Bird on Wire

Like a bird on a wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried, in my way, to be free.
(Leonard Cohen)

Guilin to Yangshuo – Day 4, Part 2

Continuing from “Cat’s in the Cradle,” KK and I took a tour bus from Guilin to Yangshuo. We sat in the back of the bus with 4 nurses with minimal English, but KK charmed them with her Chinese.

Along the way, we saw more of the famous Guanxi hills.

About ¾ of the way to Yangshuo, we stopped at a small place called Yangdi where we were to board a small raft to take a river tour of one of the most picturesque places in China. Before doing so, however, the locals approached us tourists to sell us stuff, such as these headbands of flowers.

I bought one for KK, but she realized, rightfully, that she needed no adornment to accent her beauty, and she declined to wear it.

Not wanting this expensive purchase to go to waste,…

Anyway, we took off down the river with a bunch of other rafts, all powered by little lawnmower engines.

The views were indeed luscious.

Upon returning,…

…I decided to give my headband back to a flower lady,…

…who rewarded me by trying to sell me something else.

We hopped back on the bus, giggling our way…

…to the metropolis of downtown Yangdi.

We got out and were led to a small café advertising their extensive beverage menu. (What does the sign say on cold days?)

We filed through the kitchen where we told the chef whether we wanted fried rice or fried rice.

KK and I enjoyed our gourmet vittles in the company of our new friends.

In a nearby parking area, a guy came by with one of his girlfriends,…

…who preferred cruddy leaves to fried rice…

…as her offspring looked on.

After this feeding extravaganza, we walked through the town toward the river.

We arrived at an ancient bridge over the river…

…where everyone in the tour group posed for pictures with their friends.

Then a local guy with two cormorants tied to a pole arrived,…

…and we all posed again.

We then walked down to the river’s edge to watch a local fisherman using cormorants to catch his dinner. He stands on a small raft and has cormorants tied to the raft itself or the end of the pole.

One of the birds has a long red string moderately tight around its throat.

The other end of the string is tied to the pole. The bird is put into the water to find a fish, which it soon does.

The cormorant flips the fish up into the air so it can slide down his throat.

The river is shallow, and the bird stands up, trying to swallow the fish, but the string prevents this,…

…and the fish remains stuck in the bird’s throat.

The fisherman gently pulls the cormorant to back to the raft,…

…lifts it out of the water,…

…and teases the fish out of its throat…

…and into a bucket.

After this little show, we hopped back onto the bus and went to a small preserved village that they named Shangri-La. It’s not the true Shangri-La in Yunnan Province, but various places in this part of China decided to take advantage of the famous name and book by renaming some of the villages “Shangri-La.”

At this village we boarded little boats…

…and, just as in Guilin, we went on a short Disney Adventureland cruise…

…past a variety of waterside performances by the “natives.”

As always, there were interesting signs along the route.

After the cruise, we were shown different types of ancient Chinese craftsmanship,…

…including the art of making rice paper.

We all were given small decorative balls,…

…and we finally took off for Yangshuo.

KK and I were excited to finally reach our hotel in the countryside, The Giggling Tree.

And that’s pretty much all that happened that afternoon.

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Cat’s in the Cradle

Guilin, Day 4 – Market Day

KK and I will be leaving Guilin this day on a bus that will take us southwest to Yangshuo, which also is on the Li River. A we had a little extra time between breakfast and pick-up, so we decided to take a little walk. We were richly rewarded by stumbling on a nearby market day that provided some of the more interesting photos and movies of our trip.

When you walk around Guilin after coming from Beijing, you notice 3 stark differences: (1) everything isn’t covered with a layer of dust, (2) the air is breathable and people don’t wear masks, and (3) life is much more orderly (sans spitting). Being there made me wish that I was working in Guilin instead of Beijing. Then again, I’d rather be in almost ANY other city than Beijing.

A high percentage of people were commuting to work on scooters.

As in Beijing, almost no one wore a helmet, even when carrying precious cargo.

Believe it or not, I have seen an entire family of 4 on one scooter.

When parked, the scooters were lined up neatly.

Often on electric bikes and scooters to see stuff the rider is taking somewhere to sell.

I’m not sure where this person was going, but it’s not unusual to see people around China riding scooters with their pets.

Many people use three-wheelers to haul their wares to market.

This guy is probably recycling this plastic.

Is he going to sell is wife at market price? “Take my wife…please.”

Around China I have noticed that a lot of people go to the park or parking lots with their badminton rackets and hit the birdie back and forth without a net.

Another thing I’ve noticed in all developing countries (Asian, South American, African, etc.) is the tendency for people to squat when they’re at rest. I’m wondering if this originated from the initial lack of stools or other sitting utensils.

