Exploring the surrounding countryside is best done by bike. So the next day (Oct. 10th), after another good European breakfast of muesli with yogurt and banana porridge, we rented a couple of mountain bikes (Papa was assigned the one with a small wicker seat attached on the back). We headed out of town on the main road leading to the Yulong He valley. Here we entered a small dirt path hoping to work our way through the rice paddies and farms along the river. Very beautiful and if it wasn't for the groups of 'adventure tours' passing us, it would have been quite peaceful as well. We stopped for lunch at a modern inn before continuing along the rocky and bumpy paths. At one point mom's bike got a flat and we were fortunate to be passing by a tiny village at the time. So while a couple of men did a patch-up job on the tire, papa practiced his Chinese (he's getting quite good at it), and mom took some pictures of the locals who were coming out of their homes to see the foreigners. The older people with their weather-strewn faces and their willingness to be photographed, made it hard for her to put down her camera and take up the handlebars again. We reached back in town at dusk.
The next day we rented the bikes once more, this time venturing along paths not frequented by tour groups. This proved to be the thing to do as we found our way along a very bumpy dirt road leading to tiny farms and villages. We took in the beautiful scenery and stopped to photograph the many people working in the fields. Just as we were running out of drinking water we stumbled across a tiny fishing village where we were given some cooled boiled water (liung kai shui). Here along the river were small wooden fishing boats and the typical bamboo rafts, which are used for cormorant fishing. We rode home over farmers' paths with the descending sunlight creating some fantastic lighting conditions for photographs. This time mom's tire held out on the bumpy dirt paths, which is more than what can be said for mom. Let me put it another way..... that evening, mummy did not sit down to dinner! As for me, I did just fine on the back of papa's bike in my little wicker seat, complete with a very cushy pillow.
Oct. 12th morning we woke to another glorious sunny day (after the past 2 months we have an even greater appreciation for the dry weather here...). Bikes were just not on the agenda that morning so we took a local bus to the village of Fuli for the market there. It was very crowded and we saw all kinds of stuff being offered for sale: tobacco, chickens, medicinal roots, fish, etc. etc. After working our way through it we took another bus to Xingping, about an hour away. Alas, the road was under construction so it meant another very turbulent ride. Once there, we strolled the quaint and old cobblestone streets, peering in the many storefronts and meeting with the local children and people. We ate a tasty lunch by the river in a bamboo shack and climbed the 1159 stone steps to get a first hand view of the surrounding valley from one of the amazing pinnacles. The unusual formation of these limestone peaks has long since been portrayed on traditional Chinese paintings seen everywhere. Back in town at sunset and another good meal, this time at the local dinning area (a marketplace set up with table and chairs) serving Chinese cuisine.
After spending a day in town relaxing, we ventured out again on Oct 14th to explore the countryside by bikes once more (my folks are suckers for punishment - doesn't faze me though, as I have a seat fit for a queen!) That night mom and I went out to see the cormorant fishermen in action (papa didn't accompany us as he had "been there .... done it"). I was very excited. Along with a tour group, we took a bus to a village down stream where we boarded a small wooden boat in the pitch-black night. Once on the river we saw the lights shining from the lanterns aboard the tiny fishing rafts. As we approached closer we could see the cormorants in the water diving for fish - they would surface with the catch but were unable to swallow as their necks had a ring. The fisherman on the raft would then pull them in and relieve them of their catch by dumping the fish in wicker baskets. I still wonder if this is quite fair to the poor birds who don't even get a chance to eat what they rightfully caught!... and don't you think it makes for very lazy fishermen??? Nevertheless, it was interesting to watch and the big bonus was I got to stay out quite late!
We were to leave our 'vacation spot' the next day, to be 'on the road' once more, but my tummy was just not feeling right...(perhaps the late night, perhaps the rich foods...). Anyways, we decided to stay in town for one more day before moving on to a few remote villages where we plan on visiting the minority groups of the region.