We spent the day visiting some Miao villages. The scenery on the way to the rural parts was really amazing. I was a little bit uneasy about visiting the villages. When we arrived we got to watch a "traditional" Miao dance. All the participants were dressed in their traditional costumes. However I felt very unauthentic. It was as if I was watching an exhibit at the Colombian Exhibition's Hall of People. I wanted to see the village, but I also felt like the local people were putting on a show in front of us.

However, the ride there on the bus was marvelous. The mountains were gorgeous, the rice paddies charming. Some of the fields were planted very high into the mountain. The river that we drove along was very swollen, the villages we were originally supposed to visit was not accessible because the road was washed away, There was definately evidence of flooding in this area-some of the fields had already destroyed.

The villages themselves were built into hillside - were very beautiful, I can't find proper words to describe them. I got some pics but I don't know whether I can post them here.

Client's information:

Mr.Joseph Corsetti  2008-4-8 18:15

We went to Kaili on May 09. Our first stop was Chong An, a village west of Kaili. The journey there was very interesting. We passed verdant hills, set against a steely grey sky with paddy fields cut into hillsides being ploughed by water buffalo.

As we neared the village, the bus was surrounded by people carring packages of goods for sale. We got off in the middle of a bustling market, being stared at and proceeded to wander about. Sorts of things were sale for your selection, including wellingtons, fabric, wool, noodles, rice, human teeth (don't know why), clothes, jewellery, hats, cakes and biscuits.

We went down a side street to the food market, where all kinds of live or dead animals were laid for sale. We watched some ducks being bled to death slowly and we wer glad that we didn't eat meat. That's really not humane. There were other animals like goose, chicks, rabbits, dogs, etc...were locked in baskets for sale.

Client's information:

Mr.Naimh and Cathal 2008-4-8 18:13

I just travel back to Shanghai after total 4 weeks travel in Hunan province (Zhangjiajie / Fenghuang city), Guizhou province (zhenyuan/kaili ' 5 miao minority village and town and leishan/xijiang/rongjiang /congjiang/liping / zhaoxing) and Guangxi province (Guilin / yangshuo / sanjiang / chenyang) Below are some tips FYI:

For Guizhou, please double check some bus road since some of them are under reconstruction, it is really bad. Remember to choose train which more comfortable and fast if the road condition is poor. The other one tip is about the ethnic minority villages which are really attractive. I strong recommend all to visit if you have no visit plan or if you have time.

For Guangxi, firstly, suggest all to choose more days in yangshuo since it is more easy to find economical and comfortable hotel instead of Guilin. Secondly, when you visit Yangshuo, please make sure to be attention on safety since some scenic spots are good but have potential unsafety factor. For restaurants in Guilin, i strong recommend some which are close to Shanhu lake (close to waterfall hotel) , it is cheap and decious .

Hope the tips helpful for your trip.

Client's information:

Ms.Susan  , China , 2008-4-7 17:39