Sonntag, 29. März 2009 Longji dragons backbone terrasse rice fields tour

You see
Longji dragons backbone terrasse rice fields just below the Zhuang village Ping an. We are in the land of several minorities.
They live in wooden houses and live of tourism and their agricultural production.
This day´s tour I did with Joi who is one of Chinas young generation. (see further down) Joi and me we were the Panda Group with a Panda on a white flag. After showing it on the way up to the Zhuang village to distinguish us from the green group, Joi put it back into his backpack. Well there was no use for it. Joi was my personal tour guide for the whole day.
But first we had a two hours bus ride and the bus driver passed all the cars, motorcycles and buses without caring about curves impossible to see upcoming traffic.
Better do not use buses in China to visit the countryside!!!!
Joi was a perfect guide and we talked a lot about all kind of questions. He agreed my experience I made so far that young people do not care about politics, the do their thing.
We drove up a steep and narrow valley. So the villages we visited seem to be in a hidden valley.

Me with two old Zhuang ladies in front of their house.

We walked up the steep hill with many other tourists along many
houses where the minority people sold handmade things. I could not resist to by a colorful blanket for a small table. I think Joi rolled
his eyes.
On the way up we had a stop around noon for lunch. Bamboo rice
and bamboo chicken we ordered. The rice as well the chopped chicken are stuffed into the bamboo with small pieces of vegetable and the chicken in addition with slices of ginger and dried hot pepper.
Then the bamboo is grilled as you can see.
The rice was a little sweet from the bamboo, the best rice I ever had. The chicken was juicy with an overwhelming taste. I still can feel it in my mouth.

After descending we visited a show where girls from the Zhuang minority in traditional cloth

showed traditional dances. Then they were looking for volunteer men. Of course I volunteered and was married to a minority girl. They demonstrated a traditional wedding, where I for example had to sing, dance, beat cooked rice until it was like clue (for wedding balls with nuts in it as a special dish).
Well I sang "Muss i denn, muss i denn zum Städele hinaus...." of course in the German version and not the Elvis one.
Besides I had to lift the curtain from my "brides" head, drink rice wine and carry her on my back around the hall and back to the stage. It was fun especially for the audiance.
Now i am back in my room in Guilin, midnight again and tomorrow I have to check out and leave by 8:15. Then my next guide will show up for the highlight:
4 hour boat ride to Yangshou on Li River though the most picturesque landscape in China and the light show at Li River in Yangshou done by the choreographer of the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing.
Hey and tomorrow afternoon I finally ride the bike up the Moon Hill from Yangshou. After seeing the chaotic trafic again in Guilin, I rather walked in Guilin. Distances are as short as in downtown Bremen.