Hey Hey and a Big G'Day to you

Ping'An, what can I say or write that other people haven't already written.

The colours, the hills, the people, the, the, the...oh man, you just have to go there and see it to believe it. I've been told by a few people who have been to Sapa in Vietnam that Sapa is nothing in comparison. I can't comment having never been to Sapa...hey, it was getting too cold! I walked for a few days in a daze. I have never been anywhere like it.

For me it was new and very exciting.

It was like a green beach and a heap of layered sandcastles, you know the ones you used to make with a little red or blue plastic buckets and yellow spades. Oh yeah, and the tourist name for Ping'An is, you guessed it, it has dragon in it!

It's Dragons Backbone Rice Terraces or Longji Titian.

We left Guilin Tuesday and spent 4 hours on 2 buses to get here. Had to splash out 50 Yuan for the 'area ticket', or Mr, you no go in! But what's the 50 Yuan for. Mr, you no go without it! HHHHhhhhhmmmm. When we arrived we were met by the usual stalls and people saying You Buy You Buy You Buy, but its all part of the beauty. Keep telling yourself this and it doesn't bother you so much.

Hey, it's not going to go away now is it!

Might as well enjoy it and look at things, oh isn't it beautiful, it's a hanky for my head! Yep, I purchased about 4 of them over the next few days. Good for under the bike helmet back home. Oh, isn't this just stunning, it's a.....a....another thing to buy and never look at. Enough, bye bye.

You begin the walk up to Ping'An by going across a little bridge full of You Buy You Buy stalls and when you round the hill the view that is before you just makes you stop.

Oh WOW, Oh WOW, Oh WOW, or many other words that I shaln't write come to mind. Would you look at that...they are green, they are layered, they are rice fields but made and created by a master sculptor? I have and walk through many rice fields on my daily walks in Tianyang but this is just amazing. You begin the walk up the hill to the village (they better have Pizza! Tee hee!), passing you are local women with full fridges and freezes on their shoulders (shared between two with the typical shoulder sticks); men come past with gas bottles on shoulder sticks.

Everything is carried.

Soon you come to the village and choose where you want to say. We wanted the best view, so hey, why not go right to the top, that way, when ever you go somewhere, you have to walk right to the top to get home...smart idea, but hey they were stunning views and we didn't pay anymore than below. It seems everywhere in China is becoming a mirror image on the thought behind Yangshuo. Here you can use the net, get western food, in fact, I met a few people who ran the cafes that had worked in Yangshuo for a spell. But one thing that comes with the whole Yangshuo idea is good coffee. Didn't need the 3 in one here mate.

I had the real deal!

After we had chosen, eaten and had coffee we headed up to View Point 1 & back around to View Point 2. We had met a Dutch couple who were sweet and we all decided to walk together. Every step of the way plays on the mind. Is it real, if it is, how am I so lucky to be part of it? A 20 minute walk to View Point 1 takes 40 minutes as you can't stop staring. Then there is the walk to View Point 2. Oh mumma don't wake me.

If it's all a dream, lemme sleep!

Wednesday (27th): we headed out with some guides on a 'yeow walk' as they called it. I think what they meant was the Yeow people are the minority people here. Maybe I'm wrong. Up past View Point 1 to find more You Buy You Buy Yeow People. Finally past them and the morning was spent walking amongst hills and hills full of rice terraces.

When we reached the women's homes we all sat for lunch and the girls played dress ups in local attire. After our bellies were full the girls decided to head home and I decided not too waste such an opportunity. I continued on. track after track, valley after valley and hour after hour of mind blowing views of lush green layered rice fields. A lot of people go part of the way and head down to catch the bus back. Bugger that mate, I continued on for a few more hours and then walked all the way back.

You miss too much in a bus which is why I always choose to ride and walk any distance that is walk or rideable.

I'm sure it would not take too long to get used to a place like this. Soon its beauty would become the norm. How could it not, there is so much of it. So by not staying too long in Ping'An the memories and the photos will always remain what they were at first sight...those four letter words you used when you first arrived...you know...WOW with two O's!!!

Beers N Noodles toya..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by the beauty of LUSH
The album was 'Spooky'
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