这地方很漂亮 A trip to Wu Yuan

I was given the opportunity to travel with a group of 24 students to the country in an area called Wu Yuan. It was great! This trip was organized by a student for his girlfriend to celebrate being together for 2 years. It was very well organized. He invited many friends on the trip and one of his friends is my Chinese tutor. I had so much fun on this trip and I was the only foreigner on the trip. It was fun to be with my students in a different atmosphere and to be exposed to the countryside life a little.

(Click on the pictures for a larger view)

This is the list of things I was to bring given to me by one of my students. So cute...



The hostel owner of the first night's stay. He's 91 yrs old and fought against the Japanese in the war.



The guy who organized the trip and me sitting in the seats of honor at the hostel where we ate our first meal.



The seats


An old bed which was said to be 1000 years old...but I'm sure they meant 100. Details lolst in translation.


If you can rub the handles of this bowl and make the water jump high then you will have good luck!


A student cleaning off a fish spine. They love fish.


Wood carvings from old homes - people still live in these homes but they open up their living rooms during the day to show people.




An icy river for cleanning clothes


One of the students trying to charm a duck :)



An old kitchen still quite functional


The trail up the mountain


You will see planty of these flowers from a distance in the following pictures




A rain hat for farmers. They work great! It rained the entire weekend


The stereotypical American thumbs up...give 'em what they want.


This is what most of the trails and roads looked like as we were going up and down a mountain on a hike.


The second night: On our excursion up/down the mountain in the rain and mud we took the wrong trail and ended up taking a much longer route which made us an hour late for our bus. We ended up coming down the mountain in the dark trying to see puddles in the reflection of the moon and our flashlights. Eveyone was wet and one guy even fell in the river that was next to the trail. Our bus left with our bags and a few people who didn't go up the mountain. So we ate and found places to stay in the village where the trail ended.

We tried to dry our feet, socks, and shoes over coals.



This was my room in an older couple's house. What an experience! The blanket was really thick and warm and I slept well.


In traditional Chinese homes it was lucky to have the rain come in your house so every house has a section where the rain can fall through the roof


We went on a boat ride up a river.


Wu Yuan is known for its tea, these are some tea bushes.


A kitchen and some food to go with it.








Old Tower - don't know what it's for or why it's special


Old fashioned bath



Enjoy the scenery!