Rain: with a side of the Dragon Backbone Terraces

Well, we've been in Guilin for a couple of days and just got back from the Dragon Backbone Terraces.  We left yesterday and took a local bus to Longsheng, then another local bus (with a bunch of school kids) to Dazai.  As we were inquring about the bus to Dazai (in Longsheng) a man approached us trying to get us to come stay at his hostel.  We took his card and said we'd think about it.  We met yet another Canadian traveller (from Edmonton) on the bus as well and he got a little turned around (thought he was on a bus to Ping'an), so this guy (trying to get us to stay at his hotel) told this other Canadian he would show him a quick way around the patties so he could catch his bus back in time.  More confusion later, this guide thought that all the Canadians were in a group together, and when he realised the guy from Edmonton wasn't staying the night and we were, he ditched the other kid and started following us.  The guy was actually super friendly, called Darren by his Chinese name the entire time, and basically guided us through the rice patties to the viewpoing we wanted to go to, and then guided us to the village to his hotel.

Before I go on, the rice terraces are amazing!  Apparently the ones in the south of Yunnan are better but those would have to be out of this world because these terraces were breathtaking.  They were so beautiful.  The entire area is basically a string of villages up in the mountains, and every mountain for as far as the eye can see, from the bottom to the very top, is covered in rice patties!  It's actually unbelievable, especially when you consider that these terraces are 600-700 years old!  The irrigation system as well, given the time they were built is unreal as well.  They've basically rerouted the water that runs down and through the mountains so that it flows through the rice patties--all of them--top to bottom.  Some modern technologies have been interwined (plastic pipes alongside the bamboo "pipes"), but it's still incredibly impressive.

Anyway, we ended up staying at this man's hostel, it was actually nice (just the basics, but with hot water), and the view from our room was pretty amazing.  Not only were the mountains literally a breath of fresh air, but this man was genuinely trying to earn an honest living and didn't try ripping us off, also a breath of fresh air.  It didn't seem there was anyone else staying at this hotel/inn (which was essentially a large wooden house on stilts), just ourselves and this man and his family (his wife and baby boy).  He only charged us 50 RMB for the room (a double bed with bathroom) and we didn't even have to bargain.  They cooked us dinner which was delicious and reasonably priced and we really appreciated his efforts and honesty.  His hotel is one of many in the area and further back along the trail than the others and we figured business must be difficult for them and we were really happy to stay in the area.  To get into the Longji area they charge a 50 RMB fee, which apparently, the locals don't see a penny of.  There's no road system really, between the villages, and it seems you basically have to walk to one of the town ends to get a bus to take you anywhere.  Consequently, when the little old ladies with their super long hair come trying to sell you things, you basically want to give them your money.  One lady on the bus sold us a little wallet for 5 RMB, and that was her asking price.  After we finished eating dinner a woman, who we think was our hosts mother, sold us a few knicknacks as well.  The minority people and the culture is just incredible and seems well preserved, probably due to the isolation of the area.  Don't get the wrong idea though, Longji is still touristy, but not as bad as some places, and it's more Ping'an than Dazai.

Our evening was fairly relaxing and we went to bed early, planning on an early morning and early hike to get to Ping'an where we would catch our bus to Guilin.  Even before our alarms went off however, the sound of the rain pouring out of the skies woke us up.  It poured and thundered so loud we weren't sure if we were even going to attempt to make the hike.  The paths were flooded even in the village and we didn't want to imagine how flooded they'd be out between the rice patties.  If you've been watching the news or international weather at all (not that you would), you'll know that China has been receiving an unprecedented amount of rain.  Some places in Southern China are being evacuated and seeing such flooding that the government is sending in military aid.  Guilin and the surrounding area isn't quite that bad, but the rain hasn't been letting up, and today was no exception.  It lightened a little as we ventured out but it wasn't long before we were caught in a total downpour with thunder like I've never heard before in my life.  It was like two or three different clashes all strung together.  Darren and I both looked at eachother at first, thinking "that didn't sound good" and then it just kept on going.  It was strange.

At one point, Darren and I stopped under a tree to wait out a really heavy fall, and a little snake came slithering out of the bushes, stopped and froze for a while on the path, and then went on his way ducking back into the bushes on the other side.  I was creeped out at first (you never know if these things are poisonous right away), and Darren tried sticking his foot out at it, which is why it stopped in the first place.  We actually saw a mass amount of strange looking bugs that we've never seen before; odd beatles, massive fist-sized spider (gross!), and butterflies everywhere.

