Who knew...

Yeah, so I'm now remembering back to my ECHT days that where there are back packers there will always be e-mail.

Today's travel tip: When going to a new city (one that speaks something other than your first language especially) always have the name and address of your hotel. Sometime vague directions just don't do the trick.

As much as I don't want it to, many members of my family can now brace themselves for needless worrying. I am traveling by myself. I'm fine, nothing bad has happened, DO NOT worry. That being said, in a country of 1.4 million people can you really be alone? On the train from from Shanghai to Guilin I was adopted by the Chinese woman in the opposing bunk. She showed me what to eat when we hopped off the train and helped me find my hostel when all seemed to be close to getting out of hand. She even left her phone number in case I needed anything else while I'm here in Guilin. Today's props go to Michele, you rock and saved me from excessively needless embarrassment.

That being said, where I'm staying is pretty nice considering some of the places I stayed in Europe (Milan, you are still on my hit list). It's close to the train and bus station and no problems thus far.

Today's adventure was to the Longji terrace. This is a place populated by the Miao minority and their main ways of life are crafts, rice farming in a place that makes me dizzy, and living in amazingly crafted houses. The drive up to the top of this mountain was pretty hairy for the fact that I'm really not one for heights. Once up near the top, I climbed farther on a carefully constructed stone path that would wobble at just the most inopportune times. I watched a man plow a rice terrace with a plow drawn by an ox. These are on a mountainside so they can't be more than 5 feet wide at best. Try as I might, there was no explaining to my satisfaction how they got up there with an ox and how they both were getting down.

I stopped for lunch while I was there and ate with some Miao women. I am about 5'5" and I felt like I was a giant for the first time, save being around kindergarteners. They asked me all kinds of questions and were very impressed when I told them my parents are farmers but not quite like the Miao are. When asked what we grow, I realized I do not have the words in Chinese. I pantomimed an ear of corn and pretended to eat it. This definitely got the point across. I told them that I could never be a rice farmer in the mountains because I would be afraid of falling down. They laughed at this and I told them where I come from does not have mountains and is very flat. They couldn't even imagine that. (The whole lunch and talking was conducted in Chinese only.)

Tomorrow I head for a Li River cruise. Despite all the news of flooding, I have heard nothing of it here even from the locals. It seems to be in the surrounding provinces only.

Aunt Barb- In answer to your question Oh Yeah there are mosquitoes in China. My arms are living proof. I've not had this many mosquito bites since I got stuck up on the roof at home watching fireworks. I'm getting excited for Hong Kong next, but there are still more mountains to see.