The Long Walk
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2010
1
11
36
Trip End
Nov 23, 2010
Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang, China
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Woke up at 6am to take a bamboo raft up the Li River. At 8 am, I was let off at a place called Langshi and walked back. It took a full 3 hours. THANK GOODNESS it was relatively cool in the morning. It is now 4pm and must be 90 degrees outside with 99.9% humidity. The pics attached cannot capture the beauty I saw. I tried - but try to imagine the peripheral scene of greater green orchards and rice fields with more karsts in the background. It was absolutely spectacular.
After walk, I got some breakfast and bought myself a replacement bracelet of purple jade (with dragon on it) for about $4. I also took off the tibetan amulet Hong Bin gave to me I was wearing around my neck. I know he gave it to me with only the very best intentions but I felt like it was choking me and disrupting my chi. My juju is much better since I stopped wearing it. Maybe it is too powerful??
I was going to go for a bike ride with Mo to a different arm of the river to go for a swim - a lovely thought but the idea of riding a bicycle for 20 minutes to get there is not agreeing with my headache. (BTW - I have seen the trailers for that Eat Pray Love movie and there is no way Julia Roberts is riding around on her bike in Burma looking powdered and refreshed. Sorry folks - this weather is not for the fragile.) I am doing laundry and chilling in my single room instead - which is very nice.
Tomorrow I am going to the morning market. Then I get back on trains planes and automobiles to makle my way up to Chengdu. There is a panda research center there (yeah), horseback riding in Songpan and the real-deal Sichuan food. It is also hot there but I expect a reprieve when I get to Xian and Beijing.
Random thoughts: walking around town yesterday I saw a couple of cute kids and interesting older people I wanted to take pics of. The mother dragged her child away from me and when asked the adults in the farm lands refused to get their pic taken - completely different than Ethiopia where EVERYONE wanted their pic taken. So when in China, do NOT ask to take anyone's pic - it apparently is rude.
rz
Comments
Rachel absolutely unbelievable! I love this blog, reading your stories and looking at the pictures makes me so very happy!!