Our hotel, Guilin Bravo Hotel, has two buffet breakfast rooms. One is the Asian breakfast and the other is the European/American breakfast. We chose the American.
At 9:30 we headed out for Longsheng Rice Terraces. It was a 2-hour drive up into the mountains where we saw beautiful scenery. When we reached the top of the main road, we transferred to a van that took us on a 20-minute drive to the end of the road. China Focus had arranged for us to visit a small village that is not usually visited by tourists, so we walked up the mountain to the village above the rice paddies. The weather was misty and somewhat foggy. It was a pleasant walk, though.
Rice Terraces in the Morning Fog
When we got to the village, I stopped to buy some serving spoons made of water buffalo from a local woman. She let me take a picture of her after the purchase. Our guide, Li Jien Feng, said that it is unusual to find these spoons for sale. Combs are a lot more prevalent.
Woman who sold me the water buffalo serving spoons
Then we had lunch at a local restaurant. We enjoyed the “simple meal,” as our guide called it. They served us the usual rice, vegetable dishes, and a meat dish, but we got a surprise dish that was quite welcome….French Fries! Cha-Cha-Cha came out for a few minutes to say hello to a few people there. I looked into the doorway of the kitchen to look at the big bowls of pig blood. They had killed a pig to prepare for an upcoming wedding. It is customary that all the villagers will be invited. It is customary that guests give money as gifts.
Mixing Bowls of Pigs Blood
Then we took a walk uphill passing by the homes of the villagers. Most of the parents are working in the city, and the grandparents are left in the village to care for the children. We walked down many stone steps past the school. It was 2:40 when we reached the school, but we were not allowed to come in because the children would be napping until 3:00. At least we saw the outside of the building.
Village Steps
Then we took the lower road back to the place we could pick up the small bus. The fog and mist had cleared, so I took lots of pictures of the rice terraces.
Leaving the Village in the Afternoon
Tonight we ate dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. Our guide had ordered six dishes for us, some of which we had not had before. I liked the eggplant dish and the fish dish the best.
10413 steps, 4.43 miles