A quick trip to western Hunan!

I’ve been sitting at my computer for about 30 minutes now, trying to think of a way to describe my trip to Fenghuang and Dehang. It’s hard because, more than likely, none of you have ever heard of these two cities. But that’s part of what made the trip so exciting. By visiting two minority villages in the Hunan province that I hoped were untouched by tourism, I hoped to get to know the real China. It turns out my wish was only partly granted. Fenghuang, which is said to be the second most beautiful city in all of China, was a bit more touristy than I would have wished, but still beautiful. Rather than describe everything I saw in Fenghuang, I’ll let you look at it.

A man fishing trash out of the river.

Over looking the old town from the Rainbow Bridge.

A Miao women sewing slippers.

Kelly and I post-rickshaw ride.

Fenghuang and the Tuo Jiang River.

Dehang, though not far in distance from Fenghuang, was all together different. The city was extremely small and is known more for the karst formations that surround the city than for it’s buildings or other structures. After finding a place to stay with the help of a pack of cigarettes, we were greeted by a local police officer wanting to register us for a “temporary residents permit.” We had previously told our driver that we had our passports, but this wasn’t exactly true. Most of us did, but not all of us. I’m sorry to say that I belonged to the group that did not have their actual passport in their possession. I had a copy of both my visa and passport, as I had heard that would be sufficient. In our case, however, it was not. Luckily I was able to sign-up for my permit without the officer noticing I didn’t have a passport. Another member of the group was less luckily and received quite a talking to from the officer. In the end, everything worked out and we were able to stay the night. The next day we took two amazing hikes. As most of you know, I typically do not hike. The Chinese as a people, however, also do not hike. So, this was most like a walk on stone sidewalks and a million stairs. Once again, describing what we saw would not do the area justice, so here are a few pictures.

A stream and bridge new our hotel.

Suzanne, Caroline, and Kelly just starting out on the first hike.

A man harvesting rice.

Kelly, Suzanne, a random Chinese man, and I pose on top of a mini-dam along the hike.

Me and the gem of the hike, a lovely waterfall.

I’ve posted a number of additional pictures on Facebook. If you’d like to check them out and are not a member of Facebook, simply follow these links: Fenghuang and Dehang.

I'm glad to have travled throughout the Hunan province. Next up, however, is the rest of China. October 1st is a national holiday and we have the entire week off of school to celebrate. We'll see where I end up and with who, but it will be a fun time regardless.