This last weekend was a long weekend for us here in China for May Day. The holiday was Friday, Saturday and Sunday unlike our long weekends that encompass a Monday. I ended up having a Chinese adventure to a town in Hunan province called “FengHuang”. We (Nettie's family and myself) left Thursday night on the train at around about midnight and arrived about 7 or 8 hours later in the town of “Jishou”..We had ½ an hour to grab a quick breakfast and then met the tour group and took an hour or so ride out to the village of Dehang. A note about the travelling – the train here in China is quite an experience! We had Soft sleepers (A cabin with two bunk of two beds high and a door)on the way to FengHuang and we had Hard Sleepers (two bunks of 3 beds high and no door in a huge carriage) on the way back. The journey was long, noisy and very tiring...but at the same time very interesting. Chinese people are a lot friendlier to each other and don't seem to worry about encroaching into each others space, helping each other, chatting and sharing with strangers they meet on the train. I didn't mind this form of travel much at all and it is so much cheaper than flying...but...I was with Chinese friends and this probably lessened peoples curiosity about me somewhat and made it quite a lot easier for me to travel. I can imagine that by myself it could be fairly stressful.
On the train -
The village of Dehang was in a very scenic spot and is home to a comunity of one of the minority groups here in China called "Miao". The weather was very wet but we still got to have a good look around and see some Miao costumes and performances.
FengHuang is absolutely amazingly beautiful. A very old, historic Chinese town full of atmosphere and things to buy and see.You can meander through cobblestoned streets lined with everything Chinese. It was very busy but suprisingly not many foreigners...I think it is one of the Chinese secrets... I think they keep all the best places (like here in Yichang) secret from foreigners :-)
It was like visiting a dreamland so different from anywhere I've ever seen before.
"FengHuang" means Phoenix, which of course is a legendary mythical Bird like creature, which here in China is very auspicious. We took a ride on a boat, ate good food, walked for hours and hours and hours, rode in a traditional "Jiao Zi"(so embarrasing, the guy carrying me was happily yelling out in Chinese something along the lines of "princess Sue from Australia was here)we saw all the tourist spots with the Chinese tour group including a hilariously funny moment for me when we were guided to a place and told it was a library, only to get taken as a group to a room where we had to listen to a guy trying to commercially sell us a sets of knives, vegetable peelers etc)No one seemed to think this was strange except for me....it is obviously a very normal procedure when you go on an organised tour...VERY WEIRD !
Talking of organised tour...If you ever really want to experience how to fit as many things as possible into a few days...this is the way to do it LOL... by the time I walked back into my apartment I was totally exhausted!
I bought up on many trad' Chinese gifts whist wandering the alleys...It really was a lot of fun. I am going to have to learn how to bargain though, my friends always do it for me...I just find it's not really in my nature to try and buy things for less.
I had a fantastic time and I am so lucky to have found the most amazing friend here in Yichang in Nettie, who gives me opportunities to spend time experiencing Chinese life. To have come all the way to China and found such a wonderful person is very special.
I took so many photo's and short videos and it was difficult to decide what to post. If you click on the picture below it will take you to view ALL of them including great footage on the train ride etc.
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| 2-05-2009 FengHuang |
footnote : I've just noticed that the videos at the picasa link have lost a lot of quality and the sound has unsynchronised,You can still see them and I will try and fix the problems when i get time !
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