walk out of it as I go further upwards.

 On arriving at the the point I reached last time, I take my time to try and find the right path as it seemingly vanishes at this point. After two dead ends I head down the mountainside for a few yards and there is another path, which I follow and at each turn, it continues a little further. This seems to be the right path so I follow it through a cleft in the mountains to the other side, and it slowly descends into the Fish Village. I feel a sense of triumph as for the first time I've reached a place I set out to find.

  

 The village is a mix of old and new, with Cultural Revolution slogans on the walls of some buildings. It's remarkable for having been left untouched by the Revolution or the war with Japan.

The path is narrow and rocky, and once or twice appears to vanish for a moment but always re-appears behind the next rock. At the place I lost it before it is split by a crag and continues on the other side of it. This is not easy to spot.

GUANGXI 7: IN SEARCH OF LOST KINGDOMS

The Chinese say “It's the journey that matters, not the destination”. This expression is in the guide book of the hostel and I've drawn the conclusion that this is because many of the walks and trails around Xingping actually don't lead anywhere. On the three trails I've taken so far, I've never reached a destination. Two of them have a fork in the road at a crucial point that is not mentioned in the directions, and the third was simply impossible on a bike. I resolve to try again either with a guide or more comprehensive directions.

The weather continues to be fine and I am content with my base to explore the area. Although I don't have the feeling of remoteness I'd expected I feel comfortable. It's as if I were living in a village in a foreign land. I decide to hire a bicycle and cycle along the Li River and try to reach Yangdi, the next town about 16 miles away.  

 The scenery is stunning and reminds me of photos I've seen of Yosemite Park in America.

   

 You can take your bike on the ferry across the river: following this I miss the river path and keep following the road, which goes up into the mountains. After about a half-hour's uphill trudge I decide I'm on the wrong path, and after an exhilarating free-wheel back down the mountainside I manage to find the river trail.  

 The road becomes progressively narrower the further I go, finally petering out into a rocky trail which ends at the river bank. (A lady offers to take me to Yangdi by boat but I decline as I would be cut off when I arrived) I try to follow the river bank with my bike but this turns out to be completely impracticable, so I abandon the attempt to reach Yangdi: I'm about a mile and a half away from it by now, however I prefer not to put myself through misery just to reach another Chinese town, as they all tend to look the same anyway.

  

I've got what I set out for, new experiences and some images to share! I'd like to try and find other villages and sights to travel to as I want to explore as much as I can. Although I'm looking for the quality of exploration on this trip this is elusive and largely something I have to make for myself. The river is a peaceful place and I want to get to know it better. On the way back to Xingping I feel better because I know the road gets easier as I travel. I've run out of water though so remind myself to take more next time. I manage to buy a bottle of cold water at a little roadside cafe and I gratefully refresh myself as I'm hot and thirsty. After a warm shower (the water never seems to get hot) I decide that the only thing to restore me after a hard day's cycling is a good curry and I know there is a small Indian restaurant nearby so I have a hot lamb vindaloo which is surprisingly excellent. The next day I think I'll just relax and stay around Xingping, maybe just do an easy walk somewhere. There is a monastery nearby.

Spending a leisurely day in Xingping I have breakfast of waffles and fruit, followed by some local shopping as I need some more camera batteries and shave foam. I feel like spending the day relaxing. I stop at a little roadside restaurant where I have some dumplings as a budget lunch.

A Chinese couple, probably farmers, arrive on a bicycle loaded with live chickens which they deliver to the restaurants on the street. They pick the poor things up by their wings and carry them into the shops. One shop lady across the street refuses the chicken, she pulls it back by the wing and throws it into the basket on the bike: so the farmer pulls it back out again and throws it back into the shop. This performance is repeated two or three times with this poor chicken being thrown back and forth from bike to shop until the shopkeeper finally gives up. I feel awful watching this and it's quite upsetting: it's one of my least favourite things about China: animal welfare as we know it doesn't exist.

I try the other side of the river for dinner: stuffed snails with pork: This is actually very tasty but not very filling so I end up having a pizza in the hostel as well.

 Before breakfast the next day I have a morning stroll to the top of Laozhai Shan mountain which is just outside the hostel at sunrise. The view is magical although the walk does involve a few hair-raising moments including a ladder up a sheer cliff. It reminds me of the times Sarah and I have walked in the hills in England and I'm suddenly assailed by a terrible pang of homesickness.

 There is a walk to a monastery nearby, the third trail I've taken, which involves taking the ferry to the other side of the river. The scenery is so magnificent that I'm filled with a sense of wonder and exploration. I feel myself to be walking into the unknown.

 However once again, there is a fork in the road at an early point. All one can do in these circumstances is take one trail and see where it leads: and again this turns out to be a spectacular but destinationless walk as I find myself heading into the mountains. With enough supplies and comprehensive maps I suppose I could keep going for days until I reach a town, but as I don't have these things I walk back and decide to try another day. I also need to try the Fish Village walk again. As it turns out the hostel is offering some guided walks.

In the evening I have dinner in a little Chinese restaurant; the owner is  a Belgian chap who lives in China and is also a professional photographer so we talk together about life and art over a few beers!