We passed, or rather failed to pass, a little dumpling store where KK picked up a little post-breakfast snack.

Then we came upon a lone table in the middle of the sidewalk where a woman was selling pork pieces.

Some people just park their cars and unload their trunks onto a side street or alley with stuff to sell.

In Guilin, as all around China, there are a lot of tiny stores on both main and side streets that sell odd assortment of things, often with no apparent connection.

We came to a little walkway next to a large pond…

…where it appeared people were standing in line.

It turned out to be the beginning of a major outdoor market, and the people were simply trying to squeeze by to look at the “stalls,” which were no more than non-defined places on the ground or a table where people sold stuff.

The variety of stuff for sale was truly remarkable.

Small fish:

Crayfish and crabs in net bags:

The white tubing are air hoses; many of the aquatic animals were alive in tubs of water with bubblers to keep them alive until sold. Chinese people like their aquatic food very fresh.

Frogs, snails, and eels:

Eel skins?:

Small catfish:

Large clams:

Pig parts:

Some sellers specialized in one or two things, such as oranges…

…tiny oranges,

…peppers,…

…or ginger,…

…while others had a variety of vegetables.

We watched this guy peel his bamboo shoots for a while.

Some sellers intimately associated their vegetables with their favorite pig parts, such as these ears.

This is how you buy fresh poultry in China:

The sign is either a USDA Prime guarantee or a long disclaimer of any liability.

You can take your purchase home while it’s still kicking…

…or have it plucked while you go choose your pig parts.

Right after the poultry section was a covered area,…

…and one of the stalls apparently was a rest or eating room.

Don’t know what was in these jars. Maybe KK’ll remember.

This woman had baked a 150-layer cake with weird stuff in it…

…and these puffs with nothing but air in them,…

…while her neighbor made these green things.

Anyone need a genuine Rolex…

…or a second pair of red underwear?

This woman is cleaning fish for buyers,…

…saving the heads to sell separately, presumably for fish head soup. (You think I’m kidding?)

In Guilin, there seems to be a stronger inclination for women to carry their babies on their backs than there is in Beijing.

I’m not sure whether this guy was selling hair or hair attachments. Note the small loudspeaker and headset that is common among hawkers around China. Really annoying.

We saw this interesting looking man all by himself and we wondered what, if anything, he was selling.

Not sure whether this cat is being sold as food or a pet. Don’t wanna know.

But the cat was the last straw, so we started back to our hotel. On the way we saw this cute little street cleaner…

…and a balloon man.

Here’s a scene I have not seen in Beijing, a summery man sauntering with his dog. (Even dog-walking in Beijing is frenetic.)

In the distance, across the street, we saw a group of young children walking hand in hand with several adults, clearly on a field trip. How cute! Off to Patagonia, I suppose.

When we walk down streets in China, we often get inquisitive looks from the locals. These two women were chatting with each other on a bench when we stopped and said hello.

The one on the right smiled immediately, but the one on the left appeared much more reserved. Finally, KK’s charm worked its wonders and she smiled, revealing a set of coppers worthy of Jaws.

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Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Guilin, Day 2 – Afternoon & Evening

After leaving the tea farm, our driver dropped us off at a little hole-in-the-wall noodle place (our request).

KK, after checking her meal for foreign bodies,…

…dug in.

Guilin (which means “sweet osmanthus”) is on the beautiful Li River, and a lot of the tourist attractions are associated with it. After lunch, KK, the guide, and I made our way (ways?) down to the river to board a luxury tour boat…

…so we could go see Elephant Hill.

This is one of the many geological formations around this part of China caused by erosion of calcium carbonate hills. (Google “karst.”)

As we got closer, we wondered about the origin of its name.

On our way we saw local fishermen on bamboo rafts…

…and riverside chateaux,…

…a resident of which was washing her clothes in the river.

As we approached the base of Elephant Hill, its namesake became obvious.

After this less-than-exciting boat ride, we “were taken” to Solitary Beauty Peak, a temple/small hill park in Guilin.

I put those words in quotes to imply a double entendre. Many things in China are inexpensive but public parks definitely fall outside that category. I think it cost 135 RMB per person to get in. (KK will remember exactly, I’m sure.)

After passing through the entrance, we looked to our right at a now common scene in China: people unselfconsciously doing their tai chi exercises.

It’s possible this tree should have been staked better and for a longer period of time (duh).

The steps leading up to the palace are all that remain of the structure built in 1372. The rest was rebuilt in 1947.

Like most stairways leading to Chinese palaces, there is a central ramp for the emperor only; everyone else must use the side steps.

Off to the right was the requisite keep-off-the-grass sign, but someone’s gonna have to help me with the pictures.

