RTW-China

Wednesday 15 August 2007

The artists-farmers of the terraced rice fields of Ping'an

By dorian on Wednesday 15 August 2007, 14:26

Renting a whole-day taxi is certainly the simplest way to reach the terraced rice fields of Ping'an. A gorgeous hill-nested village. A lot of villagers have understood the singularity of the place since hostals, restaurants and souvenirs stalls run alongside the maze of stairs which rise up into the hill. Maps put up at the forks indicate the different ways to get to the valley-overlooking viewpoints.

At the end of the village, the stairs keep on the side of the hill. On the left, harmonious green curves split the valley. These hard-to-reach, uneven hills were tamed by the rice farmers. Shaped in short terraces and broken through by small irrigation canals. Rice comes to maturity at this time of the year and a shining green covers the ingenious land terraces erected by the artist-farmers of the Ping'an county.

Our hike inside the rice fields stops as we meet the Yao women, ethnic minority whose hair length (more than 1m) is registered in the World guinness book.

Farmers line the way. Working the ground, bedding out the rice or mending an irrigation canal, these meticulous, apparently insignificant works are the elementary bricks of this twisted lines patchwork which draws the scenery of the hills.
Our path drops us off at Dazhai, surrounded by new thrilling rice fields terraces. From the proportions to the directions of the curves, from the heights of the terraces to the mesmerizing green of the rice seedling, everything was taken into consideration to offer a marvellous spectacle. And even if they are artists against their will, there's something genius inside the designers of these rice fields.

Tuesday 14 August 2007

The puffy nature of Yangshuo

By dorian on Tuesday 14 August 2007, 14:09

Starting from Zhangjiajie, the city of Luzhou is a compulsory stop when you feel like going to the magical nature of the surroundings of Guilin. Trains are overcrowded and traveling on a seat is everything but relaxing. As we get out the Luzhou train station, Guilin coaches wait for travelers. It works as well as an all-included tour. As soon as we arrive we're in a hurry to find a hostal to make up for the sleeping time.
When we wake up, we get in a local travel agency, we book a cruise on the Li river down to Yangshuo for tomorrow. We also take an option on an excursion in the terraced rice fields of Ping'an, near Longsheng. In order to avoid the inconvenience of traveling on a seat, we head to the train station to book 4 berths on the 15-august train, that is to say in 4 days. They only have 3 berths left and we buy the last ticket as a standing traveler. Traveling by train in China and at the summertime is not easy. Without talking about the disastrous welcome of the counter clerks. We end the evening in a lively district of Guilin
Early in the morning, we leave by minivan for the cruise. The excursion is separated in 3 parts : 1h by minivan, 1h30 by boat and 1h by minivan to get to Yangshuo. We have a mini-barge just for us. We settle stools on the front deck while the boat sails off the bank. A special lure in this postcard-like scenery. We just have to sit down and marvel at the scrolling banks. The green-clad mounds take part in the magical impression of the cruise. It's like an underground seething liquid had puffed up a formerly flat green land. As we follow the twists of the river, new range of parabolic-shaped peaks is revealed.

Unfortunately during this high tourist season, the high shipping activity disturbs the serenity of the water and deprives us of looking at a superb symmetry of the sinusoidal line given by the tallest peaks.
A thick rain has got up and forces us to get in the boat and admire the scenery from inside the barge. When we finish the cruise, a rickshaw drops us off at the small bus station of a village we go to Yangshuo from.
The western street (Xi jie) and its numerous perpendicular alleyways draw a perfect stage to hang around, to relax, to do shopping and to have something to eat.
The next day, with my mother, we hire bikes for a several-hour ride in the north of Yangshuo among fields, villages and endemic mounds.

We reach the dragon bridge before heading southward to the arch-shaped moon hill. Despite the persistent mist, we look out over the plain and attentively watch how the man cleverly covered the area around the hills with fields and villages scrupulously respecting the Chinese traditions

In the evening, we take the Guilin return bus in order to prepare the Ping'an excursion we have planned for tomorrow.

Friday 10 August 2007

The stone colossuses of the Wulingyuan

By dorian on Friday 10 August 2007, 14:03

Absolutely unknown by the Western tour operators, the jagged massif of the Wulingyuan is certainly one of the most beautiful in China. Personnaly, it's the one I like the best. With great pleasure, I come back to this place with my family.
We arrive in Zhangjiajie city by the nighttrain and a local travel agent drives us to Zhangjiajie village, one hour from here. This village is located near the south entrance of the Wulingyuan national park and is still the best spot to begin the stroll and to rest after a day spending in the park. We buy a 2-day valid ticket and in order to avoid the magnetic cards trafficking, the entrance turnstiles are equipped with fingerprints readers. Nothing to forget about the exorbitant price of the ticket: 245 yuans (24,5 €) ! 8 € more than 2 years ago!
We go through the entrance and on the left side, monkeys families expect we throw some sweets.

200m after the entrance, a map shows the different paths which ornate the park. We turn right, cross a bridge and walk forward on a paving stone trail that runs away into a thick nature. A few games (short hurdles and stone mushrooms) decorate the way.

Approaching the summit, our steps slow down then stop at a breathtaking viewpoint. The ascension inside the undergrowth didn't portend such a splendour while our eyes open up in front of this nature-bequeathed marvel. Balustrade-leant elbows, our eyes scan the scene. Stone colossuses face us. The Gods relax playing a game on this giant chess board. These natural obelisks, tall as the Eiffel tower for some of them, harmoniously flaked and gorgeously topped by a tuft of pine trees beautifully vie with themselves.

A mist halo intensifies the mysticism of the place. Several viewpoints were built along the way; but none of them gives us a rational explanation of this granite columns field. Our spirit can't however analyse any more. He's overwhelmed by this flood of light and splendour bringing by our eyes.
Several hours went by, the ascension efforts are completely forgotten. We walk down to the valley to sail among the towers. Strips of green forests cling to the spurs of the stony titans, attempt a vain ascension to its steep walls and bump into its breathtaking verticality. Among the columns, wayfaring ants move about. We wander about into these wildly big petrified fields.

The eyes glued skyward, we go back to the park entrance.

The next day, we go again through the park to reach a lift hanged on one of these granite obelisks wall. A last fill-up of feelings before leaving the park.

In the evening I take Armelle to the airport. She got promoted up to backpacker apprentice. The rhythm was a little bit sustained and I was happy to share a part of my trip with her. And she followed without turning a hair.
A sample of the traveller life I have enjoyed for 2 months.