Tuesday,
March 27
Floating the Li
Today was an opportunity to see the karst/limestone formations up close and we
did. A forty-five minute bus ride took us to the staging area for the Li
River Cruises. This time there was a modern boat terminal and numerous tourist
boats lined up to whisk tourists down the lazy Li River.
We were assigned tables for eight and served tea as we prepared for launch. The
height of the water determines the length of the voyage and we anticipated
between three and four hours to traverse the length of the river. We literally
floated past the large limestone outcroppings, sleepy little fishing villages,
water buffalo and numerous ducks. The scenery was a bit mystical with the early
morning fog hanging in the valleys.
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| Water Buffalo graze the banks |
We were expecting lunch to be served aboard but were invited to order special
items a la carte which we did...crabs and prawns. The crabs were dainty little
things perfectly fried with a light batter and delicious with a beer. Consuming
the whole crab was easy as they were the size of a US fiddler crab. The prawns
were also small and tasty.
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| Prawns |
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| Li River Crabs |
Lunch was a bit sketchy but , as always, one could identify noodles...in this
case flat and ribbon like with a delicious brown sauce...rice with a few
vegetables thrown in, wonderful rice noodles indicative of this area, cabbage
plus an egg drop soup accompanied by local oranges and tangerines.
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| Delicious! |
There
were also dishes that remain a mystery but one contained duck heads so I'm
assuming the other parts of the ducks were also in the bowl.
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| Beer is a soft drink in China. |
There
were interesting things to sample and Paul partook of one...snake wine that
literally was a jar full of nasty snakes covered with something the Chinese
call wine. I actually was not with him when he drank this concoction but as I
write this some eight hours later, he is still alive !
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| Snake wine? Really? |
Ted attested to the fact
that he did, indeed, consume the drink.
We saw
all as advertised, took the prerequisite photos and disembarked around 1:30 at
the foot of an incredible street market. Alas, we had signed up for the local
farm tour and had no time to shop.
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| Dual language signs abound |
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| Are we having fun yet? |
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| Lovely fruit |
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| Finally we spot bicycles |
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| Street market |
About half of the group stayed in the bazaar
while the remainder of us loaded on elongated golf carts and set off for the
hinterlands.
A twenty-minute ride brought us to the 300-year-old home of a local
farmer. We were treated to a demonstration of the soy bean press, heard the 70
year old farmer sing a song praising Mao, peered at the coffins already
prepared for two family members (evidently a coffin is the traditional gift for
one's 60th birthday), feasted on local grapefruit and oranges and took many
pictures of the old house.
The
farmhouse was sparse but immaculate with numerous posters, pictures and general
paraphernalia plastered on the walls. It has neither heat nor air conditioning
and the main room was lit with two electricity saver bulbs dangling from the
vaulted ceiling. The farmer also showed us his prowess as he lifted a 40 pound
stone weight over his
head...he is a Kung Fu master we were told.
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| This farmer is prepared. |
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| Can you find the snake wine and the picture of Mao? |
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| Sleeping space |
Gordon from our group attempted this feat and he was also successful. Just need
to mention, Gordon is about 6 ft 7inches and looks like a giant!
A few photo ops and we were back at the hotel by five with dinner to served at
6:30. Dinner was at the hotel and, guess what, Chinese lazy Susan food. Not
too bad but dinner was over at 7:15 so we joined a few people in the bar...not
the "romantic bar"( yes,
special for tourists)... and up to bed. The wake up call is 4:45 and on the bus
at 5:40 for a 7 a.m. plane ride!
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