Anyway, we walked, through the rain, soaked to the bone for about an hour and a half until we got lost.  You know that squishy feeling you get in your shoes when you've stepped in a puddle?  Well that's what it was like after a half hour of walking.  Once we got lost though, we hired a guide (because you can't just ask for directions without being asked if you'd like them to show you the way for a small fee), and this woman was incredible.  She was one of the local ladies, and was wearing a pair of green tennis shoes, rolled up pants, a plastic bag tied around her neck, and one of those bamboo hats--she was dry as a bone (with the exception of her feet--no socks).  Not only did she somehow manage to stay dry with so much rain spewing from the skies, but she was so speedy!  The whole trail is lined with stones (so you're not stepping in the mud), and when wet, those slate-like stones are slick!  She was so quick and so fast, Darren and I had a hard time keeping up.  We both slipped once or twice just trying to keep pace with her.  We stopped in her village for lunch, and she was so funny, running around, yelling through peoples' windows, trying to find us a place to eat.  She would stand at the top of a trail and start yelling (seemingly at no one) until a window popped open and couple heads popped out, and they exchanged yells.  We eventually found ourselves in another wooden house on stilts, that had two fire pits dug into the floor, surrounded by a square of tiles; these, are essentially what they use as stoves.  The houses in this area, also leave their windows open for swallows.  There was a small nest just inside one of the windows, and we just sat watching them come and go.  It was also pretty amazing watching the locals cook an entire meal over one little fire with one wock.  Of course, they did have some electric appliances, a rice cooker being one of them (almost the only one).  There was also a little boy/girl (you never can tell, which could be why some of the kids run around bearing all) at the house we were eating at, and I couldn't believe how good this kid was with chopsticks.  He (most likely a boy) was running around with a bowl of rice and his chopsticks and not spilling a thing.  He couldn't have been more than three or four.  It's funny though, people here seem to use their chopsticks backwards compared to the way we hold ours (but I guess we're the ones who hold them backwards seeing as the Chinese were using them long before we were).  At one point, we gave him an Oreo, and one to his mom, and he ran after his mom whining, handed her his bowl of rice and took her cookie!  It was pretty funny.  But before long we were back out in the rain.

Eventually, maybe an hour later, we passed some western tourists, our guide collected her fee, motioned which way to go, and left to go see if she could get herself some new customers!  She was hilarious!  On our own, we eventually made it to the road that leads to the parking lot.  Pretty sure no one drives on this thing because there were landslides everywhere!  It was pretty intense and even a little scary.  You didn't want to walk between the edge of the road and the giant crack in it, but you also didn't want to walk too close to the side where all the mud and rocks were falling either.  At one point, once the buses were finally in sight, I was trying to be all "light" on my feet and jump from one rock to another to avoid the water, and of course, my foot slipped and my leg was sucked into the mud right up to my knee.  In trying to catch my balance, my other foot went in as well.  Both my feet were covered in thick, orange mud.  Darren said it looked like I wasn't even wearing shoes.  Ya....

Soaked and muddy, we eventually made it to the parking lot (I washed my feet and shoes and threw out my socks which no longer resembled any shade of white) and we hitched a ride with a tour group back to Guilin.  Once we got to Guilin, the bus dropped us off somewhere near the train station, and it was another twenty minute walk (felt like twenty hours) back to our hotel.  On our way, we saw one guy steal an umbrella from an unsuspecting store and two guys try to steel something out of a woman's purse.  We were just walking along and these two guys were walking towards us.  As they passed these two women, they suddenly turned around and started sneaking behind them.  At first I thought they knew them and were trying to sneak up on them, but then we saw the one guy reaching his hand into the woman's purse.  At this point, Darren and I both had very little patience.  We were soaked and uncomfortable, and seeing this just set Darren off.  He yelled out, scared the women, who then realised this guy had his hand in her purse, and Darren looked like he was ready to tear this kid apart.  He made sure the woman was okay and had everything before he stopped staring the kid down.  The entire time we've been in China we haven't experienced or noticed anything like this (we've only experienced the blatant sort of thievery), and it seemed strange to see it twice in one day.

Anyway, the terraces were beautiful, but we're sick of the rain.  Forecast says it's supposed to last for two more days.  Here's hoping it's not any longer.  We're off to Yangshuo tomorrow and then Hong Kong before going to Bali (the weather forecast for Bali is pure sunshine!).  Hope everyone is well and enjoying the sun back home.  It seems we're hoarding the rain for a little while!