Is that a Do Not Plant warning? I guess it could be a Do Not Pick the Potted Plants sign, but we’ll never know as his hands are blocked by the slash. And what’s next to it? A cloud hovering over a temple? Reminds me of the movie “Stargate” with Kurt Russell.

Off to the left was a No Striding warning.

It also had the peculiar cloud-palace picture, though I now think the cloud must actually be a peak. Maybe the little lone square in the middle represents the word “solitary.”

Inside the palace-museum-gift shop we were given brief instructions on Chinese calligraphy.

Both KK and I were tired so we opted out of climbing Solitary Peak, either alone or together.

For dinner, KK and I went to the Li River Restaurant, which, coincidentally, is situated on the Li River.

Anyone who has been to a restaurant with me knows I don’t order anything until I’ve read the menu cover to cover – and this was a long one,

We had lots of stuff, including these wonderful freshwater clams.

Everything was great, but what set this place apart from other restaurants I’ve been to was the beauty of the plate decorations.

Next to the Li River Restaurant was a hotel or another restaurant – not sure. But the scene we witnessed is a common one in China: the boss was lecturing the staff in preparation of the evening’s events.

I have seen this many times either just inside an establishment (restaurant, hair salon, etc.) or on the sidewalk in front of the establishment. In all cases the employees were lined up and silent while the boss gave them instructions. I think this is a peculiar thing to do in public.

After dinner we walked around the main square to see what’s up.

Another common sight in China: someone selling stuff out of the trunk of his car.

Used car salesman?

The shop windows in China are fun to examine,…

…but in the end, China is mostly about its children, who are probably the most spoiled young people in the world.

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Which Hat Shall I Wear

(Chad Mitchell Trio.)

Guilin, Day 2 – Morning at Yao Mountain

After a stimulating breakfast of noodles at the hotel…

…and after taking a few photos from our hotel window,…

KK and I were picked up by our tour guide and taken to the Reed Flute Caves. While waiting to enter, we chatted with a teacher and some of her students.

Inside, it looked like Luray Caverns except that there was a lot more colored lighting.

One thing I take issue with almost everywhere I’ve been in China: They tend to be a little sensationalist, coloring everything often to the point of gaudiness. I’m afraid that subtlety is not one of their strong suits, at least when it comes to the natural wonders of the world.

As it is worldwide, the exit for this site required us to pass through the gift shop. This mannequin struck me as China’s equivalent of the wooden Indian. (Will I now get scathing emails from Native Americans?)

Once outside, KK, always the people magnet, ran into another lively group.

This second day in Guilin was loaded with stuff. Our guide…

…took us to the South China Pearl Museum…

…where our greeter gave us a short lecture on pearls.

The pearls were indeed beautiful; as this is a government-operated establishment, the high quality of the pearls is guaranteed, but it also means the prices are a little high.

After a brief discussion with the saleswoman, KK did indeed try on a beautiful necklace.

Also this morning we went to Yao Mountain by ski lift.

Note the metal toboggan run beneath the ski lift. It’s common in China to have these popular individual toboggan ramps for people to descend from a mountain.

As we were heading up we noticed steps beneath us, knowing full well that no one would be silly enough to try to hike all the way to the top of Yao Mountain.

But then we saw a group of knuckleheads doing just that.

As we approached the top, it got foggier…

…and foggier.

At the top we found a small museum…

…with, among other things, some carvings…

…and a sundial (?).

There was a long wall with animal carvings (assuming dragons are real).

Our guide showed us an area where hundreds of red ribbons were hung from the trees. She explained very clearly to me what these signified. I forgot, of course. (KK will know.)

One pond had statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. I was born in the year of the rat. Hmmmm.

Another area was for smokers, and it’s now obvious that these people are in cahoots with the U.S. FDA.

I love reading the signs in China. It’s very gracious of them to have English translations on almost every sign, but they really do need to get a native speaker to start translating for them. (YES! A new career!)

Unfortunately, the toboggan run was closed so we had to take the ski lift back down. On the way we took lots of pictures of people coming up. Everyone gave us big smiles. I’ll say it again: The people in China generally are very happy and cheerful (except when they’re driving).

At the bottom of the mountain we stopped at a tea farm.

The entrance had a nice display of tea processing to the right and a bunch of hats to the left.

Among the wide variety of toppings, KK selected just the right one that would go with her outfit.

While I, in an effort to expand my already vast array of knowledge, questioned the hostess,…

…KK took the first of her 35 selfies.

(Boy, am I gonna get it now!)

These “hats” are more for the collecting of freshly picked tea leaves than for sun blockage.

Inside, our hostess provided further information on tea leaf processing,…

…as well as a tasting session.

