Off we went at Mr Liao's pace - the Chinese walk at a nice, managable pace but rarely rest. Early on into the adventure we had to break out the very attractive plastic, cling-wrap like jackets to combat the rain - we didn't really mind though because the scenery was breathtaking. Adam actually soon ripped his jacket off - not much breathing space for the body so he was wetter with it on!!! He made do with the umbrella! The rain clouds also meant the temperature was bearable for the long walk ahead - Ping'an is at a higher level than what we've been at, so the cooler temperature has been wonderful - Liv sometimes even puts her cardigan on!!
So we wandered up and down, and all around, through rice paddies and small villages scattered on the hillside. Lots of the scenery is actually quite similar to NZ - we walk through big forests that open up to beautiful lakes.
This makes us happy but reminds us of home (not that we need reminding, we think of home all the time). The paths we were walking on however, were different from NZ - the are all made of big rock steps, and we hate to think about the man hours spent building them. They're beautiful, but in the rain become quite trecherous - which Liv learnt the hard way: bruises will prove this but we won't post any of those!! 
Above is one of the many beautiful minority villages we enjoyed walking through. In the next photo you can see Mr Liao waiting ever so patiently for us!
We also saw our first live snake (there are lots of dead ones for eating in restaurants!) slithering along in the waterway beside us - there is a lot of wildlife around here, some very different from NZ.After a good 3 and a half hours we made it to the summit to the 'Panorama Hotel' for more amazing views and our first rest! This was possibly the best view of the terraces and all the villages nestled amongst them we have seen so far, but once again the photos don't do justice. The villages are the heart of the terraces, as they are where the farmers who tend the terraces live.
The short rest, was too long for Mr Liao, and we soon headed off for more walking, more views of the terraces and villages, and more rivers and other waterways. The irrrigation system is amazing - all the terraces are linked by bamboo pipes to keep the water from the mountains flowing through each paddy - it's quite a scene!After a total of 6 hours walking, some barely crawling down the slippery steps - Mr Liao steamed ahead in his work shoes, while Adam and Liv clung to each other (mainly Liv to Adam) - we made it to the Yao village of Dazhai to catch the bus back to Ping'an! Liv resorted to walking in the gutters made for the cows to walk the mountains - she was more prepared to land in cow dung than the rock steps!! We were thankful for Mr Liao, as it is very easy to get lost in the terraces - which we surely would have done without him!
At Dazhai we patiently waited with Mr Liao for the bus which took us along the river to a junction where we patiently waited and waited for the bus back to Ping'an. While waiting we sat with the local women who were weaving beautiful clothing and bags - we saw one younger woman make a mistake and hand it to the more experienced generation to fix. This reminded us of Mumbles fixing Liv's many knitting and sewing mistakes!!
Finally back at Ping'an we still had the 20minute trek up to Susans, but on arrival we were treated to another (well-needed) feast. Liv had been requesting potatoes since arrival and was ecstatic when Susan told her she had potatoes!! We dined with Will and Brooke 2 Australians who work in Hong Kong but were visting Ping'an - we enjoyed an English conversation and finding out about Hong Kong where we will be on the 20th of August.
Exhausted, we lazed the evening away and went to sleep early! We will miss Ping'an when we leave tomorrow.
Adlibing the backbone on foot.
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