Author: Matthew McDonald

Yo from Ping An!

Today was a pretty physically demanding day, but was also quite chilled. We had an early start having delicious pancakes for breakfast. After that we prepared for the big hike that was about to commence. Everyone was ready by around 8:30 waiting outside the stairs of the hostel. While we were waiting for Joe, our local guide, to lead the pack, we had a chance to overlook the amazing view of the rice fields surrounded by the early morning fog. Finally when Joe arrived we began a big journey starting off going through our awesome mountain-top village we were staying at.

After passing the village we went across the stone rocky stairs along the grass which lead to the rice fields. The rice fields were quite extraordinary and was so good to get a good glimpse of its natural beauty. The rice fields had layers of water on them because Jacki Chan was filming a movie there. This was the first time in 600 years that the rice fields had been filled at this time of year. The water made the fields look shiny as if they were made out of stone. This was so good to get a photo of and show all your friends and family.

While we were walking down this stony wide path we noticed many dead snakes, which was as close as we got to seeing snakes. We were also joined by a local dog who followed us throughout the early stages of the hike. It was so cute and it reminded all of us of our furry friends at home that we miss very much. The hike mainly consisted of walking on stone rocks which created a path through the grass for people to walk along, and at some points it was very steep. The hike was a great way to discover new areas around the Longsheng as we wondered our way between three other villages. It was also a great way do some exercise, a great way to talk to people in our group, have a good time and support each other to finish the hike. Some great places we went along consisted of a waterfall, more amazing rice fields, village people and different scenic paths. We learnt a bit about the village people, what they wore, how women did there hair and how they worked.

After the long hike everyone was tired out so most people hadn’t had lunch and it was around three o’clock so we were starving. Everyone had a delicious lunch which gave us the energy to play some street soccer out in the village. The man of the match was Robbo scoring five big ones. What a game!

After letting out some energy we went to a Chinese restaurant in the our village and enjoyed a scrumptious dinner with the whole group. When we had finished eating we were heard the sound of some fireworks outside the restaurant in celebration of a a local Chinese wedding that was being held in our village. We got to watch the display, which lit up the sky above the village, and the sound of firecrackers echoed around the valley. It was a great way to end the day.

Today was a great day because it allowed everyone to let out some energy and we all had some freedom to do what we wanted. Tomorrow we leave this amazing place and it will stay in our hearts forever.

By George Hronopoulos and Robert McLeish

‘Sup from Longsheng!

Yesterday morning we were sad to depart Dali but we’re looking forward to the adventures awaiting us in Guilin and Longsheng. The long bus ride was oozing fun and laughter as always, losing at games of Uno and singing along to 80s classics on Paris’ iPod. However, the group was thoroughly forlorn to say goodbye to our new friend Norman. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Norman, he is has been our favourite tour guide during our Big Experience so far. Something that is no mean feat, that’s for sure!

Following our bus ride of mixed emotions, we flew from Kunming to the mountainous city of Guilin. Our first impressions were of awe at the spectacular mountains that rose up literally out of the ground throughout the centre of the city, lit up by the surrounding lights of all colours, and the stark contrast between them and the modern architecture of city buildings with their flashing neon lights that surrounded then. But after a lovely traditional Chinese dinner, we were too exhausted to explore too much, taking a quick walk around the central lake, with its massive pagodas, before quickly retiring to our quarters after the long day.

The next morning, after a sleep in, we woke up refuelled and ready for another day of non-stop action. After a rushed breakfast (consisting mostly of oranges!) we packed our back packs with clothes for the next two days and set off for another long bus ride up to the tiered rice farming village of Ping An in the mountainous Longsheng region. The bus trip took roughly two hours, plus a 40 minute shuttle ride characterised by the sharp hairpin corners. After that hair raising experience we climbed up for another 20 minutes to our accommodation for the next two nights: a beautiful wooden hostel with plenty of character and breath-taking views. It is a truly spectacular village that must be seen to be believed (the photos don’t do it justice!). Although it is a long way to the top, it was definitely worth it because of the views.

Shortly after arriving we explored the village for ourselves in groups of four and were able to observe the daily lives of working class Chinese families. On our adventures, we saw many animals and even a local primary school boasting a basketball court and a single classroom consisting of five desks. This afternoon, we embarked on a short trek through the surrounding rice plantations and were able to see the ‘dragon’s back’, which is the source of a popular myth that explains the odd shape of the terraces. This trek was considered a warm-up for tomorrow’s ominous four-and-a-half hour hike scheduled for tomorrow, which includes scaling a massive mountain of rice fields and walking along it’s ridge. A fun filled day awaits!

Tonight, in preparation for the tiring day tomorrow, we were able to find our own dinner in hope that we would be able to fill our bellies with nutritious delights and get back to our rooms for an early night. But our group, consisting of us, Paris and Jamie, Simon Rodgers and Inga had a little bit of an issue with our food and ended up waiting two and a half hours for a cheese pizza which, with an unfortunate trip, then ended up all over the floor. Let’s just say we were all VERY hungry as we awaited our replacement, and might we just add anything tastes good after waiting two and a half hours!

So far, so good as we have surpassed the halfway mark on our Big Experience and are soaking up every last memory of it. We all feel so privileged to have been given these opportunities some of which we will never be able to experience again. The friendships forged here will stand strong against the brutal test of time, and our memories will last forever. Until next time, ‘sup from Paris Wilkinson and Jamie Philander!

By Paris Wilkinson and Jamie Philander.

Today we set off early for our six hour bus ride back to Kunming, where we were to catch our evening flight to Guilin. On the way we stopped at a petrol station for a quick break and discovered some delicious corn cobs. We were getting better at inventing ways to entertain ourselves on the long bus trips, but we were very glad that this was our last big one.