And, as usual, we exited though the gift shop, buying a couple things on our way.

That was our morning.

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This Little Piggy Went to Market

I have taken several trips around China with friends, and all of them have been wonderful. The trip to Guanxi Province in southern China with KK was certainly no exception. Although there are many parts of China I have not yet visited, I’ve decided to return to Guanxi with my brother in late April. Here’s the beginning of the DC-KK pictorial travelogue.

Guilin, Day 1 – Walking Around the Town

After checking into our hotel, strolled around town, looking in the windows and stores.

There were high-end items, like these ceramic vegetables with insects on them,…

…and some not-so-high-end stuff – in a different store, of course.

In general, Chinese desserts are not like French desserts, though you often come across some wannabes. Chinese bakeries are loaded with desserts that are decorated in cute ways, but not much butter (if any) is used and so they don’t live up, or even come close, to the real thing.

Whenever I overtly took pictures of people, they smiled warmly.

We loved the big markets in Guilin.

In the picture above, the shopping area on the left is only the front of a large indoor market.

Note that all the meats are simply on the tables anxiously awaiting purchasers, as they are throughout China. Occasionally, the seller will casually wave away a fly. The Chinese do not eat rare or medium rare meat.

This being southern China and tropical, the fruits and vegetables were beautiful, sweet, and delicious.

Some I didn’t recognize.

I think the picture below is of squash flowers, but I’m not sure I remember correctly.

We loved these short, fat bananas,…

…and even though they didn’t match KK’s fingernail attire, she bought some.

Here’s the biggest selection of rice I’ve seen in one spot:

If you think these markets limit themselves to food, think again.

One thing about China, the women love colorful outfits.

Outside walking again we noticed some interesting things in the street itself. For example, here’s a guy carrying a chair in front of a bus.

Note that he is not actually crossing the street but walking down its middle, unperturbed by anything around him.

All over China, 3-wheeled, motorized carts are used for transporting just about everything. I’ll have more on this topic later, but I thought I’d show this one now.

Those of you who know KK will not be surprised to hear that she was a magnet for just about everyone and everything, whether they were kids in stores…

…or wild animals underfoot.

We passed these steep steps to nowhere, which reminded me of the hike up and down the Inca trail where my students and I traversed a pass with 7,000 steps, all extremely steep (something that’s hard to comprehend in light of the smallness of the Incas).

We enjoyed seeing the cute sandals that girls really do wear,…

…as well as essential undergarments.

In front of one shoe store was a peculiar torture apparatus (move over, waterboarding):

Whenever we came upon a group of people, we pushed our way in (or at least KK did; I was always shy and demure) to see what they were looking at or doing.

These guys were playing Chinese chess, a common game around China. “Real” chess is not very common in China.

These women were playing a card game I didn’t recognize. (Henry?)

In front of a store there was this display:

Assuming the box of “Breast Enhancer” contained the bottles of “Silence,” we did not understand the connection between these two names. Then KK, using her acute experimental skills, actually lifted the box to reveal that there was indeed no connection – maybe.

Lest I end this on an unsavory note,…

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Song of the Volga Boatmen

This was one of the first songs I learned, early in my elementary school days.

Guanxi, Day 1 – Evening Entertainment

After our walking around Guilin, KK and I had dinner at a nondescript restaurant we passed at one point. Inside, KK got a head start after discovering a banana in her purse.

The food started to arrive and we dug in.

We had my favorite eggplant dish,…

…some nice string beans stir-fried with roast pork,…

…and breaded tofu baked with tomato sauce.

Although KK was as proficient as I with chopsticks, we had trouble finishing our meal, as you can see.

Back at the hotel, our tour guide picked us up and took us to the Li River for the popular Li River Cruise. In tourist parts of China we have noticed that often there are this Disneyland-ish boat rides that carry you slowly by colorful displays and short shows.

This evening KK set the record for number of selfies per hour.

All the trees along the bank were lit in one color or another. Here is a guy on a raft demonstrating the technique of fishing with cormorants.

My photos are lousy because I forgot to bring my real camera and was forced to use my inadequate cell phone. I’ll have more on cormorant fishing later in the trip.

Just as in Disneyland, as we approached one of the show places, the dancers would start doing their thing.

I don’t really remember why, but I recall wishing the boat driver would drive closer to this show.

The main event, attended by several boats simultaneously, was a traditional dance on the bank.

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From the Terrace

Just so you know, KK and I are off to Guanxi Province today and we’ll be incommunicado until May 24. If you’re curious about what we’re going to see, Google – something we can’t do here – the following places: Guilin, Longji Rice Terraces, Yangshuo, and Lijiang River. You’ll see our own photos when we return – after I cover Japan.

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