Huaxi scenic Area
Trip Start
Apr 05, 2007
1
6
9
Trip End
Apr 13, 2007
Guiyang,
China
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
* * *
I'm waiting at a wonton stall, drinking beer, while Yoong has gone to have a haircut. At Y5 she just couldn't resist it. It's been a lovely day today, with the best weather we've had so far.
We did not have to stand on the train journey. One of the passengers pointed to the guard box in the carriage, a small enclosure labeled "Guard's office", which had a seat just big enough for the two of us - and it wasn't locked. We thought we be asked to move when the guard discovered us there, but she just asked us to move aside while she put away some folders in the cupboard overhead. Not sure whether the locals could have done it, but as a gweilo you can get away with a lot.
We quickly checked in at the Tongda Hotel where we had stayed on our way through Guuiyang. Reception was busy with a tour group checking in, but when we came down from our 17th floor room things had settled down and we could ask them how to get to Huaxi Scenic Area. Easy. It was a Y2 bus ride from just outside the hotel. We let the first bus go as it was packed full and, despite the mad scramble for seats we did manage to sit down on the next bus. After a long ride we got off where most of the locals alighted and found the entrance to Huaxi Park. Only Y6 to get in. We're really off the tourist trail here. The park was very attractive. We spent the afternoon walking across bridges and climbing up Lingshan, which apparently means "Unicorn Mountain." We also had a bit to eat as there were vendors selling small grilled fish from the lake, and another selling savoury tofu-fa.
After a couple of hours we found an area where the a local group gathered to sing Beijing Opera songs, accompanied by two Chinese "violins" - one with a cylindrical base and one with a hexagonal base. We thought they were erhus, but an elderly man who spoke English called them something else. We watched while five people took turns to sing, with varying degrees of skill, while sipping the tea they offered us. We were the only non-performing audience. After about an hour, the English-speaking man had his turn and we decided it was time to leave. The music was very lively and enjoyable.
Coming out of the park, we found a kind of fun-fair and flea-market, leading to stalls with all kinds of food we had never seen before. We had planned to eat at our hotel, but quickly dismissed that idea as we sampled the goodies we found - a kind of mashed potato dish eaten from a hot-plate, more lake fish at half the price we paid inside the park, water chestnuts, won-ton and a delicious fresh mango sorbet from one of several fruit-juice stalls. We also bought more potato crisps, but this time there was a choice of lots of chilli powder or not quite so much chilli powder - plain, unsalted crisps was not an option. There were a lot more stalls where people wrapped their own pancakes or sat around a hot-plate eating various tofu and vegetable items, which were fascinating to watch but probably not very hygienic so we didn't join them. Yoong is back from her haircut, so we'd better go and find the bus that will take us back to the hotel.
* * *
We found a music shop on the way to the bus stop so we bought a bow each for our violins - one full size, one three-quarter size. We'd been looking for them in Hong Kong but the shop we knew seemed to have closed. We negotiated Y80 for the two. Hard to tell the quality, but they look fine. At that price it's worth taking the chance.
One seat left on the bus for Yoong, but I got a seat after about half an hour. It was a long ride from one end of the city to the other. I went for a walk around the nearby streets and managed to locate two Internet cafes for tomorrow. Not hard to find now that we know the characters for "internet café". Apart from that, most of what I saw was streets and streets of nothing but food, with maybe a few hairdressers scattered around.
Back at the hotel we were able to shower without freezing as soon as we stepped out, though that might be more due to the change in weather than the facilities of the hotel. The beds are a bit more comfortable here, and the décor is nicer but it's much darker than the brightly lit room in Anshun. It also has carpets rather than tiles, which is no guarantee of cleanliness.
As usual, no English TV, but there's an interesting program where they have classical music and foreigners singing Chinese opera, not just "white ghosts", but black people and Indians. Other shows we can watch include acrobatics and magic shows. However, the vast majority of the forty or so channels seem to be showing colourful historical dramas and Chinese soapies, usually with lots of tears.
Raymond's Travel Page
