In the very centre of China

Preparations for visiting the middle kingdoms of China started ... let's say exactly ... 3 years ago by starting to convince my mother to visit me in China. After all these years of hard work it all finally started to roll in November 2012 when my mother and brother landed in China, not in Shanghai or Beijing, but in the very middle, in Chongqing. Mother first time ever so far and in Asia! Brother already second time on rice.

Wanting to show something different from golden triangle of Shanghai, Beijing and Xian, we headed to search for somewhat more traditional - Southern China's rich minority culture, misty hills with small villages in between, burning spicy food, long bus and train trips. All this was available in Guizhou and Chongqing province.

Chongqing transporter. As the city is very hilly, old profession of transporter guys offering service to carry goods on their shoulders is still highly valued.

Mother getting to know the local market life

Vegetable seller's rice break

Train departing from Kaili (Guizhou province), 13 hours and ~700km it took to get there from Chongqing.

In Kaili, the last big town, before heading to villages in the middle of mountains. Feel of China: little foggy (smoggy), little hilly, a pagoda and already few rice terraces. Still the beginning!

 

Miao minority women

Xijiang village in mountains

When there is no rice season the same field is used as a fishing pond. Basket was used as the fishing net

Just a spider net

Village street, for some reason cars were not the most popular mean of transportation inside the village, must have been high parking fees :)

Terraces preparing for winter

Xijiang village entrance - developed as tourist attraction, so everybody coming to the village will be welcomed by local dancers

Getting the true looks of Miao people

Chinese-Estonian farming cooperation, knowledge sharing workshop in progress

Tasting flowers

Roofs with no cement

Into the mist.... siilike

Next stop Baltics, Dec2012

Rizhao October festival time

A new food concept, found this simple place in Rizhao university district. Private hot pots for students, usually hot pot restaurants are for many people sitting around one pot and dipping food into boiling broth for immediate eating, this little place offers it for people coming alone. Things to be cooked are rotating on small conveyor - typical to fast food sushi restaurants.



This is once again the trip for getting to know back corners of Rizhao, finally the city has 2.8mil people, somewhere all these people must be hidden! October festival Golden holiday week gave us a chance to go slightly further to the villages of Rizhao. With more hills and dirt tracks and less of 8-lane roads.



Beginning of October, harvesting is going on in full speed, mainly peanut and soya bean. Obviousely all sorting and drying is done directly on the roads.

Educational graffiti, the message seems to be: work hard, study hard, then it is possible to get a machine on the field to do the work.

Chimney valley - old brick factories. Tens of them, all scattered around in the same area.

Inside the brick kiln

The main control room of the factory

Corn people

The non-back road - Rizhao Beijing Road

Meet nature

The July wild life spotting. Location: Rizhao Botanical garden, perfect tiny island to escape within the growing city. A good place to have the normal never ending honks of cars and sounds of constructions with you and watch the soundless butterflies hopping from plant to plant.

This small girl spotted more interesting object to observe - a white guy :)

French Polynesia - life in a pearl farm

The destination! Pearl farm became my home for about one week. Life in the middle of ocean, water water water and just a thin stretch of land,  farm work - pearl farm work!!! And of course never ending talks about fishing :)

Ocean side

Pearl farm built inside the lagoon side, standing on poles on the shallow reef, thin bridge going over the water to the island. Remote place, just few fishing boats per day passing. Rare visitors - like me - can come here and stay for free, if willing to get hands dirty with the farm work! Work - diving for pearl baskets, shells cleaning, attaching shells to baskets.

 

Pearl shells attached to basket

Day 1 decided to dive for baskets, like planned - free dive down, pick the basket and towards the surface to hand it over to boat, no problems. With second dive decided to follow the locals and take 2 baskets at a time. Picked the 2 and towards the surface, mere 2 meters to go the lower corner of basket got stuck in ropes, what a great moment. Air was running out, so no time to go down to un-do the ropes. Only way to drop the baskets to the bottom of the lagoon - would be rather nice black for the first day :) Luckily one of the other divers noticed me doing fish talk and saved the baskets from going to the bottom. Good introduction to the life in the middle of the ocean :)

Thursday is the big day for Ahe, cargo ship is brining ordered goods and fuel to the island, unloads it and goes on to other islands. All the households around the island will go to the tiny village to pick up pre-ordered packages and also have the big night out. 

The waters are full of sharks, smaller ones 1-2m. In farm sharks loved to swim just under the bridge and also in the area where the pearl baskets were hanging under water. And of course whenever going for harpoon fishing, usually appearing right after catching a fish and making a circle just below. For the second fish already closer. It is good to call it a day when they are coming to snatch the caught fish.

The boats can enter the lagoon only through one place called the Pass. The best for fishing and also the place with strongest current.

In the farm there was plenty of time to think about important things, like why on Earth the logo of Australian biggest salt brand has a boy who is running after a live chicken and pouring salt on it. One of the cruellest logo to have.

Männi searching for answer

Ahe island airport

5 pearls for memory