12/15/2006 China Day 81: Bus Kaili --> Congjiang --> Luoxiang, Hike Luoxiang --> Zhaoxing, Guizhou - Beautiful Scenery
There is some very scenery along the 8-hour bus ride from Kaili to Congjiang not really mentioned by Lonely Planet. Beautiful all wood Dong (a Chinese ethnic minority) homes nestled in river valleys with a mountain backdrop covered by farming terraces. It is reminiscent of the lush green scenery in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, except the homes are somewhat bigger and nicer, the roads are paved, and the greenery is not quite as lush in Guizhou.
On the other hand, the 1 hour hike from Luoxiang to Zhaoxing mentioned by Lonely Planet is only average.
Zhaoxing is a small but growing Dong village of several hundred inhabitants. The hotel staff told me that during the busy season (not winter), several thousand travellers visit annually. No wonder then that the city has around 10 guesthouses, an Internet cafe, and at least 3 bars.
Probably one of the interesting things to do in this and other minority villages is to see a dance and music performance in their traditional clothing. In many villages, this probably occurs with more frequency during the tourist season, or during holidays and festivals. In Zhaoxing, you can pay for a performance for 500 RMB, which large groups often do, but I didn't want to pay that amount by myself.
At night, I went to one of the bars accompanied by 3 of the concierges from the hotel. They didn't have much to do at the hotel, given that I was the only foreigner in town, and I enjoyed their company. One of the girls sang some karaoke, and I danced some alone, because everyone in the bar was too shy to dance. At the end of the night, a couple of the girls offered to take me to visit Tang'an the following day, given that they had the day off, which I gladly accepted. At the end of the night, I paid the bill for all 4 of us (concierges only make about 500 RMB ~= $60 per month), which came out to 45 RMB ($5.60). It's nice when you can treat a small group to a night out for less than the price of a single (good) beer in a bar in the U.S.!
On the other hand, the 1 hour hike from Luoxiang to Zhaoxing mentioned by Lonely Planet is only average.
Zhaoxing is a small but growing Dong village of several hundred inhabitants. The hotel staff told me that during the busy season (not winter), several thousand travellers visit annually. No wonder then that the city has around 10 guesthouses, an Internet cafe, and at least 3 bars.
Probably one of the interesting things to do in this and other minority villages is to see a dance and music performance in their traditional clothing. In many villages, this probably occurs with more frequency during the tourist season, or during holidays and festivals. In Zhaoxing, you can pay for a performance for 500 RMB, which large groups often do, but I didn't want to pay that amount by myself.
At night, I went to one of the bars accompanied by 3 of the concierges from the hotel. They didn't have much to do at the hotel, given that I was the only foreigner in town, and I enjoyed their company. One of the girls sang some karaoke, and I danced some alone, because everyone in the bar was too shy to dance. At the end of the night, a couple of the girls offered to take me to visit Tang'an the following day, given that they had the day off, which I gladly accepted. At the end of the night, I paid the bill for all 4 of us (concierges only make about 500 RMB ~= $60 per month), which came out to 45 RMB ($5.60). It's nice when you can treat a small group to a night out for less than the price of a single (good) beer in a bar in the U.S.!
posted by Coquin at 10:14 AM
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