We woke around 0600AM and went to the hotel restaurant for a quick and simple breakfast consisting of rolls, rice soup, and some side dishes of which I did not partake. We loaded up and headed just a few minutes away to a tea market. Our group was treated to various types of teas and the health benefits of each explained to us. After 30 minutes or so, the pitch was over and few, if any purchased the tea. Next destination was a speed bought ride. Only a few in our group decided to participate, and the others in our group got back on the bus to to travel to the destination of the boat ride, where we would all meet and continue from.

At both destinations, I met people who would speak to me in English or, if they did not speak English, make some effort to communicate. After sitting next to an older woman and offering her some of my snack (which she refused), she offered (read: forced) me to a yellow plum they had bought. She shoved another in my bag for the road. Others joined our ad hoc conversation, some who spoke few words of English, and others who didn’t. In any case, we managed to piece together a conversation that, though simple, left all parties with a smile on their face.

After the wet ones boarded the bus, we headed to a factory/shop that uses bull horns to to create different items. Some decorative, such as fish, others functional, such as combs, tobacco pipes, and back sratchers. We browsed the selections but, in typical fashion, didn’t buy. That was the last shopping stop of the day.

On our way back to ChengDu, the imagery was too much for me too handle. It was more than my eyes could capture, process. Even a camera could not do it justice. I just soaked it up best I could I wished that you were here beside me so we could synthesize together. 

Herding goats down a mountainside, horses, cows. The rainbow after climbing the mountains out of Huang Long. Rock/mud slides that closed half the road. Truck turned over after taking the sharp turn too quickly.

After a few more hours of driving, we stopped off for lunch on the side of the road.  We ate quickly and re-boarded, anxious to return to ChengDu, about 50KM away. We dropped our driver off at his home and a new, more talkative, less attentive, and slower guy took the helm. Chun Hao received us at the hotel and dropped us off at Qi Yu’s place.

Qi Yu came to get us and took us to a 4 bedroom apartment that was being rented for his employees. This would be our new home. Wu Feng and Feng Yao Feng would be our roommates.

After dinner, Chun Hao, Summer, Ryoko and myself went to see ‘Crazy Stone’, an Andy Lau film that, although entirely in Chinese, left me laughing all the way through.