The bus trip gave us plenty of time to reflect on the past couple of days. Dali was vastly different from the other cities we have visited in China so far. Dali has felt a lot more laid back and less modern than Beijing and Xi’an. The scenery there was beautiful and picturesque as you could see the mountains in the background and the sky was always bright blue instead of grey and cloudy because of the smog. The weather in Dali has been very nice even though it was quite cold during the night and heats up during the day. Some of the women in Dali wore traditional Bai head dresses and sometimes complete costumes. We even saw women with the triangles on the headdress our local guide Norman told us about: four triangles mean the woman is single, two mean she is married and one stands for a widow. Contrary to Beijing, we didn’t see anyone begging for money on the streets.

We also reflected on our service activities. Yesterday we completed our second and last community service project. It was eye opening to see the people whose lifestyles were completely different from ours and to understand how privileged we are. It was interesting to see how much we could do with so little money and how much it was worth to them. We now understand that community service is far more effective with the knowledge of the people and of their situations. For example, when we visited the Sun Village orphanage in Xi’an, we were very surprised to see brand new air conditioners and flatscreen TVs.

Our first impression was that the children weren’t that poor because they could afford such luxuries that we have in our own homes, too. But we soon discovered they didn’t ever use these appliances as they were too expensive to run and maintain. Even though someone probably thought this was a good idea to donate, it isn’t necessary for the orphanage and can even hurt them. It could mean they could get fewer donations as it looks like they already have enough. It is a better idea to actually research the communities and organisations in detail and think carefully about what they really need and donate something useful. That’s why it was a good idea that XJ, our tour guide, bought 1.5 tons of flour, which was something that they needed and could use immediately. Likewise, the village school had recently been rebuilt and had lots of stationary, but many of the students were still in need due to limited services in the village, the poverty of their parents and their isolated location.

Our day ended by taking a short flight from Kunming to Guilin for a one-night stay before heading to Longshen for another two nights. We’ve already experienced so much and we’re only halfway. We are all looking forward to what is to come.

By Inga Steenblock and Simon Love.

There aren’t many pictures from today as bus trips and airports, while necessary, don’t lend themselves to exciting photo opportunities. However, the next few days should be spectacular. Unfortunately wifi access may be difficult to come by in the mountains around Longshen, but we will upload when we can.

Zànshàng hâo from Dali!

Today day we assembled at 8am for a lovely local breakfast made by our hostel workers. After we ate, Mr Hou, our bus driver, took us to Zhoucheng village to see some local tie dying. The method which we saw was a traditional way of making these beautiful cloths. The first step was cutting holes in a sheet of plastic as a design for the pattern, then a piece of cloth would be placed under the plastic. The next step was painting the pattern from the plastic sheet onto the cloth. They would then sew the patterns together which, after the dying process, would be cut open to show a new, colourful pattern.

The village of Zhoucheng was a local Bai village and has two types of financial brackets. The richer proportion of people would have a house with four buildings and one courtyard while the less fortunate proportion would only have three buildings and a sheet wall which blocks out strong winds. After viewing and buying some of the hand-made tie dye we had a short walk through Zhoucheng. It was an old and poor village, but the dirt streets were slowly making way for some modern constructions such as new concrete footpaths and an apartment building. Most of the locals were very poor and were working construction labour or carrying heavy items. The local grocery market ranged with many vegetables and meats that had been grown, killed or caught by the local grocers and fishers.

The rest of our wonderful day was spent driving through the rough rocky terrain and thick forests of the surrounding mountains to reach the a school which was in need of help. The rough and small roads made impossible for a bus to drive to the school so in small groups we hoped in cars driven by a group of people who run a volunteer organisation that supports the local schools and people in need. The school which we were headed had only 11 children learning in it across four different grades, all of which were taught in the one classroom.

The struggles of the local kids range from how far the children needed to walk to get to and from the school, to medical needs and money to support food and electricity. There was one child in particular who needs to go out of the village once every two months to get a much needed white blood cell transfusion which is costing his family $4,000 RMB, or around $800 AUD. Also, the living expenses of for the child is $500 RMB a month with the family only making about $5,000 RMB a month. The transfusions this child is getting will only last another 2-3 years unless he has a bone marrow transplant, which will cost $400,000 RMB, or around $80,000 AUD.

The school has lately received many new facilities such as a new toilet, classroom, stationary and a basketball court. As we shared our donations and gifts to the school we saw how much appreciation was given from the smallest things such as new pencils and balls. These things may not last them for long term and isn’t what they really need which is more support, but they still enjoyed our small short term support.

When we arrived at the school, the five year old boy had just returned from Kunming where his parents had tired to get him medical treatment for his blood disorder. They had gone to the hospital, but had been unable to get the required treatment because they didn’t have enough money to afford the procedure. While the boy was learning how to play football, his parents were desperately trying to borrow money from the other townspeople to fund the treatment.

As a group we had already discussed what the best way to support these people would be, since the school was relatively well equipped, so we decide that the best use of our remaining donation money would be to pay for this boy’s next round of treatment. His mother collapsed with relief when she was told the news, and the boy will be returning to Kunming tomorrow to continue his treatment. At the end of the day we felt gratitude, sadness for the children, especially the boy who was sick, and thankfulness for being able to help out with donations and gifts to the small school and, most importantly, the children.

For the last day in Dali the ending was wonderful. We appreciate the efforts put into the tour and have much affection towards Norman, our local tour guide. Reflecting back on the fun we have had in Dali, we have seen many destinations and the food has been the best so far. We are looking forward to the remaining time we have to spend in China. So, from Ben and Nick, farewell and goodnight!

By Nicholas Carus and Ben Merganovski.