Guangxi Province, China - October 2011

The ancient rice terraces of Tiantouzhai and Ping'An were constructed over a period of seven hundred years by non-Han Chinese minority tribes, the Yao and Zhuang, who inhabited this remote mountainous region of Guangxi Province in China's rural southwest. The minority people claimed the Longji Mountain as their own by introducing terraced agriculture. Traveling by bus, I visited this region after the rice harvest, unfortunately, but was able to lodge in one mountain village in order to make an early morning hike along trails through the now barren terraces.

Welcome to Chengdu!

On my first visit to People's Park in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan Province, I watched this woman draw Mandarin characters with intensity. It felt safe to photograph her skillful calligraphy as she occasionally acknowledged me with a smile, with acceptance. (The "ink" appeared to be water with a bit of coloring added to it, but it faded after some time and left no mark on the granite.)

Soon I noticed that she was speaking with some people standing nearby, young Chinese who were also observing her calligraphy. While speaking with them, she would glance toward me and smile. Then she began to draw an additional row of characters, all the time watching me.

Then one of the young men came to me, smiled and asked if I knew what the characters meant. Of course, I didn't know. He beamed at me and said, "It reads, 'Welcome to Chengdu!'"

People's Park, Chengdu

While traveling in China, I was constantly in search of venues where I could talk with the Chinese, places where people might feel comfortable to approach me. I soon learned that parks, gardens, museums and historical sites created a sense of comfort and license for people to approach foreigners. In Chengdu, I went to People's Park at the end of the workday to enjoy throngs of Chinese relaxing and socializing.

Moving on..........................

This is likely to be my final post to the blog for the next several months. I leave Kathmandu tomorrow morning for China and several months of travel in China's southwestern provinces: Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi.

I'm told that there is no access to Google-hosted websites throughout the PRC, so it appears unlikely that I'll be able to keep up the blog during my travels there. E-mail will be available and I'll do my best to remain in touch. Forgive me if I send group mails from time to time. You know how to find the "delete key" if you're not interested.

Thank you all for your friendship and love, Rick

Peaks of the Annapurna Range

Seeing these peaks from 4130 meters left me without words, so why try to write something here that would only minimize their beauty and mystery? What could I write that would speak more poignantly than the photos themselves?

Experiencing the majesty of the peaks was only one small part of the journey. Every step, every rushing mountain river, every beautiful wild flower, every meadow or rice paddy, every Nepali encountered, every gasping breath made the journey.

Jagrit Bhattarai, Himalayan guide/porter extraordinaire

Jagrit Bhattarai was my guide/porter for the Annapurna Trek. He sprinted up the trails with my 10kg pack on his back and he hopped down steps with the ease of a mountain goat! Most significantly, he treated me with great respect and grace, always accommodating my need for rest stops and time out. He was understanding of the challenges an older trekker might encounter and he always anticipated my needs -- an outstretched hand when I was in a difficult situation climbing over a landslide or while crossing a narrow bridge. His assistance was immeasurably kind and thoughtful.

In fact, Jagrit acted more like he was my butler than my guide. Thank you, Jagrit, for a most enjoyable trek!

Flora and Fauna of the Nepal Himalaya