One day I took a trip with some fellow travelers to the highlands outside of Guilin for a hike around Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces. The Zhuang, one of the largest ethnic minority groups in China, started agriculturally sculpting the mountains around 700 years ago. Some of their villages are still isolated, and it was a long and windy drive up a beautiful river gorge to our destination. It was an overcast and misty day, but luckily the clouds were aloft, providing us with clear views of the valley. From the village below, the mountainsides were muted and dim, but as we hiked up, overcoming terrace after terrace, the scenery started to transform. Like twirling open horizontal blinds, the increase in elevation brightened the valley with a gradual shift from dull brown to a vibrant striped green. For lunch we stopped at an inn on the mountainside. A woman prepared our delicious meal with a little baby strapped to her back and told us that the rice had come from the paddy that lay just outside the doorstep. I don't think I've ever eaten rice from that close to its source!
Hello, Jesse! I am Miguel, from Brazil.
ReplyDeleteYour blog has been an inspiration for my trip to China.
I'll be grateful if you can help me with some information.
I'm going to China in March and would like to visit the area of Yangshuo and Longsheng . However , I read that is not a good time to travel through the province of Guangxi because the rain is persistent and the rice fields are still without plants.
Anyway , following your blog , I have the impression that you traveled there this time of transition between winter and spring. Am I correct ? The pictures show clean days and beautiful landscapes. Definitely, the scenario you photographed justifies a trip to Guangxi.
I would like to know in which month you visited Guangxi and also the weather was like in that region.
If I conclude that March is definitely not a good time to visit Guangxi think I'll change my plans and travel to Yunnan , where it's dry this time of year.
Thanks!