Day 64 - Adventuring into the Jingning Mountainous Countryside

Waking up to the goings on of the little town below us, we were thankful the rain had stopped and that the sky above was bright blue! We started the morning by venturing to the post office to send our favourite nephew Ethan James Harris' birthday present home! Not a day goes by that we don't wish we could be home for the wee man's big day (he is turning 3 after all), so it was great to be able to send something home so that even though we wouldn't be there on the day, a present would!

Our next mission was finding the bus that everyone told us was somewhere, but we didn't know where! We have ended up in a town where Liv's Mandarin does not suffice, as the She nationality's language is clearly very different, so Liv finds it hard to understand or be understood, leaving Adam 100% unable to communicate!!

We set off on an adlibing tour of the city in search of 'The Bus', eventually seeing a bus in the distance with the characters for Dajun on it. Dajun was our remote village destination for the day, and is a cute wee village at the base of the lush mountains and rivers. Making it to the bus, we spent the next 45 minutes waiting for passengers, in order to comply with the 'leave when full' policy. The enjoyable part of this wait was witnessing once again how buses become a sort of social event, with passengers talking and laughing (probably at us) amongst themselves.

Arriving in Dajun we were confronted with the ongoing construction of an up and coming tourist destination - the village we arrived at was in complete contrast to the tourist village it is about to be turned into, according to the massive billboards scattered along the road. We feel lucky to have experienced the Dajun of today, before its 'transformation'.

After exploring the village, we crossed the sparkling green river via a slightly aged swing-bridge, for our excursion into the mountains.
After walking up and up and up, the stone steeps slowly gave up to dirt tracks we're used to in NZ, and despite the effort of ascending the mountain it was all worthwhile when out of nowhere we came across this:
This village, nestled into the mountainside, was true China, with unspoilt landscapes and waterways, as well as being full of some of the most genuinely friendly people we have come across during our adlibing travels. We spent the next half and hour (probably more) wandering through the village, sidestepping chickens, frogs and lizards (some bright blue / purple - verging on fluro), passing fruit and vegetable crops, as well as old mud homes, some crumbling and abandoned.Reluctantly leaving the village behind, we continued into the mountainside, thoroughly enjoying having a part of China all to ourselves (not another tourist in sight). After a solid hour of wandering, in and out of bamboo forests and past rice paddies and straining our necks after constantly gazing up and around, we decided to relax and take in what was in front of us.

Part of our discussion led to the fact that we were seeing a part of China that will soon be lost to the tourist development - the stone steps we had climbed, soon to be polished by the thousands of feet walking up them (unless of course the cable-car goes up first), and we're sure that the dirt track will give way to even more polished stones. The other side of our discussion turned to the fact that we're enjoying the beauty of this place, and who are we to say others shouldn't as well - this is the catch 22 of the situation. If only everyone could see it like we got to, while preserving its original state. Heading back through the village, we accepted an old man's invitation for lunch, and were treated to seats, fans, and fruit - all before the delicious meal of rice, tofu, eggs and veges, about double what we could eat if we were starving! Our generous hosts popped in and out to ensure we were satisfied, and occasionally shoo-ing the chickens from out under our feet. With the late afternoon approaching, we readied ourselves to make it down the mountain. Our attempts at paying for our feast were completely turned down: our offers repeatedly met with "bu yong" (no need). As we wandered along the paths, glancing back at their smiling faces farewelling us, we felt completely humbled, a sensation that will not be forgotten - hopefully we can be this generous to others throughout our lives.
Jumping our way the mountain passed a lot more quickly than the journey up, and soon we found ourselves ambling back across the rickety old bridge, to wait on the side of the road for the bus. The wait turned into a very long one, and the reason why many Jingning bound buses passed our waving arms by is still unclear! However, we did get to chat to a local also waiting, who continued the demonstration of generousity by paying for our bus tickets when a bus finally stopped for us!

Back in Jingning we bought our bus tickets for tomorrow - well, the first of several buses, anyway - though we have no idea when and where buses 2 and 3 will depart!

Satisfying Liv's need for contact with home, she spent time chatting with Big Sis Carly, while Adam returned to the hotel for supplies. Now we're off to get dinner, which will definitely consist of a few kebabs!

Adlibing it into a hidden and humbling village.