Where are the Birds?
As we are all keen birders we can't help but notice the lack of birds, and other life. Whereas at home when you walk through fields, near water, or in wooded areas, there are lots of birds and sounds, signs of animals - footprints, droppings, etc. 

We did find a lot of waterfowl and waders in the more remote lakes and ponds! But still few "backyard" birds

In the parts of China we have visited there is very little. Even the ubiquitous pigeons and sparrows in cities are almost devoid. Is this a result of the vast efforts 30-40 years ago to wipe out birds because they ate crops valuable to humans, and following that the great famines that occurred with poorly managed agricultural programs, forcing people to eat whatever they could get their hands on? Truly a sad period of China's history. I remember hiking with an Italian friend years ago who was so impressed with the variety and abundance of wildlife in the U.S. because in his home country so much had been destroyed and consumed for food during and after WWII.

11/1
Rain Doesn't Stop Us!

Sunday, November 1

Undeterred by the rain, we bundled up in rain gear with plastic bags over our cameras and set off. The park trail began with stunning vistas of the wide valley full of incredible eroded sandstone structures in all hues of reds, oranges and yellows.

Reminiscent of parts of America's Grand Canyon on a much smaller scale, the scenery was stunning.  The trail meandered up and down steep cliffs, past towers and spires of the sandstone. We had to watch our footing as the rain erodes the soft rock creating sticky muddy areas on the trail. We planned on Mr. Wang, our driver, meeting us after half an hour, but he was unable to bring the car near the trail because of the mud, so we ended up walking the entire trail for several hours. The scenery was quite wonderful, but it could have been spectacular with better weather.

Are we There Yet?
After lunch we piled back into the car, soggy, tired and full. The rain continued, and so did our altitude as we drove on. Mr. Wang, proved to be a very capable driver as we rattled on the one lane wide road, no guard rails, and lots of washout areas, as we climbed up into the clouds.

People put sticks and branches in cracks like this to "prop" up the cliff. This is to bring good luck.

Now high up in the mountains we had long passed farms and villages. Surprisingly, we still passed people on scooters and even one or two pedestrians in the middle of nowhere on these remote mountain roads.



American Style Gas Stations
At one point we stopped at a typical gas station: huge plaza, lots of pumps, and complete with the typical junk food convenience store you'd find in the states. We stocked up on puffed shrimp chips, Snickers and Dove bars, and even a couple of California red wines - if you can believe it!  It was such a long tedious drive through the wet foggy mountain roads, and eventually down onto the main highway full of trucks and tour buses.

We munched on the dried fruits we had bought from a street vendor in the mountains as well as the junk food from the gas station, and the rest of the leftover baby bees. By the time we arrived at the hotel in Dali well after 7:00 we passed on dinner and climbed into bed for an early night.

Idioms
We had a lot of time to talk in the car so we covered many subjects with David. He keeps a notebook to remind himself of new English words, so we began with lots of sayings, idioms and phrases that cannot be translated word for word. It became quite hysterical at times as we dissected the English language, and compared it to Chinese at times.

Changes in China
It was also very interesting to hear David's take on affairs in China. According to him there are very few restrictions on Chinese or visitors moving around the country, unless they want to enter disputed areas such as XinJiang or Tibet. He also commented on the younger generation, who are mostly only children due to China's one child allotment.

Young women walk next to an older traditionally dressed woman in Dali

He feels that they are very self centered and spoiled, particularly with the economic advances of many Chinese and their fondness for material things. We also discussed democracy and its advantages and disadvantages. He wonders if the Chinese could really handle democracy without civil war and many factions breaking off, citing Egypt and Libya. David grew up one of four brothers, and is old enough to remember when the government instilled poor farming practices and a lot of the country starved. He has witnessed the opening of China through the seventies and eighties. An example of these changes is sex.

Mr. Wang spends most of his free time texting or gaming on his phone

At one time sex was a very private affair, and both parties were expected to remain virgins until marriage. Now sex is much more open, and many couples live together rather than marry. Another example is when Kathy played a joke on Edie by giving her a condom from the hotel room wrapped in heart shaped paper. David was taken aback, but our driver, Mr. Wang, who is 29 didn't blink an eye.

Happy Halloween

10/31
Happy Halloween
Saturday, October 31

The Long Drive
We began the day with a traditional breakfast of rice porridge, hard boiled egg, pickled, salty vegetables and of course, tea.

Edie says goodbye to the bunnies

We did a little birdwatching, said goodbye to the bunnies, and off we went. As we drove along we just had to stop for photos of terraced farm fields, water buffalo carts, drying crops, and interesting scenery.

