Day 10 Four Chicks and Two Yao

Up before the sun rose this morning….alarm set for 5 and downstairs by 5:30am and on the bus clutching our box/bagged breakfast…We checked in and got through security with no problem….we said good-bye to David, our wonderful tour guide for the last 9 days, and with Cathy (the SNA person from the Richmond office) we made our way on to the plane for Guilin. A 2 hour flight.

As soon as we landed in Guilin, we could feel the temperature and the humidity was a lot higher than the first of the trip, as Guilin in the south of China. It is a lot greener in this area than anywhere we have been. Spring has come here first. We were met at the airport by our local guide, Rebecca. We then set our for a 2 hour bus ride to Haunglo for lunch. Another delicious meal served at a family home/restaurant. The owners are Yao people and served us dressed in local clothing. At the end of the meal we were given a thimbleful of homemade rice wine and they serenaded as they served us

Then back on the bus for another 20 minutes…….have you ever driven that little road past Kapalua on the north coast of Maui, a one lane road with a cliff up on one side and a cliff down on the other side, with switchbacks and you have to honk before you get of each curve…..well this one is worse going up in a bus with a crazy lady driver, switch back after switchback the white people at the back of the bus squealing and laughing at each turn.

We finally got to our destination, Ping An, a little village tucked in the mountains surrounded by terraced rice paddies. This is Dragonback Rice Terraces. So armed with the overnight backpacks we started up the “700 steps” to our hotel the Star Wish. The paving stoned path we were on is all lined with local vendor….all selling the same things and all trying to get our attention. It took us about a half hour to get up to the village and our hotel……A real surprise in this out of the way location….beautiful rooms with lots of wooden features, a real bathroom, a tv and a balcony with a dynamite view of the terraces.

Hotel on the Mountains

After swabbing the sweat from us with wet ones and resting for a bit (remember we have been up since 5am and now it is 4pm) our guide took us on a 2 hour hike up to 2 different view points overlooking the terraces.

The Yao women have very long long hair….the only cut their hair once in their lives when they are 16.…..they keep the hair that they cut. To style it each day they twist their hair (their real hair and the cut hair) into a kind of knot on their head. Two of these women “accosted us” along the narrow mountain path wanting to show us their hair (for a price of course!) they followed us for a long time until we said yes….hence the picture below…Four Chicks and two Yao.

4 Chicks & 2 Yao

The hike was tiring after the initial hike up the hill but worth every step….the scenery was fabulous.

Back at the hotel we socialized for a while then had another fantastic meal. Then everyone headed for the showers and bed.