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Shangri-Lang De
Wednesday, August 10, 2005-5:00 PM
The rooster crowing outside my window this morning finally persuaded me to get up. The earlier I started, the better.
I needed to do two things: first, investigate the possibility of purchasing a train ticket to Xining, Qinghai; second, catch a bus to Lang De.
Lang De is a small Hua Miao village about an hour away from Kaili in Guizhou. Both Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao have visited Lang De.
I walked from my hotel to the train station, about five kilometers away, only to find their was no direct train to Xining. I wasn't surprised but still was a little disappointed.
I walked the five kilometers back to the city center and headed to the bus station.
The bus was full, and we were picking up more passengers along the way. I sat with my bag on my lap, nervously worried the driver would forget to let me off in Lang De.
He didn't. And once we arrived it was easy to get my bearings straight. I headed towards upper Lang De.
It was raining lightly, and the road was almost empty. A car or motorcycle passed now and then. The road ran next to a small stream. Rice paddies lined the banks of the stream.
Upper Lang De is comprised of lots of wooden houses built on the side of a hill. About 600 people from 130 or so families live here.
The first thing I saw was something not uncommon in China, German tourists. I walked past them and went towards the village.
There were very few people walking around. Just a few chickens her and there. I expected to be attacked by women selling handicrafts. Instead, I was alone and unsure what direction to go.
Eventually, I found the women selling souvenirs. One of the women operated a guesthouse out of her home.
She lives with her husband and son, who is home from school for summer vacation, in a three-story wooden house. The dining room is an open-air room next to the kitchen decorated with Chairman Mao posters and certificates from her son's school.
After eating, I left to explore the village. My host gave me a pass to watch a performance that afternoon and explained what I needed to say to avoid paying for it.
Instead, I went to the river. At first, I just waded in the shallow parts with my pants rolled up. But I couldn't resist the temptation to go for a swim.
After the swim, I tried to return to the guest house. But two things made that very difficult: one, every house and path between the houses look the same; two, there was some sort of fowl guarding the entrance to the guesthouse that attacked me whenever I tried to walk past.
But, otherwise, I like it so much here, I just might stay an extra day.
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