Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

Some people get Bali Belly.
Today I woke with Kaili Belly.

Its only happened a few times in the past five and a half years so I'm not going to fret about it. I was hoping to be spending a few nights in a Miao People's Village but hey, the village isn't going anywhere so today I took a rest day and kicked back in my room sleeping, writing and finally got around to getting stuck into and finishing one of the best books I've ever read.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year old girl, is taken with her parents by the French Police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in the bedroom cupboard, their secret hiding place, and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty Years Later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her search, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah and to questions about her own future.   

The photos for this entry were taken over the past several days and believe it or not they were all taken from building site walls/fences. Some put up billboards and others ugly green mesh, here in Kaili all around the city local people are hired to decorate the walls and I found it wonderful!

Now For a Bit on Kaili City

The city of Kaili, about two hundred kilometers from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province and it is the cultural hub of China's Miao ethnic minority.

Kaili is located at the foot of Mt. Miao, on the bank of the Qingshui River, and spans an area of roughly one thousand three hundred square kilometers. There are other ethnic groups represented in the Kaili area, but the Miao are by far the largest group (43%). The Miao have lived here for generation upon generation. As the hub of China's Miao ethnic culture, Kaili is also the gateway to the surrounding area's many Miao villages that are scattered about the nearby mountains.

Kaili is a city of music, as its well-deserved nicknames bear witness; Kaili is alternately referred to as "The Homeland of Music", "An Ocean of Song and Dance", and "The City of Festivals", all of which reflects the city's role as the center of Miao culture. Moreover, the Miao are blessed by nature with good singing voices. Song is an integral, communal part of Miao society.

It is a way of life that goes far beyond mere entertainment performed by a select few.

The Miao's melodious yet unsophisticated music, which they play on special instruments that they themselves fashion (their primary musical instrument being a reed instrument made of bamboo, called the lusheng) is traditionally accompanied by dance. The Miao celebrate a seemingly endless number of festivals during the course of a year (itself a tribute to this optimistic, positive-oriented folk) where song and dance are the major components.

These festivals all take place on important dates in the age-old Miao culture calendar.
Thus they are reckoned according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
   
Beers N Noodles toya.....shane
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The band was Johnny Winter
The Album was 'The Best Of'
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