The Action Comes to Us
Always on the lookout for interesting subjects, we noticed several farm carts and people carrying overstuffed baskets in one small town so we asked for a photo stop. Just standing on the street corner several more people carrying immense loads of crops and more carts passed by.

We watched a poor old female pig being stuffed into a tiny cage so she could be weighed. We watched with fascination and horror as she struggled against five people pushing her into the cage, grunting and squealing. Finally, they muscled her in and set the cage onto a scale. Meanwhile, another pig watched uneasily from the back of a nearby pickup truck. She was then driven and prodded onto the truck with the first pig. All we had to do was stand there and the action came to us.

 The Market
One of our favorite photo opportunities on the last China trip were the markets. As we pulled into one small town, the traffic came to a standstill as the street was virtually impassable between people milling around, baskets of chickens and piglets and goods for sale.  Of course, we couldn't pass this up.


From Rooster to Capon
After getting out of the car my first sight was a rooster laid out on a small table on the sidewalk. Its legs were tied down spread eagled, the head held to the side by a man and its insides cut open and exposed. A young woman was cutting and spooning out the gonads, then placing then into a small metal bowl almost filled.

She proudly showed me what she was doing.  Next to the table in a basket were several more roosters awaiting their fate. Nearby in the back of a flatbed truck were four limp roosters barely alive in a heap - recuperating from their recent surgery. As we returned to the car another victim was being tied down and slit open. Little tough to watch!

The Dilemma
Between the piglets crammed into the market baskets, the poor old pig being weighed and the slit open roosters, I had to keep a strict control of my feelings of sadness and pity for the animals, and remind myself that raising animals for food is very different than having them for pets. Furthermore, if  I'm going to eat meat, I need to face these realities.

This Little Piggie Went to Market...
We continued on past baskets crammed with piglets for sale, squealing and oinking. Further on were young cows, heifers, tied to several trucks. Everywhere were baskets of chickens and roosters. The vendors stood under bright red and orange umbrellas chatting with the crowd. Being the only non-Chinese we got plenty of stares, and even people following us. We took plenty of photos; women with colorful baskets strapped to their backs, babies in backpacks sleeping through the commotion, old wizened faces, Yi women in traditional ornately embroidered costumes, vendors and shoppers.

Fresh from the hive, wriggling bee larvae

It was quite a chaotic scene, especially when a vehicle would try to pass through. We declined all the vendors offers except for purchasing  a portion of a honey bee hive containing the larvae.

The "Truck Stop" and Bee Babies
The car was left at a nearby "car wash" for a shampoo - really two women with a hose, a bucket and some rags, while we visited a market followed by lunch at the local truck stop. Again, another hidden gem.

The "truck stop"

Along an industrial road, we walked through an enclosed parking garage into a courtyard with a delightful restaurant. Although there were several private dining rooms, we chose to eat outside among the fish ponds and bushes. The owners fussed over us and cooked us a delicious meal of fresh vegetables, ham, soup, chicken and of course, tea. One of the women picked out all of the still wriggling bee larvae, then fried them for a snack. Everyone claimed they were delicious. Before leaving we took some photos of all of us with the women. What fun!

Keep on Truckin'
Back in the car we followed narrow country roads, often dodging water buffalo, goats, farm carts and even a couple of "taxis,"really carts carrying about eight people pulled by several water buffalo.

The roads followed wide river valleys comprised of small fields of rice, corn and other crops creating a colorful mosaic. Farmers, men and women, could be seen picking, hoeing, and planting, sometimes accompanied by their water buffalo or mules grazing peacefully next to them. Bundles of corn and rice stalks lay in the fields and courtyards of the farms, while rows of corn ears tied together hung from rooftops and rafters to dry.

Going Up
As the road began to climb up into the mountains, we could look down at the terraced fields perched on impossibly steep inclines. Almost every inch of the mountainsides were terraced for crops, or crisscrossed with tracks from grazing animals. The vistas were incredible. Looking down into the fields and villages below, or looking up to more mountains towering above us. The road, although paved, had plenty of small landslide areas and potholes, as well as steep inclines and switchbacks to make it a challenging ride for driver and passenger.

Often we would slow down to a crawl behind a small motorcycle or truck struggling its way uphill, which made the going slow. Finally, in late afternoon we reached the Red Earth Land, a scenic area of deep red earth eroded into dramatic formations.

The Red Earth Land
With only an hour to go before dusk, we entered the Wumao Earth Forest, where we stayed overnight. We briefly explored the entrance to the park before dinner, and packed in early after a full day.